Virtual Reality in Preclinical and Clinical Education—An Insight into Current Advancements and Future Perspectives

This review examines the current state of virtual reality (VR) applications in preclinical and clinical medical education, emphasizing their impact on teaching effectiveness and clinical competence. A structured literature analysis was conducted to evaluate VR-based educational strategies across key medical domains, including anatomy, biochemistry, histology, surgery, emergency medicine, neurology, pediatrics, psychiatry, radiology, and rehabilitation. The reviewed studies demonstrate that VR enhances procedural performance, improves knowledge retention, strengthens diagnostic accuracy, and supports the acquisition of non-technical skills such as communication and teamwork. VR applications were also shown to reduce patient anxiety and pain during clinical procedures and improve engagement in rehabilitation programs. Despite persisting challenges such as cost, accessibility, and technical limitations, current evidence supports the growing role of VR as an effective, scalable, and safe educational and clinical tool. This review highlights critical opportunities for integrating VR into medical curricula and outlines future research directions aimed at optimizing its implementation in healthcare education.