Professional Quality of Life survey & Self-care for Military Care Providers

The SimCoach ProQoL project is system that uses a virtual human agent to serve AMEDD care-providers with a resource where they can learn more about their Professional Quality of Life (ProQoL). The web- based application offers a safe, private, and confidential place for users to take the ProQoL survey, or enter their recent scores from a previously taken survey and learn about things like burnout, compassion fatigue, and self-care and how they may relate to their work. The site will also offer users the opportunity to discuss and develop their own self-care plan and can provide various resources (web links, .pdfs, videos) to users who want to learn more about how to maintain wellness in the face of potential operational stress.

The SimCoach project develops virtual human support agents to serve as online guides for promoting access to psychological healthcare information and for assisting military personnel, veterans and family members — particularly those who might not otherwise seek help — in breaking down barriers to initiating care, including mental health support.

The SimCoach goal is to motivate users to take the first step and seek information and advice with regard to their healthcare, including psychological health, traumatic brain injury and addiction; and their general personal welfare, including external stressors such as economic or transition issues. If determined necessary, SimCoach will encourage users to take the next step towards seeking more traditional resources.

The SimCoach virtual support agents do not deliver diagnosis or treatment, nor do they aim to replace human providers and experts. Rather, SimCoach characters provide users an accessible and anonymous way engage in a dialogue about healthcare concerns.

For more information, please contact Kevin Feeley, Project Manager: feeley@ict.usc.edu.