Effectiveness of a second life(®) simulation as a teaching strategy for undergraduate mental health nursing students

Learning may be enhanced in mental health nursing education by applying virtual reality technologies in which students may safely practice communication and assessment skills with simulated patients. The purpose of this descriptive study was to assess the effectiveness of a Second Life(®) (SL) virtual simulation as a teaching strategy for undergraduate mental health nursing students. Data were collected via a researcher-developed survey questionnaire. Students perceived the simulation to be moderately effective as an educational strategy and slightly difficult as a technical program. Positive aspects included client assessment in an environment where mistakes were without consequence, working from home, and novelty. Drawbacks were dressing and maneuvering the avatar and lack of realism. Correlations were found between educational effectiveness and technical difficulty and between educational effectiveness and age of the computer. SL virtual simulation has potential to provide unique, easily accessible, safe, and fun learning for mental health nursing students.