by: Virtual Vet Lab | data 15/01/2024
Our team is an all-female equine vet one. We are passionate about equine respiratory medicine and horse welfare, but more so we take care of vet student education and their skill acquisition during the 5-year undergrad curriculum. More info on our team is available at the end of this page.
With the invaluable help of the VR@Polito team, we have developed a prototype software for veterinary practical skills training, focusing on the educational goal of acquiring competences in performing equine upper airway respiratory endoscopy.
Equine upper airway respiratory endoscopy is an example of procedure considered routine in equine clinical practice but for which training before graduation is often absent or limited to observation. #VirtualVetLab can become an innovative and sustainable gym for skill acquisition, allowing students to immerse themselves in a virtual environment and develop self-confidence and autonomy in clinical, decision-making, and communication skills.
Students need training to improve their practical skills, but students have increased duties and decreasing opportunities and time to do so. In the last years, increasing ethical and economical issue further reduce students’ exposure to practical training.
Recent surveys have highlighted high levels of stress among newly graduated veterinarians, with more than half feeling unprepared to perform even simple clinical procedures. Immersive virtual reality can provide a solution, recreating clinical scenarios with high educational impact and promoting learning in a safe and positive environment.
Teachers an clinicians may benefit from the software as well. In fact, while they are called to assess the student ability to perform a practical skill, being objective in this regard is not obvious. Our software provides objective feedback in terms of time and dexterity of execution, diagnostic accuracy, and exam completeness.
Lastly, animal welfare is preserved, as student can train the procedure itself in a virtual reality environment as much as deemed necessary before moving to the real patient.
We are asking to contribute with a donation to this project, which will be used to fund a scholarship for an engineer or informatician that will improve the software's educational components, including:
Our goal is to raise 7,000 euro.
The good news is that if you help us now and if we reach our goal, the University of Turin though the Funds Together initiative, will double the amount obtained.
In other words, your donation will be doubled!
With additional funding we will be able to purchase and program equipment to provide haptic (sensory, tactile) feedback to users, creating an even more realistic experience.
Giulia Memoli is enrolled in a scholarship project on respiratory medicine and clinical pharmacology at the Department of Veterinary Sciences in Turin and she is also working towards a post-graduate degree at the School of Medicine and Surgery of the Horse in Pisa. Giulia has been involved in software development from the beginning, testing and refining it. In her free time, she draws and reads. She is our artist.
Alessandra Romolo, is involved in basic respiratory medicine research at the Department of Veterinary Sciences in Turin. Pragmatic and always on the go, she is an invaluable source of enthusiasm and ideas for software development.
Beatrice Sica, started a PhD program at the end of 2022 in equine respiratory medicine. Incredibly effective despite occasional clumsiness, Beatrice brings positivity and precious problem-solving skills.
Michela Bullone, associate professor and equine clinician at the Department of Veterinary Sciences in Turin. Scientific tutor of Giulia, Alessandra and Beatrice. A focus on respiratory research and mom of three kids, Michela first conceived #VirtualVetLab during COVID pandemic, turning the challenge of teaching clinical skills through a computer screen into an opportunity.
To donate, choose your price here below and click on the relative green button "SOSTIENI" in the list on the top right of this webpage.
You will be redirected on a page with instructions in Italian and English.
Thank you!
A special thank you for your contribution on our social channels and through a personalized email.
Purchase a ticket for our lottery, and in addition to receiving a #virtualthanks, you'll enter the final draw for 5 handmade stuffed horses crafted by Michela, featuring a special and personalized embroidery! Will you be one of the lucky ones to receive one of these fantastic plush toys at home? The draw will take place in March... STAY TUNED!!
Receive one of our drawings virtually and join an informative webinar hosted by us on the role of virtual reality in education and beyond! You'll also get a #virtualthanks and a personalized certificate of participation in the webinar!
Describe your horse to us, send us a photo, or create one from your imagination... we will incorporate your "creation" into one of the software scenarios, and you'll receive its virtual passport via email!
If you're curious about veterinary science and how new technologies are used in the medical field, come spend a day with us at the university! We could meet for a coffee and share insights into our world!
You will receive a hand-drawn illustration from us, in a limited edition, as a token of our gratitude for your generous contribution!
If you are a company, professional, or association that has chosen to believe in and invest in our project, we want to publicly thank you and contribute to your visibility. We will create social media content to introduce and share the reasons that led you to support us!
If you wish to donate any amount, now is the right time. Thank you for the contribution you will make; every donation is important to us and will make a difference!
MINIMUM AMOUNT: €5
Un team tutto al femminile di 4 veterinarie che si occupano di cavalli. Abbiamo a cuore lo sviluppo formativo e l’acquisizione di competenze da parte degli studenti di medicina veterinaria, nel rispetto del benessere animale e dell’ambiente in cui viviamo.
