Medical students’ learning experiences using a virtual patient simulator

Patient-centred learning has always been a fundamental element of medical education. Consequently, the use of virtual patient simulators has become increasingly common in medical education. The aim of this study was to generate new knowledge on the pedagogical value and impact of a virtual patient simulator, specifically in relation to students’ learning processes. The study was conducted in Finland at one university as part of an elective course offered to fourth- and fifth-year medical students (n = 25) between 2023–2025. The course focused on practising clinical reasoning by solving 10 virtual patient cases designed to simulate primary healthcare scenarios. The students received personalised feedback from the simulator. The students were then required to reflect on their reasoning processes. The patient cases were subsequently reviewed in joint face-to-face sessions. The data for this study consisted of students’ written reflections and written course feedback. The research methodology applied a qualitative, theory-guided, abductive thematic analysis. Targeted learning outcomes for licentiates of medicine, activity theory and expansive learning theory were used as the conceptual framework for examining virtual patient cases. The results indicate that virtual patient cases can effectively support medical students’ deep learning and clinical reasoning skills, as reflected in students’ written reflections. The findings suggest that the added value of virtual patient cases lies in their ability to integrate several key competence areas. From the perspective of expansive learning, virtual patient cases may challenge the traditional teacher-centered activity system by shifting the initiative for learning towards students’ own learning needs.