TY  - JOUR
AU  - Samson, Juliana
AU  - Gilbey, Marc
AU  - Taylor, Natasha
AU  - Kneafsey, Rosie
PY  - 2025
DA  - 2025/6/10
TI  - Virtual Simulated Placements in Health Care Education: Scoping Review
JO  - JMIR Med Educ
SP  - e58794
VL  - 11
KW  - technology
KW  - students
KW  - learning
KW  - scoping review
KW  - simulation
KW  - healthcare education
KW  - virtual simulated placement
KW  - practice placement
KW  - clinical placement
AB  - Background: A virtual simulated placement (VSP) is a computer-based version of a practice placement. COVID-19 drove increased adoption of web-based technology in clinical education. Accordingly, the number of VSP publications increased from 2020. This review determines the scope of this literature to inform future research questions. Objective: This study aimed to assess the range and types of evidence related to VSPs across the health care professions. Methods: Studies that focussed on health care students participating in VSPs. Hybrid, augmented reality, and mixed reality placements were excluded. In total, 14 databases were searched, limited to English, and dated from January 1, 2020. Supplementary searches were employed, and an updated search was conducted on July 9, 2023. Themes were synthesized using the PAGER (patterns, advances, gaps, evidence for practice, and research recommendations) framework to highlight patterns, advances, gaps, evidence for practice, and research recommendations. Results: In total, 28 papers were reviewed. All VSPs were designed in response to pandemic restrictions. Students were primarily from medicine and nursing. Few publications were from low and middle-income countries. There was limited stakeholder involvement in the VSP designs and a lack of robust research designs, consistent outcome measures, conceptual underpinnings, and immersive technologies. Despite this, promising trends for student experience, knowledge, communication, and critical thinking skills using VSPs have emerged. Conclusions: This review maps the VSP evidence across health care education. Allied health and midwifery research require greater representation, and based on the highlighted gaps, other areas for future research are suggested. Trial Registration: OSF Registries osf.io/ay5gh; https://osf.io/ay5gh/ 
SN  - 2369-3762
UR  - https://mededu.jmir.org/2025/1/e58794
UR  - https://doi.org/10.2196/58794
DO  - 10.2196/58794
ID  - info:doi/10.2196/58794
ER  -