Second Life(®) Virtual Learning in Public Health Nursing.

BACKGROUND: With limited available public health nursing clinical placements, nurse educators are challenged to create alternative learning experiences that engage students.

METHOD: Nursing faculty developed three Second Life® virtual learning scenarios in family health, disaster preparedness, and home safety areas of interest as a supplement to clinical experiences for undergraduate senior nursing students in a public health nursing course. Student perceptions of their learning were evaluated by a survey and focus group.

RESULTS: Although students perceived learning public health nursing knowledge, they were less likely to agree that the experience was as effective for learning about public health nursing when compared with on-site clinical experiences.

CONCLUSION: The use of Second Life is an effective learning platform for teaching undergraduate nursing students public health nursing when clinical experiences are difficult to obtain. Nursing faculty need to ensure technological challenges are addressed and that scenarios are realistic, and engage students through interactive collaboration. [J Nurs Educ. 2016;55(9):536-540.].