In-Situ Simulation: How UbiSim Elevates Nurse Professional Development in Hospitals

Whether employing nurses who are fresh out of school or those who have decades of experience, clinical competence is always on the minds of hospitals. Clinically competent nurses have the knowledge, skills, attitude, and ability for safe and effective practice. Research shows investing in and paying attention to the clinical competence of nurses can improve patient outcomes.

What’s the best way to train nurses to be clinically competent throughout their careers? A review found that in-situ simulation (ISS) is an effective educational modality for maintaining the clinical competence of registered nurses. ISS is training within the actual clinical/work environment, offering nurses a familiar setting to practice scenarios that may be high-pressure or rare to ensure they’re thoroughly prepared.

Incorporating immersive virtual reality into your offerings is one way to implement ISS. All VR needs is two nurses in a 7x7 space, a laptop, and a headset, and you’ve got an in-situ simulation you can run in a storage closet, a hospital room, an office, or any old space. With VR, even limited spaces can be transformed into powerful learning environments. VR sessions can also be done remotely if you have multiple locations.

Understanding ISS in healthcare settings

Imagine you’re a hospital in a city where nurses will be treating a diverse population, such as transgender patients, or patients experiencing homelessness. Perhaps you have new nurses who have never encountered caring for this specific population in nursing school. You also have more senior nurses who aren’t as practiced with the nuances of caring for transgender patients. Similarly, imagine a high-pressure situation, like responding to a baby experiencing a Brief Resolved Unexplained Event (BRUE). Though rare, these situations demand quick, confident responses.

Utilizing ISS is a great way to train nurses with varying degrees of experience—both novice and senior nurses would benefit. ISS can mitigate skills decay and support new nurses. Research has shown the effectiveness of ISS for staff improvement, highlighting its benefits in reducing medical errors, enhancing clinical competence, and improving team coordination. 

VR’s role in supporting the development of clinical competence

Whether practicing bedside manner with a child patient who has ADHD, administering medication to a post-operative patient, or conducting an initial assessment on a patient with chest pains, nurses in VR are fully immersed in patient care scenarios. They are navigating real-life challenges like therapeutic communication, skill application, and patient interaction in a safe environment.

UbiSim, a VR platform developed specifically for nursing by nurses, offers an immersive experience that enhances ISS by simulating complex, realistic clinical environments. In VR, nurses feel like they’re as close to working with a patient as possible. Patients are talking, making eye contact, and babies are crying. It’s incredibly life-life, making the development of clinical competence possible.

Studies indicate that serious digital games—such as VR simulations—effectively contribute to developing clinical competence in nursing. By engaging in UbiSim’s VR scenarios, nurses encounter a variety of patient cases, building competence and confidence in treating patients.

Supporting professional development

Nurses want to keep their skills sharp, regardless of where they are in their careers. ISS can not only improve patient outcomes but also help nurses gain more confidence. Results of a study demonstrated from in-situ simulation “a statistically significant improvement in confidence following simulation training, which was explained by the provision of insight and preparation for real life.” More confident nurses make for better hospitals for everyone. 

A future-proof approach to nursing competence and confidence

Incorporating in-situ simulation and VR into a hospital’s training program equips nurses with the competence and confidence they need to have a satisfactory career and good patient outcomes. Investing in ISS with VR offers a scalable, flexible way to address diverse training needs—whether preparing a new graduate for a challenging patient interaction or helping a seasoned nurse retain and refine critical skills.