Virtual reality emerges as more clinical preparedness is needed
At the time of the last survey in 2020, the use of virtual simulation was thrust into overdrive to help students learn in tandem with online classes, peaking at 91%. With a more balanced mix of classroom settings, virtual simulation has continued to be an important tool but has balanced out its usage at 74% of institutions surveyed.
Building on this, nursing programs across the US are looking to enhance the types of simulations they are providing to students by shifting to virtual reality (VR) based solutions. In fact,
- Current usage of VR has nearly doubled from 15% in 2020 to 29% in 2024
- 53% of respondents say they are planning to use VR in the next 2-3 years
- 60% of schools are planning to increase their current investment in VR
Classroom mimics real-life care settings
Analyzing the survey data and comparing it to the trends currently impacting the nursing industry shows that workforce demand is driving collegiate programs to adopt technology that new nurses will interact with while on the job. Nearly 30% of respondents said that the number one reason their schools are investing in new technology was for students to use the same solutions that they will have to use in practice. An equal number rated increasing clinical judgment of students as the top reason. Additionally, electronic health records (EHRs) are ubiquitous in the hospital setting and schools have followed suit, as two-thirds (67%) of nursing programs train students using a mock EHR.
“Surveying deans and faculty since 2016 allows us to see the changes and enhancements that have been made by integrating technology with curriculum to make a true impact for both faculty and nursing students,” said Beverly Malone, PhD, RN, FAAN, President and CEO, National League for Nursing. “With this data, we are able to find areas where clinical practice and education may vary – giving an opportunity to more closely align these functions and maximize the ease of the education-to-practice transition.”
Forecast for the Future is a four-part survey series that presents the findings from the 2025 Wolters Kluwer / NLN survey of nursing schools. Download the first in the series, highlighting these and additional technology trends impacting the current state of nursing education, here.
Wolters Kluwer and the National League for Nursing have jointly conducted the Future of Technology in Nursing Education survey every four years since 2016. The 2024 survey received 307 responses from nursing program deans (53%) and faculty (36%). The survey, which was conducted from July to October 2024, was emailed to deans and administrators by NLN and Wolters Kluwer.
