What if you could experience a day in the life of a rural healthcare worker without ever leaving the city? That question sparked a groundbreaking virtual reality (VR) project aiming to tackle one of Australia’s toughest health challenges, attracting and retaining professionals in rural and regional areas.
Traditional approaches like student placements often fall short due to travel costs, time constraints, and common misconceptions about rural life. Our solution? Let the headset do the travelling.
With the help of local communities and Bathurst-based videographer Henry Simmons, and our partners from the University of Melbourne (Dr Tegan Podubinski, Dr Hassan Ferdous, Dr Kristen Glenister) and CSU (Prof Ashad Kabir), we created two immersive VR experiences that offer a true-to-life look at healthcare in Bathurst, NSW, and Wangaratta, Victoria.
“These are not simulations, they’re authentic, first-person journeys through rural hospitals, clinics, and community settings, reflecting the spirit, opportunities, and lifestyle that come with regional practice”.
So far, more than 15 events across New South Wales and Victoria have featured the VR experience. These include the ACN Nursing & Health Expos, University Open Days in Parramatta and Melbourne, the Royal Bathurst Show, and career forums hosted by Northeast Health Wangaratta and the Bathurst Regional Council.
At the recent Western Sydney University (WSU) Open Day in Parramatta, even the University Chancellor was amazed at the way it brought rural health to life.
The response from attendees has been overwhelmingly positive. Over 200 people tried the VR experience, and 81 completed surveys before and after viewing it. Of those, 65 shared detailed feedback, and the data shows a significant shift in their willingness to consider rural work. One nursing student commented,
“I always thought rural hospitals would be outdated and isolating. But this made it feel like a real opportunity, not just a fallback.”
This innovative approach is already making waves in the research community. We’ve shared our findings at major events, including the 2024 Western NSW Health Research Network Symposium in Dubbo, the Rural Health Research Institute Workshop, and the WSU Professional Staff Conference.
In addition, part of the study, led by our Wangaratta-based collaborators, is now published in the Proceedings of the 36th Australian Human-Computer Interaction Conference. The research, titled If we immerse them, they will come, explores how immersive tools like VR can reshape recruitment for rural health services.
What made this project truly special, however, was the collaboration. Local partners, including Bathurst Hospital, Bathurst Regional Council, Northeast Health Wangaratta, and the broader community, opened their doors and shared their stories. As David Flude and Dymity Wheatley from Bathurst Regional Council said after experiencing the VR firsthand:
“This is not just a recruitment tool, it’s a powerful narrative about community, connection, and the heart of rural Australia.”
The impact continues. Local health services in Bathurst and Wangaratta are now using the VR content as part of their outreach, showing it to students, new graduates, and visiting professionals to promote regional work.
This project proves that virtual reality is more than a tech trend; it’s a practical, human-centred tool with real potential to address workforce gaps. By engaging prospective health professionals in a powerful, immersive way, we’re helping reshape the way people view rural practice.
Innovation doesn’t always have to mean big budgets or high-tech labs. Sometimes, it starts with a simple idea: bring rural Australia to life, one headset at a time.
Want to see it for yourself?
You can view the videos via the link below:
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1AKYzVvu86S9YY7_4QlQsBRm3Os13gkzg/view?usp=sharing
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1WDneS1ufjsqMoEcJO7VUClCHpMiirh51/view?usp=sharing
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1DbGr6myMxNRxkLwgCEB-qPKrQqkS_ivn/view?usp=sharing
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