Immersive Technologies and Disaster Nursing Education

Immersive technologies, augmented and virtual reality, can be key to nursing students learning emergency response skills necessary in a disaster. Both augmented and virtual reality provide a sense of realism critical to learning that is not possible from practice drill skills. Emergency response agencies have used these technologies with positive results.

Evidenced-based research was reviewed to elicit disaster preparedness, technical aspects of these technologies, and how they have been used in nursing education and emergency response agencies.

Immersive technologies are viable choices for educating nursing student emergency response skills.

Students were positive about using these technologies, which can improve knowledge and student engagement, increase levels of self-efficacy, and promote creativity and problem solving. Students can practice any time as instructors are not required in the safe, controlled learning environment, which builds on tech-savvy students' skills. Physiological and psychological changes that may occur with virtual technology require investigation and follow-up. [.