Advancing simulation-based learning: new Virtual Reality assisted learning space gives students hands on experience responding to opioid overdoses
Categories: Alumni + Friends, Amar Ghelani, Faculty, Leadership, Programs + Teaching
Alumna Michelle English, from the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH), which developed the VR simulation-based learning tool, spoke to Amar Ghelani’s social work practice in mental health class about what its like to work in addiction services.
This winter, Master of Social Work students had the opportunity to participate in a virtual reality (VR) simulation focused on responding to opioid overdoses.
The Public Health Agency of Canada reports 49,105 apparent opioid toxicity deaths nationwide between January 2016 and June 2024. With the opioid dependence and overdoses at crisis levels, the new VR-assisted learning is a valuable tool, bringing experiential learning into the classroom to help students build competence in assisting with drug emergencies.
“Even though social workers play a prominent role in services designed to support people with opioid use disorders and mental health concerns, research shows that many students and clinicians don’t receive adequate training to respond to an overdose,” says Amar Ghelani, who joined the Factor-Inwentash Faculty of Social Work as an assistant professor in 2024.
To address this gap in training, Ghelani recently added the VR training tool (developed at the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health) to a course he teaches on the advanced social work practice in mental health. Through his teaching and research, he aims to build on the Faculty’s international leadership in simulation-based learning by expanding the options available through simulation for students to practice social work skills.
Amar Ghelani, Assistant Professor, Teaching Stream
“To my knowledge, this is the first time the faculty has used VR simulation, and I’m not aware of any other faculties of social work in Canada using it,” says Ghelani, who has nearly 20 years’ experience as a frontline social worker supporting individuals struggling with addiction and mental health. “The more diverse experiential learning opportunities that students can access, the better prepared they’re going to be to help people through the most difficult and complex times in their lives.”
Simulation-based learning typically involves engaging trained actors to role-play various clinical scenarios with students. In the VR simulation, users navigate through realistic scenarios in a virtual setting where they might encounter an individual who has experienced an opioid overdose. From assessing the person for responsiveness and physical signs of overdose to administering naloxone (a fast-acting medication that can reverse opioid overdoses) the simulation offers guidance while also presenting multiple choice questions on the best way to proceed.
“These situations can happen at any time in any setting, but social workers are more likely to encounter them,” says Ghelani. “The practice training through VR is designed to increase social work students’ ability to intervene and prevent the loss of life.”
While in-person simulations can be time- and resource-intensive, the VR only requires a desktop or laptop computer. Beyond these practicalities, the immersive nature of VR simulation makes it especially effective for learning new hands-on skills, says Ghelani. “It’s more memorable than a lecture and enhances real-time problem-solving. It’s essentially like a video game, and the visual aspect helps the information stick in the memory.”
Even so, the VR simulation is just one part of the broader course curriculum. “It’s integrated with lecture content around the interconnection between mental health, addictions, trauma, oppression and recovery,” says Ghelani. “We also have small group discussions with peers about processing emotions and experiences related to opioid dependence after students have finished the simulation.”
In early March, adjunct lecturer Michelle English (MSW 2015) from the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH) came in to speak to Ghelani’s students about what it’s like to work in addiction services and take their questions about overdose response and related matters. “Social workers play a crucial role in addiction services, providing support and managing crises, particularly during overdose situations,” says English. “VR simulations prepare students by simulating realistic, high-pressure scenarios where they can practice response times and crisis management in a safe environment.”
Ghelani also used to work at CAMH, where he took the VR training course initially created for staff members in the face of Canada’s opioid epidemic. In the beginning, the VR course had to be completed on site at CAMH using a special headset. In 2023, CAMH created a desktop version of the training – the one Ghelani adopted for his course – that’s available free to the public.
Most students have said that they found the simulation to be engaging, realistic and helpful in enhancing their knowledge and confidence. “I feel that my capacity to respond in real life has improved through this simulation,” says student Chiara Paterna, who previously worked in the field of substance abuse but lacked experience delivering naloxone because medical staff were always available.
“I preferred the simulation format more so than a lecture or a classroom activity on its own,” says Paterna. “I was surprised to see how relatively ‘real’ the clock counting down made me feel that I had to react quickly. I also appreciated how the online setting enabled the simulation developers to create different contexts for overdoses, including a young woman’s bedroom in a shared home, which reduces stereotyping that this only occurs on the street, in shelters or in clinical spaces.”
Other students noted that the simulation was particularly effective in highlighting the importance of certain critical details in naloxone administration. “A component that really stuck with me was my forgetting to engage in proper hygiene practices,” says student Leah Poplestone. “I can assure you that I will not forget that going forward.”
Both Poplestone and Paterna say that pre- and post-simulation discussions in class were crucial to gaining the full benefit of the simulation.
Next year, Ghelani plans to conduct research that measures changes in students’ ability to manage opioid overdoses before and after completing the training to evaluated its success. His long-term goal is to expand the use of effective VR simulation use in the faculty’s teaching and learning programs. “My hope,” he says, “is that VR becomes another piece of the puzzle in strengthening social work students’ competence.”
By Megan Easton
Michelle English on the benefits of VR learning
Michelle English (MSW 2015)
I didn’t use VR early in my career, but I had the opportunity to experience it during an addiction secondment at work (via the CAMH Simulation Centre) this past year. Stepping into a real-time VR simulation, I quickly recognized the gap between theory and practice — I completely froze under pressure! As a healthcare professional, that was a humbling moment. But that’s the beauty of VR — it offers a safe space to make mistakes and learn from them.
Navigating both the unfamiliarity of VR technology and the intensity of an overdose scenario was nerve-wracking, but it ultimately pushed me to refine my skills in ways traditional training never could. Looking back, this kind of hands-on practice would have been invaluable in my early education. In high-pressure situations like these, VR overdose response training truly helps build life-saving skills.
With the rise in overdoses and the closure of supervised consumption sites, social workers are increasingly likely to encounter drug emergencies. Evidence of this shift is found in a new protocol at my outpatient clinic, COMPASS, where my colleagues and I conduct end-of-day washroom checks, and each stall features signage with harm reduction tips, along with resources like safe injection sites.
Experiential learning through VR training fosters confidence by allowing students to practice high-stakes scenarios in a safe, controlled environment. By immersing themselves in realistic situations, future social workers can hone their skills, learn from mistakes, and develop the assurance needed to respond effectively in real-life crises.