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About NextGen Nurse

About

Why NextGen Nurse is needed?

Nursing education is under increasing pressure to prepare students for complex, fast-changing healthcare environments. While theoretical knowledge remains essential, many students have limited opportunities to practise clinical skills in safe and controlled settings before entering real placements. This can affect confidence, decision-making, and readiness for practice.

At the same time, healthcare systems are becoming more digital, and expectations of nursing professionals are evolving. Educators need new ways to support hands-on learning, build practical competence, and reflect real-world scenarios without increasing risk for patients. Immersive technologies offer a strong opportunity to address this, but they are not yet widely or consistently used in structured ways within nursing education.

NextGen Nurse responds to this need by exploring how XR can be used as a practical teaching tool, supporting safer skill development, stronger engagement, and better preparation for clinical practice.

More about NextGen Nurse

NextGen Nurse is an EU-funded initiative focused on improving nursing education through the practical use of immersive technologies. It translates emerging evidence on XR learning into real teaching improvements across higher education, connecting research, development, and implementation.

1. Understanding what works in practice

The project explores how XR is currently used in nursing education and identifies where it can add the most value. This includes analysing use cases, educator needs, and the challenges of integrating immersive technologies into existing teaching approaches.

2. Developing practical training approaches

NextGen Nurse creates structured methods and immersive learning resources that support clinical skills development, decision-making, and student engagement. These are designed to be realistic, accessible, and aligned with learning outcomes in nursing education.

3. Testing in real teaching environments

The approaches are applied and evaluated in real educational settings, allowing educators and students to engage with XR in practice. This helps assess how it impacts learning experience, confidence, and clinical readiness.

4. Supporting long-term adoption

The project provides guidance, tools, and evidence to help institutions integrate XR into their programmes. The aim is to support sustainable use of immersive learning in nursing education beyond the lifetime of the project.

Who can benefit from NextGen Nurse

NextGen Nurse is for people and organisations looking for practical ways to improve nursing education through immersive learning.

If you teach in nursing or healthcare programmes, NextGen Nurse provides practical approaches and tools to help you use immersive technologies in a structured way. This supports more engaging teaching and helps students develop clinical skills with greater confidence.

If you are studying nursing, the project supports more hands-on learning through realistic scenarios. This helps you practise skills, build confidence, and prepare for clinical placements in a safe and supportive environment.

If you design or deliver nursing programmes, NextGen Nurse offers tested approaches and evidence that can support curriculum development and innovation in teaching. It helps institutions integrate immersive learning in a way that is practical and sustainable.

If you are involved in workforce development, training, or policy, NextGen Nurse provides insight into how immersive technologies can strengthen clinical education and support future-ready healthcare professionals.

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