Vision

Looking forward, the University of Rochester Medical Education program is interested in enhancing the student experience through a number of new technologies.

Augmented Reality Experiences 

For the 2022-23 school year, we are in the process of exploring building our own Augmented Reality experiences of various specimens and medical instruments to supplement the medical curriculum. Of particular interest are specimens from our organ collection and potentially examples provided by students from our Anatomy Lab classes.  We envision building out our own homegrown lab notebook collection of different AR content to teach and learn from, consuming the content on their personal iPad devices. 

Enhancing Ultrasound Capabilities 

Additionally, we are introducing ultrasound probes into our medical school curriculum for the 22-23 school year. All phase 1 and 2 students will receive a Butterfly IQ+ ultrasound probe to use in their course of study. We anticipate phase 3 and 4 students to be exposed to these devices during their clinical rotations. We plan to add rolling iPad stands/carts to each Problem Based Learning room to accommodate the student iPad in order to free up hands and be a display while probing someone with their Butterfly device.  

We also plan to add 18-20 Butterfly probes and 18-20 new iPad to a lending program for faculty and instructors who will be teaching with this technology. 

Supporting Anatomy Lab 

We are also adding 31 dedicated iPad devices to our anatomy labs for the 2022-2023 academic year, with one iPad per lab table to be shared amongst the assigned students. Each iPad will be preconfigured with supportive anatomy apps, like the Netter Atlas app, web clips of resources supplied by Miner Library, and other utilities to support student learning in our labs. These devices are dedicated to the anatomy labs, secured and charged in lockers in each lab space. 

Exploring VR Functionality 

We are currently exploring the purchase of standalone VR headsets for student study along with licenses for the 3D Organon VR Anatomy application, which has a supplemental iPad app, as well as use of The Visible Body - a Human Anatomy Atlas which can be consumed on the iPad device. 

Student Study Applications 

Students will continue to receive access to Notability and Anki Flashcards on the iPad devices provided as part of their medical curriculum. These applications are integrated into the curriculum and students are trained on their use when they enter the program. Additionally, a number of existing multi-touch Apple iBooks are still in use and consumed by students on the iPad device.