Effect of Virtual Reality Based Nursing Skills on the Performance Ability, Performance Confidence, and Practice Satisfaction of Nursing College Students

The development and application of remote learning using immersive technology have been accelerated in nursing colleges due to recent technological advances and the Covid-19 pandemic. Although virtual nursing education is effective in improving nursing competency by improving metacognition, there is limited research to examine the effectiveness of virtual nursing education. Therefore, this study aims to examine the effects of using virtual reality to learn core nursing techniques measured via ratings of performance ability, confidence, and practice satisfaction. Thirty nursing students were split into three experimental groups based on practice content utilized: 1) HMD-based VR, 2) Web-based VR, and 3) video practice. Each group was required to perform intradermal and intravenous injection techniques. Confidence and satisfaction of the group using VR content were rated higher than the group with general video learning. This study supports that virtual reality-based nursing education is a useful tool for practical education through metacognition and could serve as a new alternative to nursing education in a pandemic environment.