Virtual Game Simulation on Nursing Students' Physical Examination Skills

The project is unique in that it will use virtual game simulation, a new learning method, and it will address the physical examination skills of nursing students, an area that has not been researched before. In the project, a randomized controlled research design with a pretest-posttest control group will be used. The population will consist of 200 second-year students enrolled in the Physical Examination in Nursing course at Necmettin Erbakan University, Faculty of Nursing, Department of Nursing, in the 2024-2025 Fall Semester. 120 students from the population who meet the research inclusion criteria will be randomly assigned to control (n=60) and experimental (n=60) groups according to their general academic success score. In collecting data; Introductory characteristics form, skill checklist for physical examination of the heart, skill checklist for physical examination of the abdomen, skill checklist for physical examination of the respiratory system and an evaluation form for the effect of virtual game simulation on skill practice for physical examination will be used. In the project, three different virtual game simulations will be developed for physical examinations of the heart, abdomen and respiratory system. During the fall semester, theoretical and laboratory demonstration applications will be carried out by the project team. A pre-test will be administered to all students, and then virtual game simulations will be made available to students in the experimental group for three weeks. Then, the virtual games will be closed to the students and a post-test will be administered to the experimental and control group students. After the final test application, virtual game simulations will be made available to students in the control group. In pre- and post-test applications, students will practice physical examination skills on simulated patients at three different stations (heart, abdomen and respiratory system) and will be evaluated by the project team according to skill checklists. After the skill evaluations, the students in the experimental group will be given a form to evaluate the effect of the virtual game simulation for physical examination on skill practice and will be asked to fill it out.