Sophia Frantz B.

Limcangco
NCM 32 LAB
2/20/20

The Benefits of VR in Nursing

If you didn’t know, virtual reality, or VR is one of the high-tech developments that people use
today, may it be for gaming, scientific experimentation used to develop new inventions, or just
having the experience of being in a magical world that doesn’t exist. Virtual reality is basically a
simulation created by the computer may it be on the reality of the environment that we currently
live in or created by imagination. This requires the use of an eyepiece that is rectangular in shape
and is held by a Velcro strap, used to wrap around the head circumference of the patient after the
apply the eyepiece. Through the eyepiece, there is a screen that displays another world that is
three dimensional which we can interact physically in through special electronic equipment.
As a nursing student, we focus on the efficiency in performing procedures such as IV
termination and catheterization. I believe that if we establish VR in our studies when practicing
on certain procedures, we can fully understand how it actually feels like being simulated in a
hospital environment and doing the procedures to a “real “patient. If we mess up, at least it
happened within the virtual world, not the real world. As a nursing student who is not that
experienced with the other rotations, like the operating room, or a mental ward, this can give us a
chance to experience these things to prepare us for when we actually go inside the real one. Since
the experience in the virtual world seems so real, the VR can stimulate feelings within ourselves
such as being under pressure that can train us to stay calm, despite what’s happening in our
surroundings.
Virtual reality in nursing has not been implemented to nursing students yet but there is a
chance that it may actually happen since technology is on the rise. Though it might not exactly
simulate patient feelings, at least we are able to experience what is similar to it. The world of
virtual reality can broaden our perspectives as students and can help us adapt to hospital
situations that can enable us to maintain excellence in performance.