Competency Assessment of New Registered Nurses Using Immersive Virtual Reality

Transitions are vulnerable touchstones in health care. The transition from student nurse to newly licensed registered nurse (NLRN) exposes highly complex patients to novice nurses, which threatens patient safety. Newly licensed registered nurse must rapidly adapt to the demands of clinical practice, navigating various challenges of their new roles, including patient care complexities, interprofessional dynamics, ethical dilemmas, and limited numbers of experienced nurse preceptors.¹  There is agreement across the discipline that change is needed for a smoother transition into practice,^2,3  to mitigate the high attrition rates among NLRNs, which can directly impact patient safety. Ensuring the preparedness of NLRNs is paramount to promoting safe and effective patient care delivery.

Nurse residency programs (NRPs) provide a structured approach to facilitate the transition of NLRNs^1,4,5  into practice that may improve knowledge and skills retention if the NRP addresses competency acquisition.⁶  Nurse residency...