Virtual reality (VR) and augmented reality (AR) are revolutionizing nursing clinical skills training. They potentially address the major limitations of conventional clinical skills training and pave the way for the future of nursing clinical education. This article examines how these technologies improve nursing skills, nurture essential soft skills, and solve problems that traditional training methods face.
Realistic Simulations for Immersive Skill Practice
Virtual reality provides nurses with immersive, low-stakes environments to practice complex clinical procedures, such as IV catheterization, neonatal resuscitation, and wound care management. Research has shown that VR training improves clinically relevant skills with medium-to-large effect sizes (average Hedges’ g = 0.61) compared to traditional training methods. Nursing procedures can be practised virtually without risk, increasing familiarity and confidence with procedures.
Augmented reality enhances this experience by allowing digital instructions on the real-life tasks nurses will perform, enabling them to practice with real-world medical devices, from ventilators to emergency equipment. AR simulations, particularly in emergency obstetrics, have increased the self-perceived competence of student midwives in performing complex procedures such as cesarean preparations and neonatal resuscitation89.
Repetition as a Means of Improving Technical Skills
Perhaps the most significant advantage of VR is its ability to allow the repetition of practice, which can be limited by patient-based training, patient-specific resources, access to technology, and the realities of patient safety. Studies show that VR allows nurses to repeat up to 40% more procedures than conventional mannequin-based training, improving their muscle memory and accuracy in the procedures. Importantly, VR enables nurses to create and terrorize on practice rounds, and it promotes an unreflective learning environment that dramatically improves procedural accuracy four-fold—studies have demonstrated a 25% increase after 10 VR hours.
Some AR (augmented reality) platforms, like Osso VR, take technical competence a step further by training nurses in more realistic simulated surgical environments, potentially empowering them with a 50% boost post-training.
Cultivating Interpersonal Skills and Clinical Judgement
In addition to technical skills, VR environments also uniquely foster the critical soft skills central to effective patient care:
Empathy and Communication: Using interactive VR scenarios, nurses can practice sensitive interactions with patients, ranging from cultural competency to end-of-life care discussions, thus refining interpersonal skills and bedside manner.
Decision-Making under Pressure Platforms like vrClinicals simulate complex, high-pressure emergency triage scenarios to help nurses practice critical thinking and prioritization.
Interprofessional Education: VR simulations can also help nurses prepare for and practice the essential collaboration skills they will need in crises with virtual physicians and pharmacists.
Accessibility and Scalability
With clinical training resources increasingly stretched, both VR and AR offer substantial logistical advantages:
Remote Accessibility: The unique immersive nature of clinical training enables remote participation and minimizes the need for physical lab and clinical site availability.
Cost-Effectiveness: Institutions like Robert Morris University have adopted gamified VR instead of expensive mannequin simulations, achieving equivalent outcomes at vastly reduced costs.
Standardization: AI-driven simulations, such as SimX, objectively assess clinical skill proficiency and provide feedback on areas for improvement, delivering consistent, unbiased assessments.
Overcoming the Theory-Practice Divide
Step-by-step anatomy lessons based on Augmented Reality improve theoretical understanding by displaying anatomy visualizations in real environments, enhancing more abstract ideas. Tools like Visible Body simulate detailed 3D organ models and project them onto our patients, greatly enhancing nurses’ spatial understanding.
In addition, AR also works to contextually learn by creating a layer of procedural instruction over actual work. An example is the AccuVein AR system, which has significantly improved the procedural accuracy of IV insertions by 30% among nurses, filling the gap between theory and clinical application.
Considerations and Challenges Moving Forward
Although there are advantages, there are also barriers to implementing VR and AR in nursing education:
Upfront Costs: A high initial investment exists in delivering quality VR/AR experiences.
Faculty Preparedness: Educators need extensive training to incorporate these technologies into curricula effectively.
Mixed Results: Some research indicates the amount of experience gained in traditional ways and VR studies was evolutionary, suggesting blended methods are essential for skill acquisition.
Virtual and augmented reality will be essential for nursing education by the year 2025, providing personalized, scalable, and immersive training. AWARENESS AND ADAPTATION Early adopters of these technologies will identify more competent and confident nurses who can flourish in a more advanced healthcare environment.