7th Edition of World Nursing Science Conference 2027

Abstract

Mixed Reality (MR) simulation is an emerging educational modality in nursing education, offering immersive and interactive learning experiences that may enhance clinical reasoning, decision-making, and students’ preparedness for practice. While technological advances continue to shape simulation-based education, understanding how students experience and make meaning of MR is essential to informing its pedagogically meaningful integration into nursing curricula.
This hermeneutic phenomenological study explored the lived experiences of 20 pre-registration nursing students who engaged with MR simulation as part of their nursing education. Guided by van Manen’s philosophical approach, in-depth interviews explored how students experienced MR simulation and the meaning they attributed to their encounters with holographic patients.
Findings revealed that students developed a strong connection with their holographic patients, influenced by the realism and immersive nature of the experience. Their engagement appeared to create a dynamic interaction between memory, knowledge, and the visual experience of the patient encounter. Students described vivid recollections of their MR experiences and perceived these as supporting knowledge recall, clinical reasoning, and earlier recognition of patient deterioration.
Levett-Jones’ (2023) Clinical Reasoning Cycle was subsequently applied as a secondary analytical lens, providing further insight into how students perceived the relationship between MR simulation and their developing clinical reasoning. Of particular significance was what students experienced as “freedom of time” within the MR environment. The opportunity to pause, reflect, reconsider decisions, and make mistakes without the pressures associated with fast-paced and unpredictable clinical situations created space for deeper learning. Students associated this experience with increased confidence and a stronger sense of preparedness for clinical practice.
The study informed the development of the Madden Model of Embodied Clinical Learning in Mixed Reality (MM-ECL), a pedagogical model representing the essence of students’ learning experiences within MR simulation. The MM-ECL contributes new knowledge about how immersive simulation may support embodied, reflective, and clinically meaningful learning. By foregrounding students’ lived experiences, this research provides a learner-centred perspective that can inform the purposeful integration and future development of MR technologies within nursing education.