Accelerating Nurse Training with Lumeto’s InvolveXR Nursing Fundamentals in VR
Nursing is an ever-demanding profession, and the need for well-prepared nurses has never been more critical. On average, it takes three months to one year* to train a new nurse on fundamental nursing competencies, depending on the program and institution. In hospitals, onboarding new nurses can take anywhere from 8 to 12 weeks* before they feel confident in their clinical skills. Nursing students in pre-licensure programs can spend hundreds of hours in labs and clinical rotations to develop these essential competencies. For example, nurse residency programs are known to last anywhere from 6 months to a full year, depending on the institution, with first-year turnover rates around 12% or more. Hospitals can spend significant resources, with estimates suggesting it costs about $52,350 to train a single nurse. Despite this time investment, traditional training methods often fall short of providing enough hands-on practice, especially in environments where access to clinical placements is limited.
This is where Virtual Reality (VR) comes in—a cutting-edge solution that has the potential to transform nursing education and onboarding by allowing learners to build fundamental nursing competencies in a controlled, immersive environment, all while reducing the time and resources needed for training.
Why VR Training for Nurses?
Traditional nursing education and onboarding processes often rely on lectures, textbooks, and clinical rotations. While valuable, these methods alone may not provide enough hands-on practice in a safe environment. VR bridges this gap by allowing learners to immerse themselves in realistic patient-care scenarios, offering an opportunity to practice essential skills like patient assessment, medication administration, and emergency response—without real-world consequences.
VR training helps develop muscle memory, enhances decision-making skills, and allows learners to experience the realities of patient care without feeling overwhelmed. Whether in prelicensure nursing programs or onboarding for new nurses, VR offers flexibility, enhanced engagement, and a deep learning experience. And that’s where Lumeto’s InvolveXR Nursing Fundamentals in VR truly shines.
The Advantage for Prelicensure Nursing Programs
For nursing schools, integrating VR into pre-licensure programs means students can build their clinical skills even before stepping foot into a hospital. This hands-on practice can help ease the transition from theory to practice. With Lumeto’s Nursing Fundamentals in VR, pre-licensure students can engage with patient-care scenarios at their own pace. This asynchronous learning model is crucial for learners to repeat and refine their skills—whether it’s learning how to take vital signs or performing a head-to-toe assessment.
Nursing programs with limited access to clinical placements or simulation labs can benefit immensely by using VR as a supplement. The flexibility of learning through VR helps schools provide quality education to a greater number of students, scaling the program without the need for extensive physical resources.
Streamlining Hospital Nurse Onboarding Programs
Hospitals face their own unique challenges when it comes to onboarding new nurses. Orientation programs can be resource-intensive, often requiring significant time from experienced staff to train new hires. VR can alleviate this burden by allowing nurses to train independently, freeing up staff and reducing the costs associated with onboarding.
Lumeto’s InvolveXR Nursing Fundamentals in VR is a turnkey solution that helps hospitals bring new nurses up to speed on essential patient care skills before they step onto the floor. VR training allows nurses to build confidence by practicing in a virtual environment that mimics real-life challenges they’ll face on the job. This results in faster onboarding, fewer errors in early-career practice, and a smoother transition into patient care roles.
Why Lumeto’s InvolveXR Nursing Fundamentals in VR is a Game-Changer
Lumeto’s InvolveXR Nursing Fundamentals in VR offers a curated list of nursing essentials, designed to help organizations achieve three key objectives:
- Seamless VR Integration: Lumeto’s platform provides a way for nursing schools and hospitals to easily integrate VR into their curriculum or training programs without the need for extensive setup or additional resources. This curated package means educators and trainers don’t need to start from scratch when implementing VR—it’s ready to go.
- Build Competencies Asynchronously: Learners can engage with VR modules at their own pace, building fundamental nursing competencies when it suits them. The asynchronous nature of this learning model allows students and new nurses to revisit modules, practice scenarios, and solidify their skills on their own time, which is a huge advantage in today’s busy educational and healthcare environments.
- Easy Onboarding into VR: One of the barriers to adopting VR technology is the learning curve associated with it. Lumeto’s InvolveXR Nursing Fundamentals includes a simple way for learners to get acquainted with the VR environment itself. This dual onboarding—into VR and nursing skills—makes the technology accessible and user-friendly, even for those unfamiliar with VR.
With ten 20-minute Learning Experiences, learners can onboard themselves into the VR environment and build critical nursing competencies in just three hours. Each module offers two modes:
- A guided educational mode, where learners can explore nursing concepts with immersive, experiential learning.
- A formative assessment mode, which enables learners to train and test their skills, ensuring a strong grasp of essential nursing fundamentals.
By providing these essential benefits, Lumeto’s InvolveXR platform accelerates nurse training, allowing educational institutions and healthcare providers to scale their programs more efficiently and effectively. Schools and hospitals no longer need to choose between quality training and resource limitations. With InvolveXR, they can achieve both.
As the demand for skilled nurses continues to rise, the healthcare industry needs innovative solutions to meet these challenges. Lumeto’s InvolveXR Nursing Fundamentals in VR is a powerful tool for both prelicensure nursing programs and hospitals looking to streamline nurse onboarding. With its curated package of essential nursing scenarios, it’s easier than ever for organizations to integrate VR into their training programs, saving time, resources, and allowing learners to build the critical competencies they need in today’s healthcare environment.
Lumeto’s VR solution is not just about using cutting-edge technology—it’s about reimagining how we train the nurses of tomorrow, making them more prepared, confident, and capable in their roles.
For more details on Lumeto’s InvolveXR Nursing Fundamentals, book a demo and talk to us!
About Lumeto
Lumeto is a trailblazer in immersive learning and simulation technologies, driving innovation in healthcare training with its cutting-edge virtual reality and AI-powered solutions. With InvolveXR AI Characters, Lumeto continues its mission to advance the quality and accessibility of healthcare education worldwide.
For more information, visit: lumeto.com or contact: shruti.natarajan@lumeto.com
References
*The statistic that it can take three months to one year to train new nurses on fundamental competencies and 8 to 12 weeks for onboarding in hospitals comes from general industry observations and studies related to nurse onboarding and education.
A 2016 report by the National Council of State Boards of Nursing (NCSBN) highlights that nurse residency programs, particularly for new graduates, typically last around 6 months to one year, focusing on competency building and transitioning from student to practitioner roles. The onboarding time in hospitals can vary widely depending on the institution and the specific nursing role but typically falls within the 8-12 week range, as mentioned in various nursing education guidelines and hospital orientation policies.
https://www.nsinursingsolutions.com/Documents/Library/NSI_National_Health_Care_Retention_Report.pdf
https://www.nursingcenter.com/cearticle?an=00152193-202309000-00006
Additional references:
- Nurse Residency Program standards from organizations like the American Association of Colleges of Nursing (AACN) suggest that the transition period for new nurses is substantial, given the need for both clinical and competency-based training.
A study by Goode et al. (2013) published in the Journal of Nursing Administration also mentions that onboarding programs for new graduate nurses can last anywhere from 10 to 12 weeks, depending on the hospital’s resources and the complexity of the role.