Virtual Simulations across Curriculum Prepare Nursing Students for Patient Interviews

A multiyear evolution of the use of virtual environment simulations to improve communication and subjective assessment skills of prelicensure baccalaureate nursing students is detailed. A virtual clinic constructed in the world of Second Life, with student nurse and patient avatars, provided the setting for unfolding, multicultural, mutigenerational case studies. Selected case studies developed for the sophomore health assessment course were further developed with psychiatric symptoms. Junior-level students interviewed avatars using a psychiatric tool. Experience with 800 students' substantiated virtual worlds provide an effective, nonthreatening environment for developing interview skills across courses. Implications for nurse educators are included.