Virtual pediatric nursing simulation Sigma grant funds feasibility study
Virtual registered nurses (ViRNs) help address the nursing shortage by easing the workload of inpatient nurses at a growing number of hospitals. With this in mind, Cizik School of Nursing at UTHealth Houston faculty aim to prepare students to work as part of intraprofessional teams made up of in-person and remote health care professionals.
Assistant Dean for Simulation Vuong Prieto, PhD, RN, CHSE, is principal investigator on “Virtual Pediatric Nursing Simulation: Feasibility and the Virtual Registered Nurses’ Experiences,” a study funded by the 2025 Sigma/Joan K. Stout, RN, Research Grant.
ViRNs often handle activities that don’t require hands-on care, such as admissions, discharges,and real-time quality and patient safety surveillance.
“Undergraduate nursing students need to gain exposure to the role of being a ViRN during high-fidelity simulations in non-ICU settings, especially as this type of nursing care model evolves in practice,” Prieto said.
The team will use the $3,633 grant to design and evaluate a simulation scenario involving an inpatient pediatric case. They will recruit 24 senior-level Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) students to participate during the Spring 2026 semester. Participants will take on the role of nurses working at the bedside and remotely with a high-fidelity pediatric manakin. The pairs will communicate via secure audio and video connections, and the simulations will be followed by focus group discussions to understand the students’ experiences.
Serving as co-investigators are Cizik School of Nursing Department of Undergraduate Studies faculty members Linda Sheen, PhD, APRN, FNP-BC, and Darlene Acorda, PhD, APRN, CPNP-PC, both assistant professors, and Brandi Virgin, MSN, RN, an instructor.
