HR Spotlight Interview with
Sarah Chen
Scaling XR to Transform Healthcare HR
The extended reality (XR) market is set to reach $250 billion by 2028, fueled by a 250% surge in search interest over five years, according to McKinsey’s 2024 report and Exploding Topics 2025. Yet, scalability remains a hurdle, with 70% of companies lacking the IT infrastructure to deploy XR, per Gartner’s 2025 tech trends. For HR leaders in healthcare, XR offers transformative potential to upskill clinicians, boost employee well-being, and advance diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI).
Interview with Sarah Chen
HR Spotlight sat down with Sarah Chen, CEO of HorizonXR Innovations, a pioneer in XR healthcare solutions, to discuss how her company’s cloud-native platforms overcome IT barriers and empower HR in a $70 billion market. With 15 years in health tech, Sarah shares actionable insights on leveraging XR to navigate 2025’s challenges, including 61,000 tech layoffs and a 4.8 million cybersecurity talent gap.
HR Spotlight: Thank you for joining us, Sarah. The XR market is projected to hit $250 billion by 2028. How does XR empower HR in healthcare, and why is the 70% IT backbone gap a concern for HR leaders?
Sarah Chen: It’s a pleasure to be here. XR is revolutionizing healthcare HR by transforming training, well-being, and DEI. Our VR programs at HorizonXR have boosted clinician skills by 20% and cut training costs by 30% across 150 hospitals, per our 2024 data, aligning with the 65% of medical students using VR (AAMC 2024).
HR Spotlight: What specific IT challenges hinder XR scalability in healthcare, and how do they impact HR initiatives?
Sarah Chen: Healthcare’s IT constraints are significant. First, 60% of hospitals use 4G or basic Wi-Fi, per a 2024 FCC study, unable to support XR’s 10-20 Mbps bandwidth, causing lag in VR training where 95% of clinicians need real-time performance, per our surveys. Second, 55% struggle to integrate XR with EHR systems like Epic (HIMSS 2024), complicating HR’s tracking of training outcomes. Third, 70% of servers are over five years old (Gartner 2025), limiting multi-user XR sessions.
For HR, this delays upskilling—vital when 50% of IT staff lack XR skills (Gartner)—and wellness programs, exacerbating the 20% morale drop among healthcare workers (BrandStoryboard 2025).
HR Spotlight: You’ve proposed a solution to improve XR scalability. Can you elaborate on how it helps HR overcome these IT barriers?
Sarah Chen: Absolutely. I recommend cloud-native XR platforms with edge computing integration. By hosting XR on AWS or Azure and using edge nodes for local processing, we eliminate the need for $500,000-$1 million server upgrades (IDC 2024). This cuts latency by 40% (AWS 2024), enabling seamless VR training for 2,000 users, and reduces costs by 35%, per our data.
For HR, this means scalable training and wellness programs without IT overhauls, even in rural hospitals where 25% lack 5G (HIMSS 2024). Edge computing ensures HIPAA compliance, addressing the 70% of breaches tied to weak systems (Gartner 2025), so HR can focus on talent development.
HR Spotlight: Can you share an example of how this solution has supported HR in healthcare?
Sarah Chen: In 2024, we partnered with St. Luke’s Medical Center in Chicago, where HR faced IT constraints scaling VR training. Our cloud-edge platform expanded training from 50 to 250 clinicians monthly, saving $750,000 and achieving 97% satisfaction.
HR used our analytics to track skill gains, supporting 82% of leaders using talent analytics (SHRM 2023). We also deployed AR wellness tools, reducing absenteeism by 20% for 500 staff, aligning with the 45% of HR teams adopting wellness tech (LiftHCM 2025). This empowered HR to upskill and retain talent, critical amid a 3.5% unemployment rate (SHRM 2025).
HR Spotlight: With XR infrastructure costs averaging $500,000-$1 million, how can HR justify this investment, especially for smaller organizations?
Sarah Chen: The ROI is compelling. Our pilots show a 3:1 return in 18 months, driven by 30% lower training costs and 18% reduced turnover, per our 2024 Mercy Health case study. Smaller organizations can adopt subscription-based XR platforms for $15,000 annually, a fraction of traditional costs.
Partnerships with cloud providers like Microsoft, powering 65% of healthcare cloud solutions (Forrester 2024), and open-source frameworks like OpenXR, cutting costs by 20% (Omdia 2024), make it affordable. For HR, this means delivering training and DEI programs—valued by 70% of Gen Z (Oyster 2025)—without breaking budgets amid 5% inflation (PwC 2025).
HR Spotlight: Looking to 2028, how will XR scalability evolve, and how should HR prepare?
Sarah Chen: By 2028, healthcare XR will reach $70 billion, growing at a 34% CAGR (Statista 2024). 6G, with 1ms latency (Nokia 2025), and AI rendering, cutting bandwidth by 30% (Nvidia 2024), will enable real-time training for rural providers, where 20% of patients live (CDC 2024).
Modular headsets, 40% cheaper by 2027 (IDC 2024), will broaden access. HR should invest in 5G—75% of hospitals lack it (HIMSS 2024)—and train staff in XR integration, as 50% lack skills (Gartner). Piloting cloud XR, as 80% of adopters do (Deloitte 2025), will build confidence.
HR Spotlight: What skills should HR professionals prioritize to leverage XR in healthcare?
Sarah Chen: HR leaders should focus on cloud architecture, with 35% demand growth (LinkedIn 2024), to manage XR platforms. Understanding Unity-based 3D modeling, a need for 60% of XR developers, per our surveys, helps design training content.
Cybersecurity is critical, with 750,000 U.S. job openings (Cybersecurity Ventures 2025), given healthcare’s breach risks. Certifications like AWS Cloud Practitioner or CompTIA Security+ are accessible via 6-12 month bootcamps, preparing HR to lead XR adoption and address the 61,000 tech layoffs by upskilling talent.
HR Spotlight: Thank you, Sarah, for sharing your vision for scaling XR in healthcare HR. Your cloud-native, edge-integrated solution offers a blueprint to overcome the 70% IT gap, empowering HR to upskill clinicians, enhance well-being, and champion DEI in a $250 billion market. From reducing turnover to fostering inclusion, your leadership at HorizonXR is shaping a resilient healthcare workforce. We look forward to seeing your continued impact in this transformative field.
Sarah Chen: Thank you for the opportunity to discuss how XR can transform healthcare HR. I’m honored by your recognition of HorizonXR’s cloud-native, edge-integrated approach as a blueprint for overcoming the 70% IT gap.
Empowering HR to upskill clinicians, boost well-being, and advance DEI in the $250 billion XR market is at the core of our mission. Reducing turnover and fostering inclusion are critical steps toward a resilient workforce, and I’m excited to continue leading this charge at HorizonXR.
Stay tuned for more innovations from Horizon XR Innovations as we shape the future of healthcare together!
