Authors & Credentials: Sue A. Schuelke, PhD, RN, CNE, CCRN-K, Krystal Davis, MSN, RN, Sue Barnason, PhD, RN, APRN-CNS, CEN, FAHA, FAAN

To prepare undergraduate nursing students for complex, fast-paced clinical environments, educators need engaging, scalable experiential learning strategies. This study evaluated the feasibility and student perceptions of integrating immersive virtual reality (IVR) into a Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) curriculum.

Eighty-three second-semester BSN students at a Midwestern academic medical center completed an IVR clinical simulation featuring a high-acuity COVID-19 patient using Oculus headsets. Survey results demonstrated statistically strong positive correlations between student learning and engagement, as well as engagement and immersion.

Overall, 93% of participants agreed or strongly agreed that they were learning during the simulation, and 81% expressed a strong desire to continue using IVR in future coursework. Researchers concluded that incorporating IVR into nursing curricula is highly feasible, offering an engaging, flexible, and positive learning environment that fosters critical thinking and clinical decision-making.

The full research article can be found here.

University of Nebraska Medical Center has used the SimX platform in its simulation training.