Immersive and interactive virtual reality (VR) has the potential to train veterinary personnel in areas of patient care management and anesthesia. However, not all individuals are adept to use VR. The study tests if all team individuals can integrate VR into training, even if the person has no prior experience. A group of DVM students voluntarily participated in a research study. Students were grouped according to their VR experience. Students trained using a VR application to use anesthesia machine components, connections, and perform safety checks. Students rated their likeability using a score from 1 (very negative) to 10 (very positive) and were asked if VR could enhance their educational experience. Knowledge retention was assessed with a practical exam score out of 100. Data were compared using Mann-Whitney test. Sixty students were enrolled in the study: 44 students did not have prior VR experience (noVR), while 16 students had used VR before to play games and watch videos (yesVR). Students' performance scores were not different between groups (p = 0.84). Exam scores were 99.4 ± 1.6 and 99.7 ± 0.8 for noVR and yesVR respectively. VR likeability was similar between groups with noVR ratings of 8.4 ± 1.9 and yesVR rating of 6.3 ± 2.3 (p = 0.12). All students found VR a valuable tool to enhance education with 95.5% of noVR and 100% of yesVR rating the technology valuable. Conclusively, regardless of prior VR experience, individuals can train and learn complex tasks important for a veterinary team.
