ViReTrain - Virtual Reality Training for Healthcare Professionals

1. Development of authentic, complex scenarios for VR. Based on the theoretical framework of nursing education within complex and multiperspective environments, these scenarios will address authentic situations which demand person-centered care and an individual reflection on the specific nursing interaction. Hence, competencies of understanding the potential contradiction between evidence-based standards in nursing and individual needs in complex care will be experienced and consistently trained. Student nurses need training to prepare them for the complex demands of changing nursing practice. This training goes beyond the training of standardized skills and addresses the complexity of care and emotional aspects of communication and interaction.

2. Determine the experiences and perspectives of nurse educators and nursing students on teaching and learning through scenario-based learning with VR. They will gain understanding of the requirements to address and successfully implement digital learning in nursing education via VR. Both loose anxiety and retention towards digital simulation through technical devices such as VR. The benefits and the challenges of the learning process with scenario-based learning via VR will be experienced, reported and discussed in the scientific community.

3. The project will permit a transnational discussion of professional understanding of nursing competencies. Different cultural aspects of understanding nursing education within institutional context will be addressed. The partners will experience different curricular representation of practice-based learning, nursing standards and competency-based education. This project permits the development of a common agreement on scenario-based nursing education, leading to a suite of content modules. Consequently, this has the potential to foster a European exchange of workforce, supporting the Bologna process and EQR in developing standards and quality of higher education across Europe. Hence, the project aims to gain perspective by its transnational outline. Project partners will learn from each other and support nursing education in times of personnel shortage. Future collaboration for teacher and student exchanges will be fostered.

The following educational institutions participate in the research project:

• Münster University of Applied Sciences with the Faculty of Health (Prof. Dr. Nadin Dütthorn, Professor of Vocational Education in Health Care),
• National University of Ireland Galway (Dr Siobhan Smyth, Lecturer and Programme Director),
• VIA University College in Aarhus, Denmark (Prof. Dr. Cathrine Sand Nielsen, Associate Professor),
• Department of Nursing Science, Yliopistonmaki, Finland (Docent, Dr. Minna Stolt, University Lecturer),
• Development team for innovative educational solutions of Ingenious Knowledge GmbH (Mr. Rasmus Pechuel-Loesche, Cologne).