SimX VR in Central America

SimX partners with VR Latam, based in El Salvador, to distribute the SimX Virtual Reality Medical Simulation System (VRMSS) to hospitals and universities across Central America. VR Latam is dedicated to providing Virtual Reality (VR) solutions to institutions in El Salvador and other Central American countries. VR Latam works to enhance educational quality and continuity within schools, to develop capabilities in technical trades, and to develop capabilities with more practical experience than in traditional methods in key areas such as healthcare, public safety or soft skills for executives.

VR Latam has been a SimX distributor for over a year. They found SimX when they were approached by a public hospital that contacted them because of their work providing VR for k-12 students in El Salvador. This hospital wanted to include VR programs to train their nursing staff and physicians and requested that VR Latam find the right VR medical education company for the job. So, they did their research. The VR Latam team looked for innovative companies to represent in Central America but couldn’t find anything that met the hospital’s educational and budget needs. 

During their search, the VR Latam team discovered SimX. Our licensing option was the game changer that made them decide to bring SimX to El Salvador. A SimX license gives institutions access to our marketplace of over 250 virtual patient encounters created in partnership with hospitals and universities around the world, covering multiple specialties across different learner levels. Eduardo Bastidas, General Manager of VR Latam, stated: “In pricing terms, for our countries, this was amazing and really unique in the market during our search.” The SimX marketplace and licensing option allow educators and learners to engage with VR medical simulation training that is cheaper and more accessible than traditional simulations. 

El Salvador is undergoing a transformative process fueled by technology, with the government prioritizing digital inclusion, online education, and the digital economy. According to the presidential press secretary, El Salvador is determined to become an internationally recognized technological hub with the goal of attracting foreign investment and promoting economic development. The Salvadoran youth actively contributes to this shift as they aim to further establish the country as a prominent leader in innovative technologies. VR Latam has the strategic aim to introduce VR in El Salvador and work toward these goals.

Mr. Bastidas said this about VR technology in El Salvador

“Virtual Reality for medical training will let us give more practical experience to the nurses and physicians of the future with virtual patients that will allow them to practice, 1) prioritization, 2) logical sequence of steps, 3) working under pressure, and 4) teamwork skills. At last, they will feel more secure when treating real patients, and those patients will feel safer too.” 

As a SimX distributor, VR Latam aims to sell to private and public hospitals and universities. To that end, they are trying to reach every institution in the region and have already managed to do SimX demos with 20% of all universities in the area! They have active contracts with two universities, and multiple contracts are in progress with other prominent public and private institutions. 

Universidad Andres Bello: This university first created four VR labs with four headsets

per facility. Now, they are utilizing SimX to supplement lectures and traditional simulation to fulfill their learning objectives. 

Universidad Matias Delgado: This university is a recent client that has just begun to

build its SimX VR lab. While they currently only have a few headsets, they plan to utilize their VR lab and SimX to invite experts from around the world to lecture and demonstrate methodologies remotely in virtual spaces.

Public Institutions: VR Latam is working to close deals with a couple of public institutions across Central America that will mean an extraordinary connection to other countries in the region with important institutions that could utilize SimX’s medical simulation solution and ultimately save lives. 

Use Cases

Major institutions in Central America are utilizing SimX in many different ways. A few use cases include:

• Using SimX as a validation or assessment tool to pair with traditional instruction or other simulation methods
• Apprentice-based training where a few students use the headsets and the rest of the class debates and decide on critical actions in real-time
• Inviting professors to give remote demonstrations, guest lectures, or class facilitation through SimX 

VR Latam provides training for all institutions in their region when they sign up for a SimX license. This training is meant to help instructors become familiar with VR and specific VRMSS functionality so they can teach and facilitate virtual scenarios with confidence. VR Latam shares four methods for teaching with VR that anyone can utilize to build their training curriculum and increase the efficacy of each simulation session.

1. Assisted Procedures: In this method, educators simply use simulation to provide primary class instruction
2. Student-Centered Learning: Collaborative learning with a few students in headsets while the others in the course observe and provide opinions or support to accomplish each primary learning objective together
3. Practice: This method allows students to reserve the VR lab or other available facility to complete independent study and support lectures or other simulation training. 
4. Evaluation: Instructors give a traditional lecture and utilize virtual patient encounters to validate learning by having students complete simulation scenarios independently. Instructors can then access SimX evaluation tools to provide feedback. 

Mr. Bastidas of VR Latam said this about SimX: “It gives users the opportunity to practice more. The problem with traditional medical simulation training is that users try procedures 2 or 3 times before moving on to real patients. They don’t feel confident. SimX allows them to practice more, to feel more secure, and give better treatment to patients.” With SimX, learners can train in a safe environment with the opportunity to fail while receiving vital practical experience. 

VR Latam’s work in Central America showcases how quickly SimX can spread from institution to institution across the globe. Their strong training program and insightful use cases represent a medical simulation training evolution for hospitals and universities across the region. 

Testimonials

Educators and administrators have a lot to say about the great work that VR Latam is doing with SimX in Central America! 

“During the experience with virtual reality scenarios, you can see how the students can do different procedures allowing them the best way of learning. This is a new experience and it is amazing that they will take this experience with them and will relate it to their work fields.”

Ana Cristina Molina, RN, Nursing School Academic Coordinator, Universidad Andrés Bello

“One of the most important benefits of SimX is that it promotes critical thinking. The students can use their wisdom during their visits to the different virtual hospital rooms they can enter. I see Virtual Reality as a complement to their learning process that will allow them to successfully execute different procedures. It is the closest thing to a hospital service.”

Madriz Vizcarra, RN, Teacher of Nursing Fundamentals, Universidad Andrés Bello