Virtual surgery research conducted at UAFS

Surgical technology students at the University of Arkansas at Fort Smith recently participated in a research project that had them take a virtual walk in an operating room.

The UAFS students sat at a computer and answered questions related to locations of specific equipment and materials inside the operating room, according to a statement from the university. Following the timed activity, the students were teamed with researchers and provided oral answers to their experience — good and bad — about the virtual operating room.

Debi Steele, a UAFS instructor in  the Administrative Professional and Office Technology program, worked with Sydney Fulbright, executive director of the Surgical Technology program, to arrange the research activity using Fulbright’s students. On hand for the event were researchers from Oklahoma State University.

Steele became involved in the research as part of the doctoral degree she is pursuing at OSU. She said the research addresses the effects of virtual reality in technical training.

“We’re studying how people learn, if they are learning visually or not, and we’ll then do a comparison,” Steele said. “We’ll also look at navigated versus un-navigated desktop virtual reality in the operating room environment.”

UAFS students participating were Alma: Krista Dollard (Alma), Richard Hickenbottom (Clarksville), Amanda Fears, Whitney Hampton, Ashley Hightower, Bao Lam, Sarah Reynolds and Michelle Scott (Fort Smith), Amber Furner (pictured above, Lavaca), Brandi Wheeler (Muldrow), Callie Barnett, Miranda Mahar and Reena Sayavong (Van Buren.)