Program duration: 01/05/2021 - 30/04/2023

VRHealthLeaders

A Multifaceted VR Learning Platform for Future Healthcare Leaders 

VRHealthLeaders is a two-year project (1/5/2021 – 30/4/2023) funded by the ERASMUS+ Programme of the European Union, which aims to facilitate the development of knowledge, skills and attitudes relevant to leadership and management in healthcare, incorporating human resource management, financial management, disaster management and quality processes.

Digital solutions have the potential to radically transform education. Using virtual reality as a primary tool for leadership training can improve healthcare systems by broadening the experiences of healthcare leaders thus providing better outcomes, services and quality to patients across the EU. Virtual reality simulation offers educators the chance to provide students with experiential learning that would otherwise not be available to them.

This VRHealthLeaders uses virtual reality to increase the leadership capabilities of future healthcare managers and policy makers in public health crises as the key theme of the training programme.

Leadership education within healthcare is vital to healthcare systems yet currently limited resources are available for the training of health care leaders on a global level. The issue of limited resources for training healthcare leaders has been further compounded by the recent shift to online and distance learning due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Overall, the VRHealthLeaders project will develop a Leadership Academy toolkit that can be used through online/virtual, blended or face-to-face training and learning.

The VRHealthLeaders specific objectives are:

· to develop a multifaceted toolkit to support healthcare educators teaching leadership to healthcare professionals across Europe;

· to test and implement innovative virtual reality practices in healthcare leadership education;

· to develop a leadership curriculum that can be used for online, blended and distance teaching and learning;

· to develop a 'train the trainers' e-learning platform that supports teachers and trainers in adapting their leadership courses to online and distance learning;

·  to evaluate and peer review the toolkit in multiple EU countries;

·  to disseminate and exploit the project results for maximum impact.

The consortium consists of 6 organizations from 4 countries: Cyprus, Greece, Malta and Spain.

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Project Coordinator:

International Network for Health Workforce Education LTD, Cyprus

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Participating Organizations:

SILVERSKY3D VR TECHNOLOGIES LTD, Cyprus

Dept of Hygiene, Epidemiology and Medical Statistics National Kapodistrian University of Athens, Greece

Prolepsis Institute, Greece

MACDAC ENGINEERING CONSULTANCY BUREAU LTD, Malta

POLIBIENESTAR, UNIVERSITAT DE VALENCIA, Spain

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Contact information:

Pania Karnaki, MA: p.karnaki@prolepsis.gr

Matina Kouvari, MSc, PhD: m.kouvari@prolepsis.gr

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Program website: TBA