Building Self-Efficacy in Dementia Care Through Immersive Education: A Mixed-Methods Randomized Control Trial

•Immersive virtual reality can be an effective teaching tool for nursing students.•Students who used virtual reality had higher levels of perceived self-efficacy.•Virtual reality should be integrated mindfully into nursing curricula.•As dementia rates rise nurses need specialty training to care for this population. Improving self-efficacy for nursing students to manage aggressive behaviours in clients with dementia supports better outcomes for clients. No studies have been conducted on the use of immersive virtual reality as a potential tool. A mixed-methods, randomized control trial explanatory design compared perceived self-efficacy for practical nursing students who used the CareGiVRTM virtual reality application with those who did not, using the Inventory of Geriatric Nursing Self-Efficacy (IGNSE) along with qualitative focus groups. Forty-six students (49%) participated in the quantitative component. Fifteen students elected to participate in the follow-up qualitative focus groups. Findings indicate participants who used the CareGiVRTM application reported statistically significant higher levels of perceived self-efficacy post-intervention and when compared with those in the control group following their clinical rotation. Four themes were identified: getting real-world experience, a safe place to practice, meeting the client where they are at, and a tool not a replacement. Immersive virtual reality can be an effective tool to increase perceived self-efficacy for managing aggressive behaviours in clients with dementia in practical nursing students.