UCD Innovation Academy are delighted to announce our first PhD Candidate, Philip Hardie. Philip, a graduate of the UCD Professional Diploma in Innovation for Education is a Clinical Tutor with UCD School of Nursing, Midwifery and Health Systems. His Phd will focus on ‘Virtual Reality Training in Nurse Education’ and will be supervised by Professor Suzi Jarvis, Founding Director of UCD Innovation Academy.

Virtual Reality Training in Nurse Education’
Simulation based training has been implemented widely within nursing education in recent years. Simulation is a technique “to replace or amplify real experiences with guided experiences that evoke or replicate substantial aspects of the real world in a fully interactive manner” (Gaba, 2004, pp2). To date, simulation-based training has predominantly taken place in simulated ward laboratories. However, education has been significantly impacted in recent years due to the advancement and application of innovative and creative new educational technologies. This is now transpiring into the field of simulation-based training and the development of a new format of simulation known as electronic simulation (E-simulation).

Virtual Reality (VR) is an emerging format of E-simulation in healthcare education. VR is the term used to describe a three-dimensional, computer generated environment which can be explored and interacted with by a person (Slater & Sanchez Vives, 2016). VR utilises the use of head-mounted display units to submerge the user into a simulated experience. The head-mounted displays submerge the user into the experience by projecting 360-degree surroundings and interactive experiences (Slater et al, 2009). VR places students at the centre of clinical scenarios, creating the opportunity to make clinical decisions and practice in a safe environment, without putting patients at risk but also gaining real world experiences.

The purpose of this research is to generate design principles for VR nursing scenarios, to create a conductive learning environment and enhance student learning outcomes. A series of VR scenarios that seek to improve clinical reasoning will be designed. In addition, the study will investigate nursing students learning through VR nursing scenarios.

We wish Philip all the best with his research.

Learn more about PhD and Masters Modules at UCD Innovation Academy.