Nursing Students\u27 Attitudes Towards Virtual Patient Simulation

The Carnegie Foundation Report (Benner, Sutphen, Leonard & Day, 2010) calls for profound changes in the education of nurses. These changes include immersing students in the discipline and enhancing student competency. When clinical settings are sparse, the use of Virtual Patient Simulation (VPS) to enhance competency for today’s multigenerational, multicultural student can be used. Student attitude is pivotal in predicting student success, and a student’s attitude addresses his/her engagement and will impact the way a student sets goals. The purpose of this descriptive study was to examine the attitudes of nursing students towards VPS. Seventy-eight surveys were returned from undergraduate, RN to BSN and master’s degree nursing students who use VPS. Results demonstrated that students had a positive attitude towards VPS. Students who were thirty years or older had a more positive attitude towards VPS then their younger counterparts. There was no statistical difference between attitude towards VPS and program type and other demographic variables