Use Of VR In Nursing Training- An Overview

These days, nursing training plays a vital role in creating a caring and skilled workforce ready to deal with all the difficulties in the field of modern medicine. But this can’t be overstated in this ever-changing world of healthcare. As technology improves, the majority of nursing educators now look for novel methods for improving the educational experiences of the students. VR or Virtual Reality is one of these game-changing technologies with loads of potential in nursing education. 

Earlier, virtual reality was related to the science fiction world, but now it has emerged as an effective tool of teaching that connects both practice and theory. Now it is also paving a completely new era of nurse education starting from global partnerships, cutting beyond geographical borders and immersive learning experiences while developing clinical competence. Besides, the use of VR also ensures a beautiful blend of innovation and technology for developing a more connected, better, and more compassionate future for nursing education.

Here in this blog, we will talk about VR training nursing skills, the advantages it offers, the scenarios it imitates, and how it converts the common practices of healthcare delivery and patient outcomes.

What is the use of virtual reality in nursing training?

These days, virtual reality plays an important role in the overall field of healthcare along with nursing education. In reality, using VR in nursing training has completely revolutionized the way how students study and get ready for different on-the-job situations in healthcare. Besides, the emergence of VR has improved nursing education while solving all the issues consistently with the traditional techniques of education by offering accurate healthcare simulations, an ever-involving learning experience, and a controlled and safe setting. 

The use of VR technology can make nursing training programs highly interactive and exceptionally immersive. Besides, when VR is integrated into nursing education, nursing students are transferred to three-dimensional and realistic healthcare environments by putting on virtual reality headsets. This type of innovative approach not only ensures a heightened engagement level but also allows nursing students to take part in some lifelike scenarios to enhance their decision-making abilities and practical skills. Apart from that, it allows the nursing students to participate actively in conducting evaluations, patient care, communicating with the virtual patients, and reaching important clinical decisions.

Now let’s have a look at the main benefits of using VR in nursing training.

1. VR offers a highly engaging learning experience to the students- The use of VR engages the nursing students in some realistic scenarios, which can replicate patient interactions and hospital environments to offer the students a completely immersive learning experience. Besides, the use of VR also allows the students to deal with even complex medical issues, make the right decisions under pressure, and hone their critical thinking abilities. This type of engagement fosters things like improved memory retention and a better comprehension of medical concepts. And these things help to improve the learning outcomes of students.
2. VR offers a controlled and safe learning environment- In the traditional environment of nursing training, early exposure to real patients can often be intimidating for nursing students. And it can also carry some potential risks. However, the use of VR in this training offers a controlled and safe space where the students can learn from their mistakes, and grow their confidence level without compromising on the safety of any patients. Being risk-free, this learning environment also promotes a highly positive learning experience for the students while increasing their overall competence and decreasing their level of anxiety.
3. VR offers an accurate simulation of different healthcare scenarios- The nursing training simulations are designed to reflect the unpredictability and complexity of the existent setting of the healthcare industry. They also allow the students to apply their theoretical learning effectively to learn the real-world circumstances. By using VR training nursing skills, nursing students can practice in a highly participatory and realistic setting. Apart from that, the use of VR also allows the students to practice different types of medical scenarios that they might face in their careers, starting from regular patient care to emergencies.

How the use of VR can address all the challenges in conventional nursing training programs?

• It is a budget-friendly learning solution for nursing students: Creating and maintaining clinical simulation labs can often be expensive. However, the use of VR can offer nursing students a budget-friendly learning solution. As VR needs minimal equipment ranges and physical resources, it works as a highly affordable alternative. The use of VR in nursing training allows nursing training institutes to spend less effort and money. Besides, VR technology offers a complete range of simulated experiences to students.
• It takes care of the issue of limited access to clinical performances: The conventional mode of nursing education often has some difficulties due to the unavailability of clinical sites, especially when it comes to any particular medical procedures or during an emergency. However, VR offers students a virtual platform where they can interact with different clinical settings without the limitation of availability or time.
• It bridges a gap between theory and practice: In nursing education, bringing together real-world application and academic knowledge has been a challenge for a long time. However, VR closes this gap successfully by offering practical experiences to nursing students. Besides, it also allows the students to apply theories in authentic contexts. Therefore, nursing students can have a stronger comprehension of their subjects as well as their applications to patient care.