Incorporating virtual reality in nurse education: A qualitative study of nursing students' perspectives
Open accessAbstract
BACKGROUND: Recent challenges to nurse education have resulted in an increased use of virtual reality which serves as an immersive and effective medium for skill and knowledge acquisition. Virtual reality technology is being included in nurse curricula at undergraduate level. This technology remains a relatively new experience for many nursing students with limited evidence regarding students' perspectives regarding virtual reality. OBJECTIVE: To explore nursing students' perspectives of incorporating virtual reality in nurse education. DESIGN: Qualitative descriptive study using thematic analysis. SETTING: Public university in Ireland. PARTICIPANTS: Undergraduate nursing students were recruited using purposive and snowball sampling. METHODS: Students (n = 26) participated in face-to-face semi-structured individual interviews and focus groups in January and February 2020. Data were analysed using inductive thematic analysis. RESULTS: Three themes were constructed from the interviews: captivating, innovative, and empowering nature of virtual reality; contextual transfer; and challenges and threats to actualisation. Participants believed that virtual reality affords a novel, fun, memorable, inclusive, and engaging means of learning. Many believed that virtual reality would complement current teaching and learning approaches, help build learners' confidence, and provide nursing students with a safe space for trial, error, and problem-solving. The use of virtual reality was recommended to practise various nursing skills and learn about human anatomy, physiology, problem-solving, and clinical decision-making. Participants identified the resources incurred by the technology as challenges to implementing virtual reality in nurse education and stressed the need for continuous face-to-face feedback. CONCLUSIONS: Findings suggest that virtual reality technology has the potential to facilitate learning, complement current educational approaches, and provide nurse educators with novel and engaging means of content delivery.
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These methods frequently fail to support students in constructing coherent knowledge frameworks or visualizing spatial anatomical relationships.
“Although these methods can convey foundational information, they frequently fail to support students in constructing coherent knowledge frameworks or visualizing spatial anatomical relationships [5].”
From Effectiveness of a generative AI-powered digital tutor integrated with a knowledge graph in anatomy education for nursing students: a randomized controlled trial (2026) · cites this paper as [5]
The Discussion reports that nursing students found VR particularly valuable for visualising complex anatomical structures and processes. It does not establish that conventional methods frequently fail to help students visualise spatial relationships, and it does not address whether those methods support coherent knowledge frameworks. (LLM, conf=0.76)
Experimental — accuracy not yet measuredTraditional teaching methods often present these concepts in fragmented ways, which may hinder students from constructing coherent cognitive frameworks.
“Traditional teaching methods often present these concepts in fragmented ways, which may hinder students from constructing coherent cognitive frameworks [4, 5].”
From Effectiveness of a generative AI-powered digital tutor integrated with a knowledge graph in anatomy education for nursing students: a randomized controlled trial (2026) · cites this paper as [5]
The Discussion (page unavailable) says VR could help consolidate previously acquired information and supplement teaching of complex anatomy and physiology. Neither that section nor the passages on traditional learning strategies say that traditional teaching presents concepts in fragmented ways or hinders students from forming coherent cognitive frameworks. Searches for those ideas found no supporting passage in our copy. (LLM, conf=0.70)
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- Authors
- Saab, M. M., Hegarty, J., Murphy, D., & Landers, M.
- Affiliations
- University College Cork (IE)
- Corresponding author
- Saab, Mohamad M.
- Venue
- Nurse Education Today
- Publisher
- Elsevier BV
- Published
- 2021-10
- Volume
- 105
- Pages
- 105045
- ISSN
- 0260-6917 (ISSN-L)
- OpenAlex
- W3174502226
- Cited by
- 249
- References
- 41
- Citations by year
- 2026: 39 · 2025: 62 · 2024: 69 · 2023: 60 · 2022: 17 · 2021: 2
- FWCI
- 23.25
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- hybrid
- doi.org
- Licence
- Locations
- Nurse Education Today (publishedVersion, cc-by)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- Topics
- Health Sciences › Medicine › Physiology › Simulation-Based Education in Healthcare
- Physical Sciences › Computer Science › Human-Computer Interaction › Virtual Reality Applications and Impacts
- Health Sciences › Medicine › Public Health, Environmental and Occupational Health › Innovations in Medical Education
- Keywords
- virtual reality, nursing education, nursing students' perspectives, immersive learning, undergraduate nursing curriculum, clinical skills training, clinical decision-making, learner confidence, technology implementation challenges, face-to-face feedback
- MeSH terms
- Virtual Reality, Education, Nursing, Education, Nursing, Baccalaureate, Faculty, Nursing, Humans, Students, Nursing, Qualitative Research
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