VCOM View Magazine Vol. 14 | No. 1

how medical communication is taught. He turned to Taylor Daniels, director of data science, to lead a team of student researchers in evaluating the accuracy of large language models (LLMs) in transcribing and analyzing medically complex speech. Their findings led to a breakthrough: VCOM’s proprietary VVRT, powered by Deepgram’s Nova-2 model and a custom lexical analysis framework developed in-house. VVRT is a game-changer. “Medical students only use medical terminology that they understand,” Dr. Rawlins says. “VVRT provides the most accurate assessment of their medical knowledge.”The system records and analyzes students’ oral presentations across their clinical coursework, evaluating them in 13 specific categories and assesses 700 five-minute medical presentations in less than a minute and provides student feedback. It cross-references student speech with the medical terminology, acronyms, abbreviations, and sequencing expected in each of 24 known clinical cases. The result? Targeted, non-graded feedback that shows students exactly where they can improve their communication—whether it’s clarifying terminology, improving logical flow, or addressing key elements of medical decision making. VVRT isn’t just confined to classroom exercises. It’s being used in standardized patient programs and simulated encounters across all four VCOM campuses and it’s resonating with students who feel more confident speaking up and contributing confidently in clinical scenario outside of the classroom.

Dr. Rawlins explains why this matters: “Excellent communication skills and fluency in universal medical terminology are among the most valuable tools we can give our students. VVRT provides consistent, high-quality feedback that allows them to walk into their clinical settings with confidence and clarity— something that can impact their match success and long-term effectiveness as physicians.” What’s more, the tool’s ability to detect and reduce transcription errors in clinical communication is a vital patient safety benefit. By reinforcing best practices in real-time, VVRT helps students form habits that will serve them—and their patients—for life.

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