VR simulations allow for immersive experiential learning and simulation-based challenges. Learners practice interviewing, assessment, diagnosis, and treatment skills with a virtual patient in the simulation environment. Changes in skills and learner behavior occur during the simulation or via contemplation during a debriefing. A balanced approach, emphasizes challenge, practice, positive feedback, and encouragement. Interactive, realistic challenge enhances motivation which in turn enhances enthusiasm for learning the topic and subsequent skills mastery. Learning via VR simulations offers the following advantages over simulations using actors to play standardized patients:
- Consistent learning opportunities for all students, better standardized than when played by actors
- Immediate, personalized, objective, consistent feedback for all students, better standardized and more thorough than when offered by a shared faculty
- The opportunity to make mistakes as a beginner without the embarrassment or feeling judged by peers watching.
- Repeatable learning experience in which students can try different approaches.
- A greater variety of patients is possible.
- Cost-effective and quickly scalable to larger group sizes without adding faculty or purchasing more resources.
- Quickly available without the need to provide training and calibration of grading for multiple faculty.
- Accessible nationally.
- Responding to feedback from a larger audience at multiple schools by improving the simulation enhances quality.
