The Challenge: Preparing Students for High-Stakes Conversations in Healthcare
As a global leader in academic publishing and information analytics for science, healthcare, and technology, Elsevier plays a key role in shaping how knowledge translates into practice. But in the clinical world, technical skill isn’t enough. Communication can make or break a patient experience.
To strengthen how students in healthcare training programs navigate sensitive conversations, Elsevier partnered with two institutions — Chippewa Valley Technical College in Wisconsin and Grand Valley State University in Michigan — to explore a new kind of learning: simulated, real-time communication practice.
The challenge? Help students develop the confidence and competence to tackle emotionally charged patient interactions, recognize nonverbal cues, and deliver care with clarity and empathy.
The Solution: Immersive VR Simulations That Bridge the Gap Between Classroom and Clinic
To meet these goals, Elsevier turned to Mursion to create a set of custom virtual reality scenarios aligned to each program’s learning objectives.
Each simulation was built with precision:
- Clearly defined goals tied to real clinical interactions — from delivering difficult news to reading body language in tense moments.
- Avatar-driven role play, where students engaged in live, unscripted conversations with a human-controlled patient simulation.
- Targeted feedback, helping students understand both what they did well and where they could improve.
The simulations created a safe environment for learners to make mistakes, build skills, and reflect before stepping into real clinical settings.
The Results: Confidence, Clarity, and Career-Ready Skills
Students responded overwhelmingly positively to the simulation experience:
- 93% found the simulations valuable or very valuable
- 90% rated the feedback as useful or very useful
- 88% said the experience directly helped prepare them for real-life clinical conversations
By making communication a core part of healthcare training, Elsevier helped students move from theory to practice, giving them a head start on delivering patient-centered care from day one.
See how immersive simulation can prepare your learners for the real world — one conversation at a time. Schedule your demo today.
