A successful pilot run of a virtual reality-based course for midwifery students was held on April 11, 2025. The course is designed for second-year midwifery students and utilises modern virtual reality (VR) technology to develop their practical skills, especially in positioning laboring women during childbirth. This innovative educational course was created thanks to the international PROGRESSION project, supported by the Erasmus+ program.
Technology that Provides a Realistic View
As part of the course, students can visualise pelvic position changes in various positions of a pregnant woman through virtual reality and also track the baby’s movements during labour. Thanks to this interactive visualisation, they can safely and effectively practice optimal positioning that supports the physiological course of labour and enhances its safety.
Course Implementation and Progress
Experts led the course from the Gynaecology and Obstetrics Clinic of University Hospital Brno and the Faculty of Medicine, Masaryk University, under the leadership of MUDr. Emil Havránek, the project lead, together with midwives Mgr. Kristýna Hrachovinová and Mgr. Dominika Králová from the Institute of Health Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, Masaryk University. A total of 20 second-year midwifery students from our faculty participated in the course.
According to both trainers and students, the collaboration was very beneficial. “The course was very valuable for us as trainers. Thanks to virtual reality, which was displayed on a screen, we could observe how students thought about the given obstetric situations and what positions they chose for the woman during the first stage of labour. In the subsequent debriefing, we discussed why they decided on certain steps and which positions can be used to manage specific situations,” said Mgr. Dominika Králová. The students agreed that this excellent experience allowed them to try various positions and discuss them. They also believe it will greatly help them in their practice.
PROGRESSION: What’s Next?
At the end of May, the students will continue the course, which will focus on augmented reality and practical work with a birth simulator. “The main difference between the courses is that, in virtual reality, students work with an ‘avatar,’ but in augmented reality, they physically position a person or a mannequin. The obstetric situations in both courses are the same,” explains Mgr. Dominika Králová.
The PROGRESSION project lasts 2.5 years and is scheduled to conclude next March. Its output will be two courses aimed at midwives—one using virtual reality (VR) and the other augmented reality (AR)—supplemented by a detailed manual. All materials will be freely available for download so that other educational institutions can use them.
The entire project testing was made possible thanks to the Institute of Health Sciences, led by Professor Andrea Pokorná, and the generous allocation of time in the teaching of the 2nd year midwifery students by Dr. Radka Wilhelmova.
The charity collection "Christmas Baking in the Campus," which took place on Monday, December 8, 2025, in the southern corridors of the Campus of the Faculty of Medicine and Faculty of Science at Masaryk University, successfully attracted students and staff. A pleasant Advent atmosphere prevailed throughout the day, complemented by the aroma of Christmas cookies and homemade sweet treats.
