Student paramedics are first to use VR for mass casualty incident training

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The University of Huddersfield is set to become the first UK university to use virtual reality (VR) technology to train student paramedics for mass casualty incidents.

The initiative is being delivered in partnership between the School of Human and Health Sciences and Manchester-based emergency response training specialists REACT-XR. Up to six students at a time will use VR headsets and software in an immersive suite in the Daphne Steele Building at the university’s National Health Innovation Campus (NHIC).

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Jenny Dobbin, senior practitioner in Paramedic Science at the university, said the technology offers a more practical and scalable way to deliver major incident training while reducing logistical pressures.

“By using VR, we can mimic the kinds of situations our paramedic students may find themselves in with more authenticity than we can recreate in live simulations.”