Future paramedics hone their skills with first of its kind VR driving simulator

Future paramedics at West Midlands Ambulance Service (WMAS) are honing their driving skills with a virtual reality driving simulator.

The driving simulator, which is the first of its kind among ambulance trusts in the UK, will allow students undertaking their Emergency Blue Light Driving course with WMAS to experience a multitude of scenarios which could occur while driving an ambulance under emergency conditions.

The driving simulator will enhance intensive on-the-road training by enabling students to experience conditions that they can’t in real-life, including extreme weather, unexpected hazards, vehicle faults and incidents where crews must use reverse-flow driving.

“We are very excited to offer our students such an incredible learning opportunity within their blue light driver training with the Trust.

Russell Ames, Developing Emergency Response Driving Instructor, WMAS

“These are scenarios that could happen while driving an ambulance, but we cannot stage them in a real-life setting. Yet there is a very high likelihood that our crews will be responding to patients in these extreme or unexpected conditions, and we want to ensure that they are given the chance to prepare for this so that they can respond to patients safely and continue to save lives.

“This simulator is built like an ambulance dashboard, with pedals and the seat will move and react to simulate the movement within a vehicle.

“Our driver trainers are able to see how the students respond to these conditions while they are training and are able to advise and teach them about the correct way to handle each situation.”

Here’s a video of the driving simulator in action:

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