Dr Phil Turnbull awarded for his creation the virtual patient

Senior lecturer Dr Phil Turnbull at the School of Optometry and Vision Science (SOVS), University of Auckland, has received the Butland Award for his work developing a virtual patient for optometry students.

Dr Turnbull said he was only aware of the award after being nominated and encouraged by his colleagues to apply. “Teaching clinical skills online is difficult and I think that the act of doing with a virtual patient helps the knowledge transfer to real-world skills.” The award funds will be invested into further developing SOVS’ virtual patient tool to make it faster, prettier and add a larger selection of tests, and perhaps even a new haircut for the patient, he joked.

An online simulation, the virtual patient is pre-programmed with ocular disorders for students to practice their skills on. Since its introduction, it has improved students’ real-life assessment test scores by 28%*.

The Butland Award, valued at $2,000, recognises excellence in innovation and teaching displayed by early career teaching staff at the Faculty of Medical and Health Sciences.

*https://www.nzoptics.co.nz/articles/archive/virtual-patient-practice-boosts-test-results/