In the fall of 2020, the Canadian Association of Schools of Nursing (CASN) conducted a survey on the use of virtual simulation in Canadian schools of nursing. At a series of national forums in the spring and summer of 2020, Canadian nursing faculty identified an urgent need for more information on the integration of virtual simulation in undergraduate and nurse practitioner programs.  In response to this need, CASN created a national task force of faculty with expertise on virtual simulation who guided the development, implementation, and analysis of a virtual simulation survey. The objectives of the survey were to identify how virtual simulations were being used; what types of virtual simulations educators were using; whether the use of virtual simulation was changing as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic; and to identify benefits and challenges experienced by nurse educators in using virtual simulation.

The Virtual Simulation in Nursing Education Survey Report provides nurse educators with a snapshot of the use of virtual simulation in Canadian schools of nursing six months after the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. The analysis and discussion provided describe considerations to optimize the use of virtual simulation alongside classroom, in-person simulation, and clinical placements.

Click here to access the Virtual Simulation in Nursing Education Survey Report.