Virtual Training: Samara Develops VR Simulator for Nurses
Samara State Medical University has developed SIM – Sestrinskoye Delo (SIM – Nursing), a virtual reality (VR) simulator that allows students to practice clinical procedures in virtual outpatient clinics and hospital settings.
Future healthcare professionals need more than theoretical knowledge. They must be able to apply what they have learned, perform procedures correctly and accurately, follow established protocols, and stay composed in challenging situations. Patient safety depends on these skills. That is why students practice clinical procedures throughout their training. But conventional classrooms cannot always recreate real-world conditions. And practicing on actual patients can make students feel uncomfortable, while some patients are reluctant to take part.
The new SIM – Sestrinskoye Delo simulator is designed to address this challenge. Developed by the Institute for Innovative Development at Samara State Medical University under Russia’s Ministry of Health, it is part of the SIMMED line of simulators for hands-on training of healthcare professionals. The product is ready for commercial release.
A Virtual Clinical Environment
Training takes place in virtual environments that recreate an initial patient assessment room, an internal medicine unit, and a treatment room. Students can move from one clinical task to another, practice procedures, and review their mistakes with instructors.
The current version includes six scenarios across three areas of nursing practice: outpatient care, inpatient care, and emergency response.
In the outpatient care module, students practice measuring blood pressure and monitoring blood glucose levels. One scenario focuses on insulin administration. Students must not only perform the procedure but also explain to patients how to measure their own blood sugar and administer injections correctly. This approach helps students develop hands-on skills while learning how to communicate effectively with patients.
The hospital module includes scenarios on preventing falls among patients at risk and working with urinary catheters. A separate module focuses on emergencies. Students learn how to respond to anaphylaxis and practice the protocol for administering epinephrine.
Reviewing Mistakes
The simulator offers two modes: training and assessment. In training mode, students receive prompts and explanations to help them learn the correct sequence of actions. In assessment mode, they complete scenarios independently while the system tracks their performance and generates a checklist of results.
Instructors have access to the SIMMED control center, where they can assign scenarios, select training modes, and watch students' actions in real time from a first-person perspective. They can also monitor checklist completion, pause a session, and restart it. Once a session is complete, the software generates a PDF report.
Who Can Use the Simulator?
The Samara-developed simulator is intended for medical universities and colleges, simulation centers, residency programs, and continuing professional education programs. Healthcare organizations, disaster response medical centers, emergency response services, and corporate training centers can also use it.
The project's educational framework was developed with input from Samara State Medical University's Institute of Nursing Education. The team took into account the requirements of the professional standard for nurses and regulatory documents governing nursing practice.
Digital Healthcare Training
Samara State Medical University has been developing virtual medical training for several years. In 2022, the university introduced a simulator for training students to provide first aid to patients experiencing heart attacks and strokes. In 2023, it took another step forward with MEVIS (Modular Expert Virtual System), a modular virtual training platform that brought together theoretical materials, practical scenarios, and tools for analyzing learning outcomes.
By 2025, the university's portfolio of virtual simulators had grown to 13 products. New additions included simulators for learning how to record and interpret electrocardiograms, provide emergency and urgent care, and assess hearing function. The university also completed development of Takticheskaya Meditsina. Bazovyy Kurs (Tactical Medicine: Basic Course) in partnership with the S. M. Kirov Military Medical Academy.
