VR is Shaping the Future of Nursing Education

During the autumn and spring terms, virtual reality (VR) has become part of the nursing programme at Halmstad University. By using VR, students can practise realistic healthcare scenarios in a safe environment and develop their skills before encountering patients in real-life situations.

Over the past few months, the nursing programme at Halmstad University has incorporated VR as a complement to traditional teaching methods. Using VR headsets, students can practise skills such as medication management, prioritising between multiple patients in stressful situations, and further developing their understanding of anatomy and physiology.

Focus on Collaborative Learning

Now that VR technology has been used in teaching for some time, it is becoming increasingly clear how it works in practice.

“It is a valuable addition that gives students the opportunity to practise in a different way, but we also see that we need to adapt the structure to make it as effective as possible. This is new for both us and the students, so we are learning together,” says Hibaq Yussuf, lecturer in the nursing programme and member of the project group.

The project group is responsible for continuously testing, evaluating and refining the approach, with the aim of providing students with the best possible learning experience. She continues:

“We notice that students become more active and engaged when they are given the opportunity to try things for themselves. It leads to valuable discussions afterwards and helps us continuously refine the teaching approach. Structured reflection following the VR simulation also helps students articulate their experiences, deepen their reasoning and develop a greater understanding as part of the ongoing learning process.”

Nordic Collaboration within CareWare Nordic

The initiative has grown out of CareWare Nordic, an Interreg-funded project focused on innovation and collaboration in health and social care across Sweden and Denmark.

Through the project, Leap for Life was introduced to the way VR technology was being used at SOSU Østjylland in Aarhus, a vocational college specialising in healthcare, social care and pedagogy. Following demonstrations, benchmarking and discussions between lecturers and management at the School of Health and Welfare at Halmstad University, it became clear that the solution developed by Aate VR met the needs of the nursing programme.

“CareWare Nordic has enabled us to collaborate with partners across the Nordic region and test new solutions in real educational environments. Through this collaboration, we share experiences and help spread new ways of working between countries,” says Virginia Wiman, Project Manager at Leap for Life.

As part of the project, lecturers within the nursing programme have received support in understanding the technology and integrating it into teaching. Leap for Life has contributed methodological support and experience in testing and implementing new solutions within healthcare and wellbeing.

“Leap for Life has been instrumental in helping us test and get started with the technology. It has made it easier for us to explore how new tools can be used in teaching in ways that genuinely work for both lecturers and students,” Hibaq concludes.