Medical students’ acceptance of virtual reality for clinical competence development: a technology acceptance model study in Mauritius

Abstract

This study investigates the acceptance of Virtual Reality (VR) as an innovative tool for enhancing practical learning in medical education in Mauritius. Developing clinical competence requires hands‐on experience; however, students often lack confidence when transitioning from simulated training on dummies and mannequins to real patient interactions. VR‐based medical simulation offers immersive, repeatable, and risk-free environments that enable students to practice clinical procedures without compromising patient safety. Medical training in Mauritius is still done through traditional means and students often find themselves struggling to adapt to real life situations in hospitals whereby with the implementation of VR as training medium, their performance can improve. Guided by the Technology Acceptance Model (TAM), this research examines medical students’ perceived usefulness, perceived ease of use, and behavioural intention to adopt VR for skill acquisition. The actual use was not taken into consideration since the students were inexperienced in VR and had a single use of the immersive software for the experimental testing. A mixed‐methods approach was employed, involving 81 medical students from the University of Mauritius and Sir Seewoosagur Ramgoolam Medical College for a first phase and 11 more for a second phase. Participants engaged with VR headsets and simulation software before completing a structured questionnaire and participating in interviews. Quantitative data were analysed using SmartPLS, while qualitative data were thematically analysed in alignment with TAM constructs. Findings reveal a strong positive inclination toward VR adoption, with perceived usefulness emerging as a key determinant of behavioural intention. However, several implementation barriers were identified, including technological constraints, cost considerations. The study contributes to the growing body of educational technology research by demonstrating the potential of VR to bridge the gap between theoretical instruction and clinical practice, particularly in resource- constrained higher education contexts and demonstrate that VR has the potential to be successfully integrated as a learning medium.