Elsevier launches Shadow Health Lab with Virtual Reality to transform clinical education for nursing students

Elsevier today announced its launch of Shadow Health Lab with Virtual Reality, a clinical simulation solution designed to help nursing students build confidence and clinical judgment through immersive, evidence-based learning.

The platform includes more than 165 evidence-based lab simulations designed to augment the high-fidelity simulation lab experience alongside 30 unique virtual reality patient encounters that can be used separately or together across the full nursing curriculum. These experiences expose learners to a wide range of conditions, situations and patient needs and can augment simulation lab training or help replace clinical hours. Each experience is supported by structured preparation, facilitation and debriefing tools to reinforce learning and promote critical thinking.

Shadow Health is Elsevier’s comprehensive solution for patient encounters, designed to help institutions prepare practice-ready students through a broad range of immersive learning experiences. With virtual simulations and the addition of lab and virtual reality, Shadow Health now offers a robust set of patient encounters across modalities, including a multi-patient scenario, giving educators flexible ways to help students strengthen clinical judgment, build decision-making skills and gain confidence in realistic scenarios. Additionally, the patented, AI-enabled Shadow Health Conversation Engine empowers students to have genuine conversations using their own words via natural language processing, helping create more realistic patient encounters and support communication and assessment skills.

As nursing students prepare to enter increasingly complex care environments, they need opportunities to build confidence and clinical judgment before stepping into practice. In Elsevier’s recently released Clinician of the Future 2026: Nurses Edition, 61% of nurses said they are seeing more patients than a year ago, while 71% of those who lack sufficient time for patient care pointed to high patient volumes as a key reason. Nurses also cited excessive administration (64%), a lack of support staff (56%) and increasing patient complexity (56%) as major pressures. These findings reinforce the need for training that helps nursing students practice prioritization, decision-making and efficient patient communication in realistic clinical scenarios.

Brent Gordon, President of Elsevier’s Global Healthcare Education said: “By combining immersive VR technology with evidence-based simulations, we are enabling students to practice critical skills and develop clinical judgment in immersive ways that were not previously possible. This is a powerful step forward in preparing practice-ready nurses and represents the evolution of clinical education.”

Built on Elsevier’s commitment to evidence-based education, Shadow Health Lab with Virtual Reality integrates seamlessly into nursing curricula, offering an intuitive experience for both students and educators. By combining immersive simulation with structured learning design, it enables programs to scale clinical training while maintaining educational rigor.

“Shadow Health Lab with Virtual Reality is a great tool for our students because it gives them a safe, realistic way to build confidence before they enter clinical practice,” said David Tanner, MSN, RN, CPN, Director of Nursing Programs at Guilford Technical Community College. “It helps bridge the gap between classroom learning and patient care by giving students more opportunities to strengthen clinical judgment, decision-making and communication skills in scenarios that reflect real-world nursing practice.”

Shadow Health Lab with Virtual Reality will debut at the International Association for Clinical and Simulation Learning (INACSL) conference being held in Oklahoma City, June 10-13, 2026. The platform is available to undergraduate nursing programs, with continued enhancements planned to expand simulation scenarios and learning capabilities. Learn more at https://www.elsevier.com/products/shadow-health-lab.opens in new tab/window

엘스비어 소개

엘스비어는 첨단 정보와 의사결정 지원 분야의 글로벌 선도 기업으로 100년 넘게 과학과 헬스케어의 발전을 지원하며 인류 진보에 기여해 왔습니다. 우리는 170개국 이상에서 학술 및 기업 연구 커뮤니티, 의사, 간호사, 미래의 의료 전문가와 교육자들을 지원합니다. 근거에 기반한 신뢰할 수 있는 과학·의학 콘텐츠와 최첨단 AI 기술을 결합해 중요한 통찰과 혁신적인 솔루션을 제공해, 의미있는 성과를 이루도록 돕고 있습니다. 또한 다양성과 지속 가능성을 제품과 기업 문화 전반에 내재화하며, 우리가 속한 커뮤니티와 협력합니다. 엘스비어 재단opens in new tab/window은 전 세계에서 연구와 보건 파트너십을 지원합니다.

엘스비어는 전문가 및 기업 고객에게 정보 기반의 분석과 의사결정 도구를 제공하는 글로벌 기업 RELXopens in new tab/window의 일원입니다. 자세한 내용은 www.elsevier.com에서 확인할 수 있으며, 소셜미디어 @elsevierconnect를 통해 최신 소식을 받아보실 수 있습니다.