Scaling nursing practice readiness at North Carolina Central University with virtual reality

Nursing programs everywhere are challenged to meet the growing nursing shortage while ensuring their graduates are ready for the realities of modern healthcare. Yet even as programs and policies emerge to educate more nurses, the system is under significant strain. Increasing the number of qualified graduates isn’t as simple as adding seats in a classroom. The COVID-19 pandemic accelerated faculty retirements, and there aren’t enough clinical placements for every student.

That’s especially true in North Carolina, which is tied for the largest projected nursing shortfall in the country. The state is expected to be short by 28,850 nurses by 2037, or 22% below target. To counter that trend, the University of North Carolina System launched the Health Care Workforce Expansion Initiative to increase nursing graduates by 50% over the next decade. Local programs are being challenged to innovate in how they educate.

At North Carolina Central University (NCCU), a historically Black university in Durham, virtual reality (VR) is becoming a critical tool — namely, vrClinicals for Nursing. NCCU’s story illustrates how immersive VR experiences can help resolve the shortage by expanding access, supporting faculty, and preparing workforce-ready nurses.

Why virtual reality belongs at the center of nursing education 

Many nursing programs turned to simulation during the COVID-19 pandemic to educate students who couldn’t participate in live clinicals when hospitals limited access. What began as a necessity has since evolved into a cornerstone of nursing education — expanding access, supporting faculty, and preparing students for a technology-enabled workforce.

Simulation offers consistency and scalability without additional faculty. Students can practice — and learn from — high-stakes situations while reinforcing classroom learning. Meanwhile, faculty can use resulting data to pinpoint where students need additional support.

VR goes further. vrClinicals for Nursing uses multipatient scenarios that mirror real-world demands — interruptions, changing data, and competing priorities that force students to delegate and reprioritize on the spot. Conversational AI prompts learners to engage naturally, practice communication, and respond to evolving conditions.

From pilot to practice: NCCU’s bold move into VR 

Unlike other major nursing powerhouses in North Carolina, NCCU lacks its own hospital, forcing it to compete for limited clinical placements. With faculty retirements, burnout, and a limited budget, traditional expansion was not an option.

As Tina Scott, DNP, director of the NCCU Experiential Learning Center, explained, “Technology is threaded through healthcare now, and we as educators need to make sure we’re both using it and exposing our students to it.”

Intrigued by the potential, NCCU partnered with Wolters Kluwer and Laerdal Medical to adopt vrClinicals for Nursing. The solution fits seamlessly with NCCU’s scaffolded approach: students begin with a single patient and progress to complex scenarios that mimic nursing’s unpredictable realities.

NCCU reimagined an underused locker room as an immersive learning environment, equipped with 3D-enabled software and hardware supporting both individual and group learning through sound, visuals, and haptic feedback. Now, a single faculty member can guide 10 to 12 students through realistic clinical situations. “When students put on those headsets, they take on the role of the nurse,” said Scott. “This enables us to identify learning gaps and use that data to enhance classroom instruction.”

Building confidence, judgment, and real-world readiness 

Students usually enter nursing school uncertain about patient interaction. Keva Suitte, NCCU’s simulation lab coordinator, noted that students need “a psychologically safe environment” to practice — one where mistakes become learning opportunities without risk to real patients.

With vrClinicals integrated from fundamentals through capstone, students face increasingly complex cases, advancing to manage four patients at once and building confidence and prioritization skills they’ll need in practice.

Faculty see the difference as well. Yolanda VanRiel, PhD, chair of the NCCU Department of Nursing, said, “We want them to think critically. And when you’re in a real setting, you may have four or five patients.”

The repeatable nature of VR ensures every student gets exposure to rare and high-stakes scenarios — experiences that might never occur in a traditional placement. With analytics built into the platform, faculty can quickly spot patterns and close gaps before students advance.

The future of nursing is virtual, scalable, and real 

Looking ahead, NCCU plans to integrate vrClinicals into pediatrics, mental health, and other areas of the curriculum, further broadening the range of student experiences. That integration reflects a larger trend: nursing programs nationwide are realizing that VR isn’t supplemental — it’s essential.

As VanRiel emphasized, “We want our students to have the confidence to walk into a hospital setting, a community setting, any setting, and be able to take care of patients in that environment.”

Find out how vrClinicals for Nursing can help scale nursing programs

Discover how your program can incorporate VR to expand capacity and graduate the next generation of nurses ready to lead in a technology-first healthcare system.