Table 4 Qualitative findings from focus group interviews in the Integrated arm (n = 61)
Findings | Themes | Quotes |
|---|---|---|
Clinical judgement ability | ||
 Effective discovery processes | Students can identify critical information they were normally not aware of | You do not know what to observe at the beginning, but later you know what to discover because the feedback from the vSim for Nursing will lead you to (discover) step by step |
 Valid interpretation of the material | Students believed that they could explain and sort out the materials most relevant to patients and evaluate the information when dealing with complex scenarios | The vSim for Nursing helped me understand what the vital signs mean |
 Effective feedback | Students could adjust their actions on time according to the collected information and the feedback from patients | The vSim for Nursing can give effective feedback quickly. Let you know how to improve, there are many opportunities to improve |
 Effective reflection | Students could benefit from the timely reflection provided by the the vSim for Nursing | Thinking of patients as a whole (person) allows independent analysis of their clinical presentation, reflecting and prudent appraisal of previous experiences, identifying strengths and weaknesses, and continuous improvement |
Advantages | The vSim for Nursing improved students' learning interest, leaded students to think actively, and made the boring skill training more vivid | When I get stuck in my mind (during the vSim for Nursing practice), I will be more impressed if I turn to a book. We can practice by ourselves without the teacher or in the clinic, which is a relatively easy and interesting experience |
Inadequacies | There was no oral communication and in-person interaction during the vSim for Nursing practice | In the vSim for Nursing process, there is no communication with patients, there is no real interaction |
Recommendation | Students suggested improving the design and the fidelity and creating more scenarios | The design of vSim for Nursing itself needs to be closer to the clinical setting Only one scenario may make you feel boring. I think more virtual simulation scenarios should be developed |