VRpatients Returns to SOMA 2026 with Immersive TCCC and Military Medical Simulation Training
By: Ray Rivera-Kuilan, Regional Director of Business Development – Latin America/Military
Last week, our team at VRpatients had the opportunity to return to the Special Operations Medical Association (SOMA) Scientific Assembly in Raleigh, North Carolina. Alongside my colleague, Koury Eways, we spent the week connecting with military leaders, operators, medics, EMS agencies, physicians, and training personnel from across the defense and emergency medicine communities.
Attendance at this year’s SOMA was noticeably higher than in previous years, and the energy was contagious. The exhibit hall was packed with innovation, and the conversations happening around military medical readiness made one thing very clear: The demand for scalable, immersive medical training solutions is growing fast.
For our team, this event was especially meaningful because it marked our return to the SOMA exhibit floor after several years away. Reconnecting face-to-face with the military medical community reinforced why we continue building flexible simulation tools designed for real-world operational medicine.
Strong Interest in TCCC and Prolonged Field Care Training
One of the biggest highlights from the event was the response to the work we are developing around Tactical Combat Casualty Care (TCCC) and Prolonged Field Care (PFC) training.
Across multiple branches and organizations, attendees immediately recognized the potential of immersive VR and mixed reality simulation to support distributed training environments, repetition-based learning, and critical decision-making.
We heard comments throughout the conference like:
“Wow, this is great.”
and
“I can see a lot of potential with this platform.”
Those conversations mattered because they validated what many training leaders are already experiencing firsthand: Traditional simulation resources are limited by staffing, scheduling, physical space, and operational tempo.
Modern military medicine requires training tools that are flexible, repeatable, and accessible anytime, anywhere. That is exactly where immersive simulation can make an impact.
Training That Supports Readiness at Scale
During demonstrations, we showcased how VRpatients combines:
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Virtual Reality (VR)
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Mixed Reality (MR)
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Web-based simulation access
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AI-driven patient dialogue
to create realistic, adaptable patient encounters that help reinforce:
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Clinical judgment
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Critical thinking
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Communication skills
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Repetition and procedural confidence
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Team-based decision-making
One of the most important conversations we had throughout SOMA centered around scalability.
Military and EMS organizations are looking for ways to extend training opportunities beyond the traditional classroom or simulation lab. Leaders want tools that allow personnel to train more often, in more locations, and with greater consistency.
Because VRpatients is asynchronous and accessible across VR, MR, and web-based platforms, organizations can support distributed learning environments without requiring large physical simulation footprints or extensive scheduling coordination.
That flexibility generated strong interest from EMS agencies, medical directors, and operational training leaders throughout the conference.
The Future of Military Medical Simulation Is Flexible
The operational environment continues to evolve. Medical readiness training has to evolve with it.
Today’s learners expect realistic, engaging experiences that mirror the complexity and unpredictability of real patient encounters. At the same time, organizations need scalable solutions that can support readiness without adding unnecessary administrative burden.
Immersive simulation is no longer a future concept. It is becoming a critical part of how military and emergency medicine organizations prepare personnel for high-stakes environments.
We are incredibly grateful for the opportunity to reconnect with the SOMA community, share what we are building, and continue expanding relationships across defense and civilian healthcare training sectors.
If your organization is exploring new ways to support TCCC, PFC, EMS, or operational medical readiness training, we would love to show you what immersive simulation can look like inside your program.
I am personally inviting you to schedule a live demonstration to explore how VRpatients can support scalable, AI-driven medical training across VR, mixed reality, and web-based environments.
Request a Demo:
Schedule a VRpatients Demo with Raymond Rivera Kuilan
Or to learn more about VRpatients, visit our website.