Our first SIMtoCARE virtual reality dental education simulator arrived on campus this week. Following unpacking and set-up, the team spent a day receiving training from Stef Geerdink. There is still much to learn regarding the capabilities of this amazing system, and it is evident that there are huge opportunities to leverage this technology not only for dental students but also for continuing education opportunities for dentists and our dental hygiene student colleagues at the Yakima Valley College dental hygiene program.
In these pictures, Dr. Scott Williams, soon-to-be Professor of Dentistry and Director of Endodontic Education, is giving the VR endodontic case a try, followed by a review of the endodontic access opening he made in the simulated tooth, with Stef explaining the information on the teaching station under the watchful eye of the SDM's Associate Dean for Clinical Affairs, Robin Reinke.
The unit is set up in our MultiCare Learning Center, supported by the Pacific Northwest University of Health Sciences Simulation Center staff (thank you Derrick Owsley and Jonathan Farias). This summer, it will be moved to the completed Delta Dental of Washington Dental Equity Hall Virtual Reality Room, where 5 more units will join it in the spring of 2025. This will allow our faculty, who begin in early 2025, ample opportunity to learn about the system and include it in their courses. We will also have units for student use at our Tacoma and Kennewick clinics when those clinics open in early 2026.
Thank you, Stef, for coming to our campus for two days and giving us the start to what is sure to be a wonderful adventure in incorporating this cutting-edge technology into our unique educational program.
