Today, in a stunning move sure to shake up the world of medical education, SimX announced their newest innovative service: XtraReal Update. This is a revolutionary approach where healthcare workers, students, and trainees can skip simulation entirely and dive straight into treating unsuspecting members of the public. “We realized that all this safe, repeatable, moderated, evidence-based simulation was holding these future healthcare providers back,” said Dr. Ima Jest, Chief of Extremely Questionable Initiatives at SimX. “Why simulate anything at all when we could just use real people in high-stakes, uncontrolled environments? That’s how learning really happens—through panic and the threat of litigation.” This April 1st 2025 HealthySimulation.com article will highlight real patients, real consequences, and Xtra Real Update.
How XrtraReal Works
The program—currently in no pilot locations—will allow learners to perform critical procedures like intubation, chest decompression, and even an unsanctioned appendectomy, all on living humans! “We’re really trying to bring back that adrenaline-fueled 18th-century barber-surgeon energy,” said Jest. “It builds character.”
View the HealthySimulation.com Webinar How the SimX Virtual Reality Platform is Disrupting the Clinical Training Landscape to learn more about the “Real” SimX!
Benefits of XtraReal Update
Unfiltered Realism: Are you disappointed in SimX’s lack of real-life blood, sweat, and tears? There will be plenty of all three with XtraReal Update! Where SimX offers a clean, moderated, safe environment with educators facilitating every step of the way, XtraReal Update guarantees a messier, more chaotic experience—complete with unexpected fainting and panicked screaming. We’re talking realism so intense your therapist will ask you to stop talking about it. Learners are guaranteed to see things that will be sure to haunt their dreams for years to come!
Next-Level Immersion: Experience simulation immersion like never before! It’s hard for traditional manikin sims or even paid actors to accurately simulate different ailments. However, with XtraReal Update, no one has to simulate anything! Learners will be thrown into truly high-stakes medical emergencies with never-before-seen levels of immersion.
Real-Time Feedback: SimX provides structured feedback through professional debriefing and in-scenario performance metrics. But XtraReal Update offers something even more “direct”: unmistakable and immediate feedback straight from the patients! Learners will be sure to hear phrases like “What are you doing?!”, “Is that supposed to be bending like that?” With every mistake, you won’t just hear valuable feedback—you’ll feel the patient’s reaction in your bones, your conscience, and possibly your legal fees.
One and Done: One Shot. One Opportunity. No Do-Overs. Unlike SimX’s VR simulations, where you can practice again and again, XtraReal Update follows the time-honored rule of medical improv: YOLO. You’ve got one chance to diagnose, one chance to treat, and one chance to suffer any inevitable consequences. These are real patients who aren’t paid actors and who may or may not have even needed medical treatment in the first place, so learners have to act fast! Get in, treat fast, and flee before security arrives!
Fastest Setup: SimX prides itself on fast scenario setup, often within minutes for even the most complicated multiplayer IPE scenarios. But XtraReal Update raises the bar with zero setup time. That’s right: no computers, no headsets, just raw, chaotic, spur-of-the-moment simulation where every stranger is a potential trauma case.
SimX clarified that this was, in fact, an April Fools’ Joke!
“We would never recommend putting untrained students in real-life critical scenarios without practice. That’s what simulation is for.” The Satirical Truth Behind the Madness: While XtraReal Update is clearly an April Fools’ joke, it highlights a serious point: medical simulation exists for a reason!
SimX offers the world’s largest library of VR simulations, letting learners tackle everything from sepsis to CBRN mass casualty incidents without ever having to practice on a real person. SimX would like to remind readers that they offer innovative VR simulation solutions so educators can keep their learners sharp without relying on public bystanders or duct tape.
View the new HealthySimulation.com Community XR – Extended Reality Group to discuss this topic with your Global Healthcare Simulation peers!
More About SimX
SimX is a healthcare software company specializing in Virtual Reality (VR) medical simulation. The company brings VR into the realm of healthcare simulation and training. SimX was founded by a group of physicians and healthcare providers in California. They understand that simulation practice is extremely beneficial to both learners and clinicians, and worked to make VR simulation training cheaper, easier, and more realistic to ultimately reduce medical error and increase patient safety.
Seeking to push simulation forward, SimX developed a software system that was the first comprehensive professional-grade VR medical simulation system product available on the market. Founded in 2013 and headquartered in San Jose, California, the platform allows medical teams to replace expensive manikins with incredibly flexible simulated patients, backed by a robust case creation engine.
On November 13, 2024, SimX announced the company was acquired by Madison Industries. SimX makes comprehensive XR training and evaluation software designed to help nurses, physicians, EMS personnel, and military medics practice their skills in a safe environment. SimX has since expanded to over 30 countries and is used by 10 of the top 15 hospitals in the US. This acquisition will allow SimX to improve support for their growing customer base and accelerate the development of the next phase of XR training technologies as they work together with Madison Industries to save lives through improved simulation training.
