--- title: The Promise of Virtual Placements in Healthcare description: A scoping review published in JMIR Medical Education by Juliana Samson her team examines the post-pandemic literature on virtual simulated placements. image: https://blog.jmir.org/hubfs/00%20Marketing/Announcement%20Headers/Juliana%20Samson%20blog.png --- [![JMIR Publications logo](https://blog.jmir.org/hs-fs/hubfs/JMIR-Publications_logo_2020_original.png?width=550&height=109&name=JMIR-Publications_logo_2020_original.png "JMIR Publications logo")](http://www.jmirpublications.com) Open main menu Close main menu [Research News](https://blog.jmir.org/tag/research-news) # The Promise of Virtual Placements in Healthcare ![Reviewed by Kayleigh-Ann Clegg, PhD](https://blog.jmir.org/hs-fs/hubfs/Headshot.jpg?width=45&name=Headshot.jpg) [Reviewed by Kayleigh-Ann Clegg, PhD](https://blog.jmir.org/author/reviewed-by-kayleigh-ann-clegg-phd) Published Date: 23 July 2025 10:18 a.m. [Share this blog post on Twitter](https://twitter.com/intent/tweet?text=I+found+this+interesting+blog+post&url=https://blog.jmir.org/virtual-placements-real-results-promise-and-considerations-in-healthcare-education-research) [Share this blog post on Facebook](http://www.facebook.com/share.php?u=https://blog.jmir.org/virtual-placements-real-results-promise-and-considerations-in-healthcare-education-research) [Share this blog post on LinkedIn](http://www.linkedin.com/shareArticle?mini=true&url=https://blog.jmir.org/virtual-placements-real-results-promise-and-considerations-in-healthcare-education-research) ![A scoping review published in JMIR Medical Education by Juliana Samson her team examines the post-pandemic literature on virtual simulated placements. ](https://blog.jmir.org/hubfs/00%20Marketing/Announcement%20Headers/Juliana%20Samson%20blog.png) The landscape of healthcare education underwent a significant transformation in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, particularly when it came to students’ practice placements. These work-based training modules, where healthcare students immerse themselves in clinical duties under expert supervision, are not merely supplementary activities. They are the crucible in which theoretical knowledge acquired in university classrooms is forged into practical application and know-how, a vital bridge to becoming competent registered healthcare professionals. Completing a requisite number of hours in these placements is often a non-negotiable condition for licensure.     The Rise of Virtual Simulated Placements With the abrupt disruptions caused by the pandemic, the traditional model of in-person placements faced unprecedented challenges, necessitating innovative solutions. This urgent need gave rise to the development and widespread adoption of Virtual Simulated Placements (VSPs). These sophisticated, computer-based environments are designed to allow healthcare students to engage with simulated patient cases and clinical scenarios entirely online. They offer benefits over in-person training, such as more exposure and safer practice with clinical situations that are rarer or higher risk in typical settings. With their rapid proliferation over and since the COVID-19 pandemic, understanding the impact of these virtual alternatives became paramount for the educational community. Post-Pandemic Virtual Simulated Placements in Health Care Education This very critical area forms the core of a recent scoping review published in [*JMIR Medical Education*](https://mededu.jmir.org/) by Juliana Samson, a PhD student from [Coventry University's Research Center for Healthcare and Communities](https://www.coventry.ac.uk/research/areas-of-research/healthcare-research/), and her team. Their work, titled "[Virtual Simulated Placements in Health Care Education](https://mededu.jmir.org/2025/1/e58794)," examines the post-pandemic literature to document and understand the evidence base for this mode of training and inform future research directions. The review, which scrutinized 28 papers, revealed that all VSPs were initially conceived in direct response to pandemic restrictions, primarily benefiting students in medicine and nursing. While the research highlighted limitations such as a scarcity of publications from low and middle-income countries, limited stakeholder involvement in VSP design, and a general lack of robust research designs and consistent outcome measures, promising trends emerged. VSPs have shown encouraging potential in enhancing student experience, deepening knowledge acquisition, improving communication skills, and sharpening critical thinking abilities. This comprehensive mapping of VSP evidence across healthcare education identifies crucial gaps, particularly in allied health and midwifery research, and offers insightful recommendations for future investigation. To gain a deeper understanding of these findings, the methodology employed, and the profound implications for the future of healthcare education, we highly encourage you to [watch the full video](https://youtu.be/Qf3-wTM7Wew?feature=shared) with Juliana Samson or read the full article "[Virtual Simulated Placements in Health Care Education](https://mededu.jmir.org/2025/1/e58794/)" in [*JMIR Medical Education*](https://mededu.jmir.org/).   Subscribe Now ![Reviewed by Kayleigh-Ann Clegg, PhD](https://blog.jmir.org/hs-fs/hubfs/Headshot.jpg?width=150&name=Headshot.jpg) #### Reviewed by Kayleigh-Ann Clegg, PhD [Follow me on my website](https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Kayleigh-Ann-Clegg) [Follow me on LinkedIn](https://www.linkedin.com/in/kayleighclegg/) Scientific News Editor @ JMIR Publications with a diverse background in clinical psychology, academic research, and digital health program development. I'm passionate about knowledge translation and accessibility, as well as data- and values-driven innovation. My goal is to make vital scientific knowledge clear and accessible to everyone so that we can better our lives and the world around us. ### Leave a Comment ## Related Articles [![JMIR Publications Announces Expansion of Members Subscribed to Jisc Unlimited Open access Partnership, Empowering More UK Researchers](https://blog.jmir.org/hubfs/20250918%20Jisc%20expansion%20header%20(1).png)](https://blog.jmir.org/jmir-publications-announces-expansion-of-members-subscribed-to-jisc) [Open Access](https://blog.jmir.org/tag/open-access) [JMIR News](https://blog.jmir.org/tag/jmir-news) [Libraries](https://blog.jmir.org/tag/libraries) ### [JMIR Publications Announces Expansion of Members Subscribed to Jisc](https://blog.jmir.org/jmir-publications-announces-expansion-of-members-subscribed-to-jisc) (Toronto, September 18, 2025) [JMIR Publications](https://jmirpublications.com/), a leading open-access digital health research publisher, and [Jisc](https://www.jisc.ac.uk/), the United Kingdom's not-for-profit organization... 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[Michael Byer, Institutional Partnerships Lead](https://blog.jmir.org/author/michael-byer-institutional-partnerships-lead) [Read More](https://blog.jmir.org/jmir-publications-and-iowa-state-university-partner-for-unlimited-oa-publishing) #### About - Menu Item One - Menu Item Two - Menu Item Three #### Services - Menu Item One - Menu Item Two - Menu Item Three #### News - Menu Item One - Menu Item Two - Menu Item Three Follow us on Facebook Follow us on LinkedIn Follow us on Twitter Follow us on Instagram ```json { "@context" : "https://schema.org", "@type" : "BlogPosting", "author" : { "@type" : "Person", "name" : "Reviewed by Kayleigh-Ann Clegg, PhD", "url" : "https://blog.jmir.org/author/reviewed-by-kayleigh-ann-clegg-phd" }, "dateModified" : "2025-07-23T14:18:39.238Z", "datePublished" : "2025-07-23T14:18:39.000Z", "headline" : "The Promise of Virtual Placements in Healthcare", "image" : [ "https://blog.jmir.org/hubfs/00%20Marketing/Announcement%20Headers/Juliana%20Samson%20blog.png" ], "mainEntityOfPage" : { "@id" : "https://blog.jmir.org/virtual-placements-real-results-promise-and-considerations-in-healthcare-education-research", "@type" : "WebPage" }, "publisher" : { "@type" : "Organization", "logo" : { "@type" : "ImageObject", "url" : "https://blog.jmir.org/hubfs/JMIR-Publications_logo_2020_original.png" }, "name" : "JMIR Publications" } } ```