Healthcare invests heavily in recruiting new nurses, only to watch nearly a third leave within their first year (NSI Nursing Solutions, Inc., 2025). Turnover drains morale, shakes team confidence, and strikes the bottom line. What if there were a way to train, support, and retain staff more effectively?

Hospitals worldwide are turning to immersive virtual reality (VR) simulations to enhance clinical competence, improve safety, and boost staff satisfaction. The evidence shows VR is more than a flashy trend; it is a proven educational modality that boosts knowledge retention, sharpens decision-making, and strengthens team dynamics. 

Below are peer-reviewed studies, multi-site pilots, and vendor case reports to detail how hospitals leverage VR simulation to attract, train, and retain staff. 

VR Simulation in Context

Immersive VR consistently outperforms or equals high-fidelity manikin labs in knowledge gain (Chen et al., 2020), skill transfer (Cieslowski et al., 2023), and teamwork behaviors (L. Mazur et al., 2025). Meta-analyses confirm improved learner satisfaction and confidence (Chen et al., 2020; Kiegaldie & Shaw, 2023).

Technology Snapshot

VR systems run on standalone headsets, feature multiplayer networking, and embed performance analytics for facilitators. Wireless portability minimizes space demands, letting educators stage simulations in clinical areas.

Why Staff Engagement Matters

Persistent turnover and limited clinical placements necessitate that hospitals reevaluate traditional in-person education. Low self-confidence and perceptions of competence have been identified as the top factors of turnover for new nurses (Beecroft et al., 2008). VR addresses both by delivering deliberate practice in a risk-free, immersive environment, which, as Foronda et al. (2020) demonstrate, significantly increases self-confidence and perceived competence among nursing learners.

Five Engagement Strategies

1. Immersive Onboarding & Orientation

New nurses often enter practice with uneven exposure to critical events. Hospitals have integrated VR scenarios directly into structured orientation pathways, ensuring new hires complete standardized VR scenarios before entering clinical areas. This reduces first-week anxiety, levels baseline skills, and speeds readiness.

• VR cohorts scored 20% higher in infection-control check-offs than clinical-based groups (Cieslowski et al., 2023).
• Studies show 25% faster orientation completion and 15% higher confidence scores vs. manikin training (Chen et al., 2020).
• Hospital example: NYU Langone Health integrates VR onboarding into its nurse residency programs (UbiSim, n.d.).

2. Competency Refreshers & Upskilling

Annual skills fairs often fail to replicate true stress. VR refreshers allow staff to repeat High-Acuity, Low-Occurrence (HALO) Events (anaphylaxis, opioid toxicity, transfusion reaction) until mastery (Abbas et al., 2023). Hospitals increasingly schedule VR refreshers for infrequent, high-risk events, such as pediatric codes or obstetric hemorrhage, during huddle times or quarterly review sessions.

• 40% error-rate drop in pediatric acute-care simulations after VR refreshers (Cieslowski et al., 2023).
• Lower diagnosis-to-delivery time for shoulder dystocia after VR training (Falcone et al., 2024).
• Documented 40% improvement in skill performance and error reduction in pediatric sepsis management (Cieslowski et al., 2023).
• Hospital example: Boston Children’s Hospital uses ICU and sepsis simulations in VR to boost nurse skill retention and readiness (ArborXR, 2025).

3. Interprofessional Team Training

Multiplayer VR connects nurses, physicians, and therapists without the logistical headaches of physical labs. Staff practice handoffs (Andreasen et al., 2023), closed-loop communication, and role clarity in complex situations (Rash et al., 2024).

• TEAM overall scores rose from 2.2 to 2.8 (0–3 scale) after VR training (L. Mazur et al., 2025).
• Significant gains in TeamSTEPPS and TEAM scores (p<.05) after a single 45-minute VR session (Brown et al., 2023).
• Substantial improvements in teamwork, communication, and non-technical skills (Rash et al., 2024).
• Hospital example: Yale Center for Healthcare Simulation runs statewide VR trauma drills (Hallet, 2025).

4. Patient-Safety Event Rehearsal

Hospitals reconstruct real sentinel events in VR to probe system gaps (L. M. Mazur et al., 2022). Staff experience first-person perspectives of missed cues, fostering deep sense-making and system awareness.

• Voluntary safety event reporting increased by 33% six months after the VR rollout (Mazur et al., 2022).
• Staff developed a holistic understanding of system-level risks after VR debriefs (Mazur et al., 2022).
• Hospital example: An academic medical center in the Southeast reduced surgical never-events after implementing VR “Time-Out” modules (Mazur et al., 2022).

5. Flexible, Self-Paced CE & Wellness

VR carts stationed on units let nurses earn CE credits during downtime, reducing off-shift overtime (Choi & Thompson, 2022). Many hospitals pair clinical modules with VR mindfulness spaces to combat burnout (Bodet-Contentin et al., 2023).

• 77% of U.S. health systems have implemented or plan to implement VR for staff training within two years (Virti Inc., 2023).
• UTMB learners reported improved empathy and communication after AI-driven VR patient conversations (Virti Inc., 2023).
• Penn State Altoona reduced student anxiety about workplace violence after VR de-escalation training (Carney, 2025).
• Hospital example: NHS England East of England integrates patient-home VR visits into professional development (NHS England, 2024).

Conclusion

VR simulation has moved from novelty to necessity. Hospitals that strategically harness the five engagement pathways (onboarding, upskilling, interprofessional training, patient-safety rehearsal, and flexible CE) report measurable gains in competence, safety, and staff morale. With evidence mounting and hardware barriers falling, immersive VR is poised to become a standard pillar of hospital education programs.

References

Abbas, J. R., Chu, M. M. H., Jeyarajah, C., Isba, R., Payton, A., McGrath, B., Tolley, N., & Bruce, I. (2023). Virtual reality in simulation-based emergency skills training: A systematic review with a narrative synthesis. Resuscitation Plus, 16(100484), 100484. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.resplu.2023.100484

Andreasen, E. M., Berg, H., Steinsbekk, A., Høigaard, R., & Haraldstad, K. (2023). The effect of using desktop VR to practice preoperative handovers with the ISBAR approach: a randomized controlled trial. BMC Medical Education, 23(1), 983. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12909-023-04966-y

ArborXR. (2025, December 4). Customer story: How XR is preparing nurses at Boston Children’s for high-stakes situations - ArborXR. Arborxr.com. https://arborxr.com/blog/customer-story-how-xr-is-preparing-nurses-at-boston-childrens-for-high-stakes-situations

Beecroft, P. C., Dorey, F., & Wenten, M. (2008). Turnover intention in new graduate nurses: a multivariate analysis. Journal of Advanced Nursing, 62(1), 41–52. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1365-2648.2007.04570.x

Bodet-Contentin, L., Letourneur, M., & Ehrmann, S. (2023). Virtual reality during work breaks to reduce fatigue of intensive unit caregivers: A crossover, pilot, randomised trial. Australian Critical Care: Official Journal of the Confederation of Australian Critical Care Nurses, 36(3), 345–349. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.aucc.2022.01.009

Brown, K. M., Perretta, J., Miller, G., Gilbert, G., Anderson, M., Horvath, C., Sullivan, N., Jeffers, J., Swoboda, S., Shilkofski, N., Green, D., & Mudd, S. (2023). Deconstructing Healthcare Silos: Multi-player Virtual Reality for Interprofessional & Intraprofessional Education. Journal of Interactive Learning Research, 34(3), 495–517.

Carney, M. (2025, April 11). Penn State Altoona nursing students use VR to prepare for workplace violence. Penn State Altoona. https://altoona.psu.edu/story/74441/2025/04/11/penn-state-altoona-nursing-students-use-vr-prepare-workplace-violence

Chen, F.-Q., Leng, Y.-F., Ge, J.-F., Wang, D.-W., Li, C., Chen, B., & Sun, Z.-L. (2020). Effectiveness of virtual reality in nursing education: Meta-analysis. Journal of Medical Internet Research, 22(9), e18290. https://doi.org/10.2196/18290

Choi, J., & Thompson, C. E. (2022). Faculty-driven Virtual Reality (VR) scenarios and students' perception of immersive VR in nursing education: A pilot study. AMIA Annual Symposium Proceedings, 2022, 377–384.

Cieslowski, B., Haas, T., Oh, K. M., Chang, K., & Oetjen, C. A. (2023). The development and pilot testing of immersive virtual reality simulation training for prelicensure nursing students: A quasi-experimental study. Clinical Simulation in Nursing, 77, 6–12. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ecns.2023.02.001

Creighton University. (2024). Advancing nursing education through immersive virtual reality simulations.

Falcone, V., Catic, A., Heinzl, F., Steinbauer, P., Wagner, M., Mikula, F., Dorittke, T., Roessler, B., & Farr, A. (2024). Impact of a virtual reality-based simulation training for shoulder dystocia on human and technical skills among caregivers: a randomized-controlled trial. Scientific Reports, 14(1), 7898. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-024-57785-6

Foronda, C. L., Fernandez-Burgos, M., Nadeau, C., Kelley, C. N., & Henry, M. N. (2020). Virtual simulation in nursing education: A systematic review spanning 1996 to 2018. Simulation in Healthcare: Journal of the Society for Simulation in Healthcare, 15(1), 46–54. https://doi.org/10.1097/SIH.0000000000000411

Hallet, A. (2025, January 14). VR at Yale Center for Healthcare Simulation. Yale.edu; Yale School of Medicine. https://medicine.yale.edu/news-article/vr-at-yale-center-for-healthcare-simulation/

Kiegaldie, D., & Shaw, L. (2023). Virtual reality simulation for nursing education: effectiveness and feasibility. BMC Nursing, 22(1), 488. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12912-023-01639-5

Mazur, L., Butler, L., Mitchell, C., Lashani, S., Buchanan, S., Fenison, C., Adapa, K., Tan, X., An, S., & Ra, J. (2025). Effect of immersive virtual reality teamwork training on safety behaviors during surgical cases: Nonrandomized intervention versus controlled pilot study. JMIR Medical Education, 11(1), e66186. https://doi.org/10.2196/66186

Mazur, L. M., Khasawneh, A., Fenison, C., Buchanan, S., Kratzke, I. M., Adapa, K., An, S. J., Butler, L., Zebrowski, A., Chakravarthula, P., & Ra, J. H. (2022). A novel theory-based virtual reality training to improve patient safety culture in the department of surgery of a large academic medical center: Protocol for a mixed methods study. JMIR Research Protocols, 11(8), e40445. https://doi.org/10.2196/40445

NHS England East of England. (2024, May 22). NHS England — East of England » Immersive VR training for NHS staff developed in the East of England. Nhs.uk. https://www.england.nhs.uk/east-of-england/2024/05/22/immersive-vr-training-for-nhs-staff-developed-in-the-east-of-england/

NSI Nursing Solutions, Inc. (2025). 2025 NSI National Health Care Retention & RN Staffing Report. NSI Nursing Solutions, Inc. https://www.nsinursingsolutions.com.

Rash, I., Shi, K., Sussel, R., Smith, R., Thompson, S., Cai, E., Nguyen, T. D., Cheng, J., Gong, W., Farahmand, S., Mehrnoush, V., Hosseinzadeh, S., & Qayumi, K. (2024). Virtual 3D simulation technology for interprofessional team training. Simulation & Gaming, 55(2), 281–301. https://doi.org/10.1177/10468781231222969

UbiSim. (n.d.). NYU Langone uses UbiSim VR to prepare nurse residents for clinical practice & onboard new staff. Ubisimvr.com. Retrieved July 19, 2025, from https://www.ubisimvr.com/case-study/nyu-langone?utm_source=linkedin_organic&utm_medium=organic_social&utm_content=case_study&utm_campaign=nyu_langone

Using High Acuity Low Occurrence (HALO) events to teach nursing students in virtual reality. (2023, June 27). Ubisimvr.com. https://www.ubisimvr.com/blog/high-acuity-low-occurrence-halo-events

Virti Inc. (2023, November 16). 77% of healthcare organizations surveyed have implemented virtual reality (VR) to support medical training, or are planning to; What are some of the use cases? Cision PR Newswire. https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/77-of-healthcare-organizations-surveyed-have-implemented-virtual-reality-vr-to-support-medical-training--or-are-planning-to-what-are-some-of-the-use-cases-301989612.html