Welcome! I’m Maggie Major, MSN, RN, a nurse educator with decades of hands-on experience. This five-part mini-series, Step Into VR Simulation: A Nurse-Led Guide to Implementation, is designed for nurse educators and simulation champions who want to confidently bring virtual reality to their institutions. We know nursing education has its challenges: faculty shortages, limited clinical placements, and the constant need to prepare confident, practice-ready nurses. VR simulation can help fill those gaps — but without a clear plan, it’s easy to feel overwhelmed.

This guide and video series gives you a simple, step-by-step roadmap, created by nurses, for nurses, to help you:

• Identify your program’s biggest gaps and uncover VR opportunities
• Build a strong foundation with budgeting, stakeholder buy-in, and integration planning
• Choose the right software, hardware, and setup
• Prepare faculty, select the best VR scenarios, and launch successfully

Each section will be accompanied with a video and you’ll also get access to a free, interactive workbook with checklists, templates, and action plans you can use right away.

Download the whole workbook

Part I: Identify the Gaps – Pinpointing VR Opportunities in Your Program

Before you introduce new technology, you must first understand your program’s specific needs. This step helps you pinpoint where VR can provide the most value.

What is VR Simulation?

VR simulation uses immersive technology such as headsets and controllers to let learners step into lifelike clinical scenarios. Students can practice essential skills, respond to dynamic patient conditions, and make mistakes in a safe, low-stakes environment. Unlike traditional simulation, VR is accessible anytime and can be repeated as often as needed.

Why VR Now?

Nurse educators face real challenges: limited clinical placements, faculty shortages, and growing demand for experiential learning. VR delivers consistent, engaging, and repeatable clinical experiences.

Consider a student who lacks access to obstetric clinical placements. With VR, that learner can assess patients, manage emergencies, and repeat skills until confident. The gap in experience is effectively closed.

Workbook Activity 1 - Reflection on Current State: Write down the areas where your program struggles most — courses with inconsistent clinical access, skills students lack confidence in, or curricular areas where you wish you had more opportunities for experiential learning.

Benefits of VR

VR does not replace traditional simulation or clinical placements. Instead, it complements them. Research demonstrates that VR:

• Enhances clinical judgment and critical thinking.
• Allows unlimited practice attempts.
• Standardizes scenarios while reducing faculty preparation time.
• Supports diverse learning styles.
• Simplifies competency tracking and data collection.

Conducting a Needs Assessment

Institutions sometimes jump into new technologies without first identifying where they best fit. A structured needs assessment helps you gather faculty perspectives, learner feedback, curricular data, and technology realities.

Workbook Activity 2 - VR Needs Assessment: This will guide you through identifying the teaching challenges your program faces, courses with limited clinical experiences, competencies your graduates struggle to demonstrate, and the resources you currently have available. Reflect on your readiness to adopt VR and document your reasons.

Connecting Gaps to Program Goals

The most powerful case for VR integration is built when gaps are clearly aligned with measurable outcomes and accreditation standards.

Workbook Activity 3 - Connecting Gaps to Program Goals: Using the table provided, select your top three gaps, describe how VR could address them, and align each with a program, course, or institutional goal. For example:

• Gap: Limited pediatric clinical experiences
• VR Solution: Pediatric scenarios in VR
• Goal Alignment: Meeting AACN domain competencies and clinical hour requirements

Completing this exercise not only identifies your priorities but also establishes the foundation for a compelling program proposal.

Part II: Building the Foundation for VR – Vision, Resources, and Stakeholders

Once you have identified your gaps, the next step is to create a strong foundation. This includes developing a vision, outlining resources, engaging stakeholders, and mapping VR to your curriculum.

Setting the Vision

Every successful initiative begins with a clear vision. Ask yourself: What do you want your VR lab to accomplish? Do you hope to expand access for rural learners, increase practice opportunities in specific specialties, or improve exam pass rates?

Workbook Connection: Complete Activity 1: Draft Your VR Lab Vision. Write a 2–3 sentence statement that captures your goals.

Budgeting and Resource Planning

Costs for VR typically include headsets, computers, software licenses, faculty training, and ongoing support. Begin by listing all potential expenses and possible funding sources such as grants, departmental budgets, or shared IT resources.

Workbook Activity 2 -VR Budget Planner: Use to record anticipated expenses and brainstorm funding options.

Stakeholder Engagement

Launching a VR program requires collaboration. Administrators, IT staff, faculty, and students all bring unique perspectives. Mapping their concerns and interests helps you plan effective outreach.

WorkbookActivity 3 - Stakeholder Map: List key individuals, note their concerns, and identify one concrete action to engage each group.

Curriculum and Accreditation Alignment

VR integration is most effective when directly tied to curriculum and accreditation requirements. Align VR scenarios with specific course objectives so learner performance can be measured against program outcomes.

Workbook Activity 4 - Curricular Connections: Identify two courses or learning outcomes and describe how VR could help achieve them, including links to accreditation standards.

Part III: Designing Your VR Environment

At this stage, the focus shifts to building the practical infrastructure for VR implementation. A successful VR simulation program rests on three pillars: the software platform, the hardware, and the setup.

Software Considerations

Your choice of software sets the foundation for your VR program. When comparing platforms, consider evidence-based scenarios, NCLEX and curriculum alignment, data capture, analytics, and faculty support resources.

Workbook Activity 1 – VR Software Comparison Checklist: Use this to evaluate different software platforms against your program’s needs. Note which features are essential and compare across multiple vendors.

Hardware and Setup

Once you know your software needs, determine the hardware and space requirements. This includes VR headsets, compatible computers, setup space, WiFi capacity, sanitation protocols, and charging stations.

Workbook Activity 2 – VR Hardware & Setup Checklist: Record what equipment and infrastructure you already have, what you still need, and any logistical notes. Include questions for your IT team, such as compatibility and security.

Integration with Existing Infrastructure

VR must integrate smoothly into your existing curriculum and technology environment. Consider IT support, training needs, troubleshooting responsibilities, and scheduling access.

Workbook Activity 3 – Integration with Existing Infrastructure Worksheet: Write down the key questions to ask your IT team, and document action items for network security, faculty training, technical support, and maintenance.

Action Planning

The final step is to bring all decisions together in a clear action plan. Assign responsibilities, establish target dates, and outline specific steps toward implementation.

Workbook Activity 4 – Designing Your VR Environment Action Plan: Draft an action plan that includes finalizing software selection, confirming hardware needs, preparing physical space, coordinating IT integration, and scheduling faculty training.

Part IV: Preparing Staff and Selecting Scenarios for Success

The long-term success of VR in your program depends on confident faculty and carefully chosen scenarios that align with learning outcomes.

Selecting VR Scenarios

Choose scenarios that match your curriculum objectives and accreditation requirements. Evaluate whether the scenarios allow for clinical judgment, structured debriefing, and repeat practice.

Workbook Activity 1 – Scenario Review & Shortlisting: List the courses or skills where VR can be integrated, review available scenarios, and shortlist those that best align with your outcomes.

Identifying VR Champions

Faculty buy-in is critical, and peer champions can accelerate adoption. Champions do not need to be technology experts; enthusiasm and communication skills are more important.

Workbook Activity 2 – VR Champion Identification & Support Plan: Identify two staff members who can serve as VR champions. Document how they will be supported and how they, in turn, will support their peers.

Faculty Onboarding and Support

Faculty confidence grows with structured onboarding and repeated exposure. Provide opportunities for educators to experience VR as learners, run practice sessions, and receive troubleshooting resources.

Workbook Activity 3 – Faculty Onboarding Checklist: Track essential onboarding steps such as participating in a demo, completing training, practicing with scenarios, and learning debriefing methods.

Part V: Launching, Evaluating, and Growing Your VR Program

With planning complete, the final stage is launching your program, evaluating its impact, and sustaining growth over time.

Planning a Rollout

A clear rollout plan reduces uncertainty and increases success. Begin with hardware and software checks, pilot sessions for staff and learners, and clear communication of expectations to all stakeholders.

Learner Onboarding

Students need orientation to the equipment, learning objectives, and expectations. Creating a psychologically safe environment is essential for engagement and confidence.

Workbook Activity 1 – Learner Orientation Plan: Record each onboarding step, assign responsibilities, and set target dates. Include objectives, equipment tutorials, account setup, and debriefing sessions.

Evaluating Program Impact

Ongoing evaluation demonstrates value and highlights opportunities for growth. Track learner satisfaction, skill performance, and integration outcomes.

Workbook Activity 2 – VR Rollout & Evaluation Tracker: Capture key rollout milestones, dates, metrics, and follow-up notes. Use this tool to document both numerical results and qualitative feedback.

Planning for Growth

Sustainable VR integration requires forward-looking goals. Expansion may involve adding new courses, customizing scenarios, or presenting outcomes at conferences.

Workbook Activity 3 – Growth Strategy Table: Define two to three growth goals for the next 6–12 months. Record actions needed, assign leaders, and set timelines.

Conclusion

Through this five-part guide, you have identified your program’s needs, built a strong foundation, designed your VR environment, prepared faculty, and created a plan for launch and growth. With both the structured framework and the accompanying workbook, you now have a clear roadmap for bringing VR into your nursing curriculum.