Nurses take a virtual reality tour of the new Mayo hospital design

Construction on the new Mayo Clinic Health System hospital is still underway, but nurses got a glimpse of what’s to come and had a chance to provide input Monday.

Through virtual reality, nurses from Mayo’s Family Birthplace and the general hospital were able to tour the procedure, ICU, and labor and delivery rooms to get a feel for the space before the actual interior walls were put up.

“We wanted to start having conversations about the equipment in the space, the things that are mounted on the walls, whether it’s lights or anesthesia machines, right down to the glove box mounts, and making sure everything is in the right place,” he says. Nick Worden, facilities project services supervisor for the construction of the new hospital. “It gives them a spatial relationship, how they’re going to work in space.”

The approximately 290,000 square foot, $198 million hospital building will connect to the Mayo Center for Advanced Medicine and Surgery facility, replacing the existing hospital building. A surgical and procedure floor will be included adjacent to and integrated with the current operating rooms, housing pre-recovery and post-recovery rooms; endoscopy rooms; cardiac catheterization and interventional radiology laboratories; medical-surgical units; ICU and Progressive Care Unit; and a new birthing center.

Mallory Randall, interim director of Family Birthplace, says being able to envision the new rooms and how the staff would care for patients there was a valuable opportunity.

“Having front-line staff involved in this new construction is what will really benefit our patients,” Randall said. “They know the ins and outs of the unit.”

As the nurses took their virtual tours and offered ideas and suggestions, members of the design team took notes, which will be reviewed and new recommendations made before returning to see if everyone is on the same page.

“We want to build it right once and not make any late game changes,” says Worden.

The “hidden gem” of virtual reality tours, Worden says, is generating excitement for the project.

“Our staff have been through a lot with COVID, and this is something they can come together for and play a role in the new building, the place they will be every day,” Worden says.

The construction of the new hospital has an estimated completion date of 2024.