Provided by Sentara Northern Virginia Medical Center
Sentara Northern Virginia Medical Center (SNVMC) is elevating its nursing education program with the launch of an innovative virtual reality (VR) training platform that immerses nurses in realistic patient-care scenarios.
This advanced tool enables both new and experienced nurses to sharpen their clinical and communication skills through interactive, real-time simulations.
During a recent demonstration, Nursing Professional Development Specialist Alex Like put on a VR headset in SNVMC’s training center and, within seconds, was transported into a virtual treatment room where a patient was experiencing a medical emergency – a heart attack in this scenario. The virtual patient reacted and responded just like a real person, even describing symptoms by saying, “I thought it was just gas because I was eating nachos watching a football game on TV.” All the tools and medications a nurse would find in an actual hospital setting are at Like’s fingertips, and his patient responds to his interventions just as a person would in an actual encounter.
“Our nurses have the opportunity to get firsthand experience dealing with a wide range of clinical situations that they are likely to encounter on the job,” said Nursing and Patient Care Services Manager Ermi Tisak. “It gives both new nurses and our seasoned nurses an opportunity to practice their clinical skills in a safe, controlled setting, allowing them to see how their clinical interventions impact patient outcomes in real time.”
Virtual reality training promotes strong clinical judgment by offering lifelike scenarios that require critical thinking, rapid assessment, and effective communication.
“Through these virtual simulations, our nurses can build confidence, adapt to emergent situations, and refine the skills necessary for high-quality patient care,” said SNVMC President Jeff Joyner. “We are proud to be the first Sentara hospital to have this virtual reality technology in place.”
Benefits of Virtual Reality Training for Nursing Education
- Hands-On Practice Without Risk: Virtual reality provides a safe, controlled environment for nurses to practice procedures and decision-making with no risk to patients.
- Enhanced Learning Through Immersion: Visual and interactive simulations deepen understanding and improve knowledge retention compared to traditional methods.
- Realistic Scenarios for Critical Thinking: Virtual reality recreates complex, high-pressure clinical situations – such as medical emergencies – to build confidence and sharpen critical thinking.
- Immediate Feedback and Skill Assessment: Learners receive real-time feedback, accelerating competency development.
- Accessible and Repeatable Training: Scenarios can be repeated as often as needed without resource limitations, supporting continuous improvement.
Alex Like caring for a virtual patient in a VR simulation exercise at SNVMC
“Our team is so excited to have our new VR system. We are introducing the training with our nurses and will soon expand to include all clinicians. We are proud to invest in our team with this wonderful resource. It’s another great example of what makes us a Magnet with Distinction organization,” remarked SNVMC Chief Nursing Officer Christy Grabus.
The new VR system was made possible through grant funding from the Potomac Health Foundation, provided for the support of professional training tools and programs that strengthen patient care at SNVMC.
About Sentara Health
Sentara Health, an integrated, not-for-profit health care delivery system, celebrates more than 135 years in pursuit of its mission – “We improve health every day.” Sentara is one of the largest health systems in the U.S. Mid-Atlantic and Southeast, and among the top 20 largest not-for-profit integrated health systems in the country, with 34,000 employees, 12 hospitals in Virginia and Northeastern North Carolina, including 10 hospitals with the prestigious Magnet® recognition, and the Sentara Health Plans division which serves more than one million members in Virginia and Florida. Sentara is recognized nationally for clinical quality and safety and is strategically focused on innovation and creating an extraordinary health care experience for our patients and members. Sentara was named a Health Quality Innovator of the Year (2024), and was recognized by Forbes as “America’s Best-In-State Employer” (2024), “Best Employer for Veterans” (2022, 2023), and “Best Employer for Women” (2020).
