Using intervention mapping to develop a virtual reality medical curriculum for underrepresented students in Florida

Within the healthcare field, there persists racial and ethnic differences in physician representations from underserved communities. This pattern in healthcare can be attributed to barriers such as socioeconomic factors, self-efficacy, and lack of educational exposure to healthcare careers. Such barriers are often faced by middle and high school students, which can have lasting impacts on their future career as a healthcare provider. To improve student exposure to healthcare-related education, the Healthcare Careers Opportunities Pathway Program implemented a virtual reality (VR) curriculum in sessions offered to middle and high school students throughout Palm Beach County. This curriculum, developed using Intervention Mapping (IM), utilized Meta Quest Pro headsets to deliver lessons focused on basic anatomy of the body. The VR curriculum allows for the students to experience a lesson, taught by current medical students, while also having “hands-on” experience dissecting the organ systems. As part of this intervention, IM steps 1–4 were completed including conducting a needs assessment, formulating program objectives, selecting program design, and creating program material and educational components. To pilot test the VR curriculum, surveys were distributed to all participating students and consisted of prompts reflecting on the usefulness of VR, comfort using the technology, and comparing VR to lecture-based curriculum. Results of the survey are currently under review. The VR educational sessions that we are implementing into the HCOP program of Palm Beach County involves merging state-of-the-art technology with educational objectives for teaching anatomy. After initially orienting the students with the VR technology, the lecturers help teach different aspects of anatomy for the specific organ system for that day, while keeping in mind the learning capacity of the students. The use of IM guided the successful implementation of the VR curriculum and allows for constant adaptation with the evolving needs of STEM students.