March 26, 2025

Case Study: Purdue Global and VR: Tackling the Nursing Shortage with Immersive Training

How one nursing school is using Meta Quest to train more confident, practice-ready nurses—anytime, anywhere.

Purdue Global’s School of Nursing is redefining how healthcare education works in the modern world. Faced with a national crisis—over 100,000 nurses left the field between 2021–2023—the school turned to VR to create a scalable, flexible way to train the next generation of nurses.

Their goal: meet students where they are, without sacrificing clinical readiness or hands-on experience.

🎯 “We’re in a nursing shortage. We don’t have enough clinical rotations or classroom space. VR gives us a safe, scalable way to prepare nurses for real life.”
— Abbey Elliot, Assistant Dean of Immersive Learning, Purdue Global

🧠 The Challenge: Clinical Training That Fits Into Real Life

Most Purdue Global nursing students are working adults—balancing careers, families, and complex schedules. Traditional nursing education, reliant on physical labs and simulation mannequins, doesn’t work for them.

Purdue needed to:

Deliver realistic, hands-on learning remotely
Improve confidence and clinical performance
Support repeatable, scalable training
Reduce cost and access barriers for thousands of students

🎧 Why Meta Quest?

The team piloted Meta Quest headsets and found three core benefits:

🧪 Patient Safety – Practice high-risk skills (like IV insertion) repeatedly in a zero-risk environment
🎯 Standardized Learning – Every student is trained and graded consistently
⏱️ Flexibility – Practice anytime, anywhere—no lab required

“With Meta Quest, students walk into a virtual hospital room and feel like they’re doing the real thing.”
— James Gilmore, Undergraduate Nursing Student

🩺 The Solution: Scalable VR That Builds Confidence

Purdue launched its VR curriculum with Fundamentals of Nursing and Acute Care Skills Lab courses. Students now step into dynamic virtual hospital rooms where they:

Perform head-to-toe assessments using handheld controllers
Conduct infant wellness checks and interact with virtual patients
Practice both technical procedures and soft skills like patient empathy
Receive detailed scoring and feedback after each simulation

And they can do it on their own time, from home.

“It’s reinforcement. You can keep practicing a skill as many times as you want.”
— Nursing Student, Purdue Global

🛠️ ISV Spotlight

PCS Spark
An AI-powered simulation platform with voice recognition and real-time grading—tailored to Purdue’s nursing curriculum.

“PCS Spark helped us customize the grading process and give students detailed, actionable feedback.”
— Abbey Elliot, Purdue Global

Oxford Medical Simulation (OMS)
Delivers high-fidelity clinical experiences through virtual patient scenarios, making theory feel real.

“The OMS team understands nursing education today—and what it needs to become.”
— Abbey Elliot, Purdue Global

✅ Results That Matter

👩‍⚕️ 4,000+ nursing students trained in VR
📈 10–15% increase in pass rates for the national RN exam
💬 Students report greater confidence, with higher scores on:
- “Learning activities”
- “Relevance to career”

“VR works for different learning styles. Bringing all of this into a physical space would be nearly impossible.”
— Meg McManus, Undergraduate Program Professor

And it’s not stopping there—Purdue’s immersive approach is inspiring other departments to integrate VR across their programs.

🎬 From the Frontlines – What Students Say

“I’m learning while doing. My education has been totally enriched by this hybrid VR approach.”
— Undergraduate Student

“It’s like walking into a real hospital room. But you’re home, confident, and in control.”
— Meta Quest Simulation User

“You get the benefits of high-fidelity simulation—without the cost of mannequins or physical space.”
— Purdue Simulation Faculty

🧠 Meta for Work at Knoxlabs

Your Premier XR Partner for Healthcare & Education

Knoxlabs is a Premier Meta for Work Partner, helping nursing schools, universities, and hospitals scale VR learning fast—with the right tools, guidance, and support.