The virtual cleanroom gives pharmacy students a chance to apply theoretical knowledge in a more practical, albeit computer-generated, setting. As the costs involved with establishing and maintaining a physical facility would be prohibitively expensive, the virtual cleanroom is a cost-effective solution to enabling the students to engage in this activity.
The purpose of VIC was to introduce learners to a sterile environment and to train on aseptic technique, process flow, and regulations which guide the safe use and compounding of sterile medications and safe practices related to parenteral drug therapy. This online virtual cleanroom experience can be accessed anywhere in the world, and offers significant advances in the learning process including the capability to select and interact with products (medications, diluents, equipment) within the environment and fully functional compounding processes, including extraction or insertion of drug/diluent using vials, piggbacks, and/or large volume parenterals. Through this simulation, the student encounters a variety of problem sets they navigate on the electronic device with the keyboard functions, including proper hand-washing and garbing procedures, medication calculations, compounding, inappropriate object identification, proper cleanliness and disposal of waste, product selection and verification.