Training in a virtual world

The COVID-19 pandemic has had a significant effect on the delivery of nurse training in higher education (Health Education England (HEE), 2020). This has mainly been caused by the changes to placement provision and placement capacity. In recognition of this, the new Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) recovery standards offer an additional 300 hours of simulated learning on top of the 2300 validated practical learning hours, or where clinical practice is not possible (NMC, 2021).

The additional simulation hours are considered an effective alternative way of learning (Royal College of Nursing (RCN), 2021). As an educational strategy, simulated practice is an opportunity for experiential and immersive learning. It is offered as a technique to replace or amplify real experiences with guided experiences, often immersive in nature, that evoke or replicate substantial aspects of the real world in a safe, instructive, and interactive fashion (HEE, 2020).