VR Nursing Education Outperforms Traditional Training, Study Shows

• Nightingale College’s five-year study finds nursing students using VR score 5.9% higher and complete assignments faster than traditional methods.
• Research presented at INACSL25 Conference reveals VR cuts nursing training costs by 40% and reduces time by 22%.

Nightingale College presented findings at the INACSL25 Conference showing virtual reality significantly improves nursing education outcomes. According to the study, students using VR scored higher on exams, needed fewer attempts, and completed assignments faster than those in traditional programs. Final exam scores rose by 171 points in one cited case.

The research also highlighted financial benefits, showing VR training costs 40% less and takes 22% less time than physical simulation. By eliminating the need for on-site faculty and facilities, VR reduces geographic barriers, especially for rural students. Nightingale began adopting VR during the pandemic and now provides Meta’s Quest headsets to all students.

While states like Texas and Florida now count VR toward licensing hours, others still restrict its use. Nightingale plans to apply conference feedback to study performance gaps among subgroups and improve knowledge transfer to real-world practice.

🌀 Tom’s Take:

These are some compelling results from Nightingale College, which has taken a serious approach to using VR for training. What first started as a necessity during the pandemic is quickly proving itself to be a more effective method.

Source: GlobeNewswire / Nightingale College