Research report: The impact of immersive virtual reality on students’ satisfaction and self-confidence in clinical nursing simulation: a cross-sectional study

Nursing students who trained with a headset-based immersive virtual reality system reported near-perfect levels of satisfaction and self-confidence, according to a cross-sectional study published in BMC Nursing. The study involved 73 nursing students who each completed two simulation sessions using a head-mounted immersive virtual reality system. The scale yields a satisfaction score out of 25 points and a self-confidence score out of 40 points.

The results were strikingly high. In the first virtual reality scenario, students recorded a mean satisfaction score of 24.01 out of 25 (standard deviation 1.53), and in the second scenario the mean reached the maximum of 25.0 with no variation at all. Self-confidence followed the same pattern: 36.58 out of 40 (standard deviation 3.36) after the first session, climbing to 39.92 (standard deviation 0.28) after the second.

Statistical analysis confirmed that the improvement was not a matter of chance. Scores on the total scale and on both of its subscales — satisfaction and self-confidence — showed a statistically significant increase after students completed their second immersive virtual reality experience, with p-values below 0.001. In practical terms, the more exposure students had to the virtual clinical environment, the more satisfied and self-assured they became about their learning.

The authors conclude that nursing students perceived learning through immersive virtual reality as a route to greater satisfaction and self-confidence, and that the technology can be used to develop practical skills by placing participants in realistic simulated environments. This positions immersive virtual reality alongside the spectrum of simulation practices already used in nursing higher education, which ranges from low-fidelity setups to high-fidelity manikin-based training. The findings come with important caveats.

The study was descriptive and cross-sectional, relying on a single posttest measurement rather than a comparison group, so it captures student perceptions at one point in time rather than proving that virtual reality causes superior learning outcomes. Nevertheless, the consistently high scores — including a ceiling-level satisfaction mean in the second scenario — suggest that students found the immersive format highly acceptable as a clinical learning tool. The researchers suggest the approach can expose students to realistic simulated environments where practical skills can be rehearsed, complementing traditional simulation and clinical placement experiences in nurse education.

Subject of Research: Immersive virtual reality simulation in undergraduate nursing education

Article Title: The impact of immersive virtual reality on students’ satisfaction and self-confidence in clinical nursing simulation: a cross-sectional study

Article References: López-Medina, I. M., Álvarez-García, C., Hueso-Montoro, C., Esteban-Burgos, A. A., Sanz-Martos, S., Capilla-Díaz, C., & Álvarez-Nieto, C. (2026). The impact of immersive virtual reality on students’ satisfaction and self-confidence in clinical nursing simulation: a cross-sectional study. BMC Nursing. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12912-026-05542-7

Image Credits: AI Generated

DOI: 10.1186/s12912-026-05542-7

Keywords: immersive virtual reality, nursing education, clinical simulation, student satisfaction, self-confidence, cross-sectional study, simulation fidelity, nursing students, healthcare training, BMC Nursing, impact, immersive