We Built a Virtual Escape Room for Vaccine Conversations
It's not your grandma’s training module.
Not to throw my husband under the bus, but I’ve been with him through med school, residency, and now attending life. That means I’ve been with him through hundreds—maybe thousands—of required educational courses and trainings. And I’ve watched the life slowly drain from his face as he clicks through overly corporatized videos that haven’t been updated since 2019. Click. Click. Click. Check the box. Move on. Forget everything by tomorrow.
So we imagined something different… a new way to train clinicians on the conversations that actually matter.
But first, let me back up and explain why this matters right now…
We are at the beginning of what’s expected to be a rough flu season, and vaccination rates are tanking. A survey released last week from the National Foundation for Infectious Diseases found that just 34% of adults have gotten a flu shot this year. COVID vaccinations are down 27% from last year. RSV vaccinations? Down 34%.
Take a look at CDC’s FluVax View data—flu vaccine uptake has been declining across virtually every age group over the past 4 years.
And it’s not just about access. When researchers asked unvaccinated adults why they skipped the flu shot, 16% said they were worried about safety. Thirteen percent said they “never get sick.” For COVID, 20% cited side effects concerns, and 12% said no healthcare provider had even recommended it.
Twelve percent didn’t get vaccinated because nobody told them to.
But 44% of adults say they trust their doctor, nurse, or pharmacist more than anyone else for vaccine information. Not the CDC (only 13% listed them as their top source). Not social media—though alarmingly, Gen Z now ranks social media as their second most trusted source for vaccine info.
The clinician is still the most trusted voice in the room. But that trust only matters if clinicians feel confident having these conversations.
Medical training teaches you the science. It doesn’t teach you what to say when a parent tells you they’ve “done their own research.” It doesn’t prepare you for the mom who uses homeopathy and shops organic and wants to know why there are “chemicals” in the flu shot. It doesn’t prepare you for the mother who has every reason to distrust a medical system that has historically failed people who look like her.
Those aren’t hypothetical conversations. Those are typical Tuesday afternoons for pediatricians across the country.
At Unbiased Science, we’ve always tried to do more than just share the science. We try to help people communicate the science, because knowing the data isn’t the hard part. Saying it to a worried parent in a 15-minute visit? That’s the hard part.
So when we received an educational grant from CSL Seqirus to bring a concept to life, we knew exactly what we wanted to build.
A virtual escape room. For pediatric clinicians. On flu vaccines.
You log in. You’re a clinician. You have three patients coming in today.
Emma is 4 years old with a severe egg allergy. Her mom, Sarah, is concerned about vaccine ingredients—she shops organic, uses herbal remedies, and is active in natural parenting groups. She’s not anti-vaccine. She’s cautious. And she needs to feel heard before she’ll hear you.
Jackson is 10, healthy, no medical issues. His dad, Mike, values personal freedom and is skeptical of mandates. He’s heard the flu shot isn’t even that effective, and honestly, Jackson never gets sick anyway. Mike doesn’t want a lecture. He wants a reason to trust you.
Miguel is 5 with asthma, autism, and a penicillin allergy. His mom, Jaden, is a single mother of two. She lives with her own mother, who has diabetes, and there’s an infant sibling at home. Jaden has had difficult experiences with healthcare and carries real concerns about how the medical system has treated minority communities. Her mistrust isn’t paranoia—it’s protection. And earning her trust means acknowledging that history, not dismissing it.
These scenarios aren’t canned. They’re built from thousands of real interactions we’ve had with members of the public; people who’ve shared their concerns, their hesitations, their questions with us. And the responses we teach aren’t just rooted in science. They’re grounded in empathy, psychology, and what we actually know about how people change their minds. Because throwing data at someone who doesn’t trust you yet doesn’t work. You have to meet people where they are first.
You navigate each conversation, answer questions, and get instant feedback on what’s working—and what’s not. No passive slide decks. No clicking through at 2x speed to get to the quiz. Just realistic practice in a low-stakes environment so you’re ready when it actually counts.
This is the first escape room we’ve built, but we’re already imagining this format for all kinds of topics and audiences—clinicians and non-clinicians alike. We have another escape room in the works that we’re excited to share early in the new year. Stay tuned.
Can you escape the room? You can access it here: https://escaperoom.unbiasedscience.com/flu-vaccine/
If you’re interested in the development of these rooms or want to collaborate, reach out: jsteier@unbiasedscience.org
And if you want to support this work and other science communication efforts, consider donating to our nonprofit at unbiasedscience.org. We’re a 501(c)(3), so your gift is tax-deductible.
Stay Curious,
Unbiased Science
Love how this tackles the gap in medical training nobody talks about. Med schools teach the science cold but teahcing clinicans how to meet people where they actually are is kinda rare. The escape room format is clever because practice beats theory when it comes to communication. Most folks aren't anti-vaccine they just need to feel heard before they can hear back.
Thank you for this. I've been doing a lot of public education these last few weeks and as a newly minted RN, this really helps.