Stepping into the virtual ward: a qualitative study on first-year residents’ experiences with VR simulation

TL;DR

This study explores how first-year doctors in Norway experience using VR simulations for training, highlighting both benefits and challenges.

Contribution

The study provides new insights into first-year residents' attitudes and experiences with VR simulation during their transition to postgraduate training.

Findings

Participants viewed VR simulation as a safe and flexible tool for emergency care training.

Physical and psychological barriers were identified as obstacles to VR simulation adoption.

Realistic and adaptable VR experiences were seen as important for clinical relevance.

Abstract

VR simulation has been suggested as a resource-efficient tool in the education and training of doctors. Few studies have been conducted on what motivates different groups to use VR simulation, particularly during the transition from undergraduate to postgraduate learning. A deeper understanding of first-year residents’ experiences and attitudes may improve the development of VR simulation as an effective learning tool during this transitional phase. Therefore, the aim of this study was to explore the attitudes of Norwegian first-year residents towards this well-established yet rapidly evolving technology and their experiences of using it.

First-year residents at Levanger Hospital, Norway were offered VR-based simulation from October 2022 to August 2023. Data were collected using semi-structured focus group discussions and in-depth individual interviews. Eleven first-year residents were interviewed. Data were analyzed using reflexive thematic analysis. Our results were interpreted in the light of Self-determination theory to better understand the influence of motivational factors on actual usage of VR simulation.

Three themes were generated from the data: (1) The playground of emergency medicine: Learning in a safe environment, (2) Barriers to be overcome and (3) Recognizing one’s reality in a virtual world. The findings showed that the participants considered VR simulation to be a safe and flexible learning tool for training in emergency care. The data also revealed various physical and psychological factors as barriers to using the tool. Variation, adaptation to individual needs and realistic experiences in VR simulations appeared to be important factors relevant to the clinical work of first-year residents.

Our findings suggest that facilitating the use of VR simulation and offering content relevant to the target group may increase motivation. In this study, the perceived transferability from VR simulation to clinical practice appeared to influence its successful implementation and use. Future research should further explore applicability, the effect of incorporating learning theory into VR simulation software development, and the role of VR simulation in soft skills training.

The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s12909-026-08729-3.