Wolters Kluwer Health and Laerdal Medical have officially launched vrClinicals for nursing, a virtual reality (VR) based learning solution developed in collaboration with leading university nursing programs. This innovative platform aims to address the existing gaps in nursing education and the nursing workforce by providing students with realistic scenarios and challenges they may encounter in a busy hospital ward. Through vrClinicals, students can practice prioritizing care among multiple patients and navigating the demands of real-world practice.
The development of vrClinicals involved the input of instructors and students from twelve prominent nursing programs, in partnership with Laerdal Medical and the National League for Nursing (NLN). By leveraging VR technology, this solution surpasses the limitations of traditional clinical practice, enabling students and nursing educators to overcome challenges and enhance the learning experience.
The primary goal of vrClinicals is to tackle the issue of unpreparedness among new nurses, which often leads to medical errors and dissatisfaction in their profession.
Studies have shown that 55% of new nurses have made errors due to lack of experience and other factors. Additionally, many young nursing professionals struggle to cope with the pressures of practice without adequate skills, resulting in high job dissatisfaction and a significant percentage (32.8%) leaving their positions within the first year. With vrClinicals, students can develop and refine their skill sets, simulating clinical decision-making in a realistic hospital setting and practicing how to prioritize patients and manage competing care demands. Furthermore, the scalability of this technology allows entire cohorts of students to engage in multi-patient scenarios and receive immediate feedback from their instructors, improving their learning outcomes.
“Unlike any other simulation modality, VR provides students with a sense of immediacy and realism from being in the moment, because all of your senses are engaged,” said Julie Stegman, Vice President, Nursing Segment, Health Learning, Research & Practice at Wolters Kluwer, Health. “We know the transition from school into practice can be extremely difficult and it’s our responsibility to work with nurse educators to help students truly prepare for their real-life jobs. By better preparing nurses through their transition to practice, they can become more clinically confident – which allows for higher job satisfaction and better patient care.”
vrClinicals not only helps nursing students build the key skills to transition from education to practice, but the solution is also built to help prepare students for the National Council Licensure Examination (NCLEX®) – which is the required adaptive test for nursing graduates to successfully pass to be licensed as a Registered Nurse. Starting this year, students taking the Next Generation NCLEX® exam, won’t just be tested on what they know, but how they think. The new test is now focused on evaluating the student’s ability to demonstrate the use of clinical judgment when responding to clinical questions, much like how they would need to think on the job.
Wolters Kluwer Health officially launches vrClinicals for Nursing, built in collaboration with Laerdal Medical and the National League for Nursing to go beyond the inherent limitations of real-life clinical practice students and nursing educators face today (Photo: Business Wire)
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