Case Study: University of New England achieves 300% increase in simulation time and improved clinical decision-making with Oxford Medical Simulation

Implementation Guide Creating Success Through a Considered Pilot Program

The University of New England identified gaps in nursing students’ clinical judgment and decision-making and needed a way to increase high-fidelity simulation time focused on cognitive skills. They partnered with Oxford Medical Simulation to pilot and integrate immersive VR scenarios (OMS virtual simulation) across junior to senior courses to give students more opportunities for repeated, realistic clinical practice.

Oxford Medical Simulation helped UNE run a summer pilot, onboard faculty, and deploy a self-service VR simulation lab with portable headsets and scenario analytics; faculty could assign OMS scenarios as out-of-class work and students could repeat cases independently. The rollout produced measurable impact: a 300% increase in simulation time per student, most students scoring above 85% within two attempts, reduced staffing needs for sessions, and better-targeted faculty follow-up informed by scenario data.

University of New England

Dawne-Marie Dunbar

Director of the Clinical Simulation Center