Nurse educators' perception of simulated training using virtual reality applied to nursing students

Abstract

Objective: to understand the perception of nurses with experience in education regarding the methodological proposal of training based on virtual simulation using an immersive training platform. Methods: An educational platform was developed based on virtual simulation and active methodologies for student engagement, learning and assessment. It employs anandragogical process in the construction of content, exposing nurses to simulated situations of their daily practice with a focus on improving their attitude. The contents are related to specific care with peripheral venous access, from puncture, maintenance, prevention and management of complications. A committee of specialists was composed of 12 nurses, with a minimum experience of five years in the area of education, who practiced the simulated training, and later, filled out a perception form that was tabulated and analyzed by the project researchers. Results: 92% of nurses believe that simulated training brings users closer to the challenges of daily practice, and that it can really contribute to the consolidation of knowledge. Regarding the content experienced in the scripts, 67% of professionals considered the proposal “very important or essential” and 33% understood it to be “important”. Conclusions: The nurses' general perception was very positive, especially regarding the importance of the content presented, the methodological proposal of immersion in scenarios close to reality, which brought the challenges of practice; in addition to problematizing questions that enabled reflection for better decision-making.