The Exergen Corporation has introduced The Virtual Classroom, a modern technological approach to training nursing and hospital staff on the clinical science and proper use of temporal artery thermometry. The Virtual Classroom is a computerized educational demonstration with avatars substituted for real people depicting familiar scenarios for clinicians.
Temporal artery thermometers (TAT) are utilized on a daily basis by millions of doctors, nurses and caregivers across the globe. In the past, training materials for these types of medical devices have primarily taken the form of printed educational materials and personal in-servicing. These techniques often fail to capture the attention of trainees and require additional, expensive follow-up.
In a trial of the technology, 1,000 nurses and PCAs were trained for temporal artery thermometry (TAT) by viewing the Virtual Classroom. All of the attendees passed the subsequent written competency exam, and 99.9% passed the product usage demonstration on the first try. In contrast, the initial pass rates on personal inservicing could run as low as 50%.
The Exergen Virtual Classroom can also be easily updated to include new training, products and methods. A flash version is available at www.exergen.com/virtualclassroom and high resolution CD’s can be requested by emailing medical@exergen.com.
