*Purpose: 360⁰ degree Virtual Reality (VR) is a digital technology where learners are able to “look around” in an artificial world. The VR experience gives medical students the opportunity to be involved in activating experiences and to be engaged in actual clinical situations before entering these in real life. To our knowledge this technology has not yet been applied in teaching medical students on the topic of renal transplantation.

*Methods: Two 360⁰ VR videos of an actual kidney donation and transplantation procedure were recorded. Both the 360⁰ view of the operating room and the direct surgical view were incorporated in the VR environment. For both videos, audio voiceover recorded by the performing surgeon is available for more information on the surgical procedures. The videos can be viewed with VR goggles, but also on a computer or smartphone. The 360° VR videos can also be viewed online by participants of the Massive Open Online Course (MOOC) on Clinical Kidney, Pancreas an Islet Transplantation. Using pre- and post-video questions, medical knowledge on kidney transplantation of medical students and residents can be examined.

*Results: For medical students starting with their clerkships, the 360° VR videos gives them the opportunity to be engaged in actual clinical situations before entering these in real life. The assignments for these students focus on the interdisciplinary working environment and communication in the operation room. The medical students experienced the 360⁰ video as realistic and stated unanimously that they had a better idea of what actual participation in operative procedures would be like, and which role every professional has. This preparation was found to be superior to immediate exposure during internships. Students indicated VR is an inspiring addition to traditional course materials and helps them to feel better prepared for complex and dynamic environments such as the operating room. For surgical residents and worldwide learners within the MOOC, assignments focused on the transplant procedure. Learners in the MOOC actively participated in the online discussion fora of the assignments. Surgical residents indicated that the environment would be helpful in preparing for assisting in the operation room. Furthermore, pre- and post-video question forms gave insight in actual medical knowledge of the viewers.

*Conclusions: By using VR, students can be immersed in authentic (clinical) situations that are difficult to access in the real world or do not occur frequently. Virtual Reality can be successfully implemented in a worldwide MOOC and in different phases of the medical curriculum to teach both behavioral skills and content knowledge.

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