Virtual Reality approaches to Workforce Development

• Tegan Podubinski

  Dr

  tegan.podubinski@unimelb.edu.au
  0438 560 396

Project Details

Rural health workforce shortages remain a persistent challenge in Australia, contributing to significant inequities in healthcare access and health outcomes for rural communities. Although rural placements are one of the strongest predictors of future rural practice and improve workforce readiness, they are not universally accessible. Financial constraints, caregiving responsibilities, employment commitments, and limited placement capacity can all restrict participation, particularly for metropolitan-based students and health professionals seeking to explore rural careers later in their training or careers. There is therefore a need for innovative, scalable and inclusive approaches that complement existing workforce strategies and broaden access to authentic rural learning experiences.

In response, and in partnership with rural health organisations across North East Victoria and the Central Tablelands of New South Wales, we co-created a series of immersive virtual reality (VR) experiences showcasing both the professional and lifestyle aspects of rural health practice. These experiences have been used at health career expos, university education events and workforce engagement activities to provide participants with an authentic introduction to rural communities and practice.

Our research suggests that immersive VR offers an engaging and accessible way to experience rural health contexts. By providing realistic exposure to rural environments, the experiences help participants contextualise rural practice, challenge metro-centric assumptions and stereotypes, and develop a more nuanced understanding of rural living and healthcare. Participants reported that the VR experiences prompted reflection on rural career pathways, enabling them to explore potential opportunities, consider how rural practice aligned with their personal and professional values, and imagine themselves living and working in rural communities.

Through sustained collaboration with hospitals and health services across North East Victoria, the project has evolved beyond the initial pilots to develop context-specific VR experiences that address diverse rural workforce needs, from attracting future health professionals to showcasing regional expertise and practice opportunities.

Researchers

Dr Tegan Podubinski

Dr Kristen Glenister

Dr Hasan Ferdous

Professor Ashad Kabir (School of Computing, Mathematics, and Engineering, Charles Sturt University)

Dr Eme John (Bathurst Rural Clinical School, Western Sydney University)

Dr Uchechukwu Levi Osuagwu (Bathurst Rural Clinical School, Western Sydney University)

Funding

The work in Central Tablelands of New South Wales was supported by the Charles Sturt University Rural Health Research Institute small grant scheme (2023-2025).

Research Outcomes

Demonstrating the value of immersive technologies beyond the original research, the project generated further collaboration with regional partners to co-create three additional VR experiences:

• Occupational Therapy career exploration experience for secondary school students, co-designed with local high school students
• Rural clinical trials team showcase, enabling metropolitan-based sponsors to experience the team and facilities remotely
• Graduate nursing program experience for a local rural hospital, enabling prospective applicants to explore the program before applying

Media appearances

• WIN News
• The Wangaratta Chronicle

Conference presentations

Podubinski, T. (2025, November 3-6). From education to career pathways: Shaping rural health through VR simulation. [Conference presentation]. International Society for the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning, Christchurch, New Zealand.

Podubinski, T., Glenister, K., Ferdous, H. (2024, November 30 - December 4). If we immerse them, they will come: Can rural health experiences through virtual reality have impact on workforce recruitment? [Conference presentation].36^th Australian Human-Computer Interaction Conference,Brisbane.

Podubinski, T., Glenister, K., Ferdous, H., Osuagwu, L., Kabir, A., John, E., (2024, June 16-18). Can rural health experiences have an impact through virtual reality? [Conference presentation]. 17^th National Rural Health Conference, Perth.

Research Publications

Podubinski, T., Glenister, K., Ferdous, H. (2025). If we immerse them, they will come: Can rural health experiences through virtual reality have impact on workforce recruitment? In OzCHI ’24: Proceedings of the 36^th Australasian Conference on Human-Computer Interaction. 117-133. https://dl.acm.org/doi/10.1145/3726986.3727900