Comparison

vSim for Nursing vs ICU Basics

Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.

Head to head
About

vSim for Nursing

Enhance your clinical judgment and confidence with realistic virtual patient scenarios. This app provides an interactive simulation learning experience with integrated curriculum resources and personalized feedback, preparing you for real-world nursing practice.

Highlights
  • Virtual patient scenarios
  • Interactive simulation
  • Personalized feedback
  • Integrated curriculum resources
  • Point-of-care content
  • Realistic communication practice
Read full description

Develop clinical judgment skills, competence, and confidence in nursing through vSim® for Nursing, co-developed by Wolters Kluwer and Laerdal Medical. Designed to simulate real nursing scenarios, vSim allows you to interact with patients in a safe realistic environment. Adaptive, interactive virtual simulations with integrated curriculum resources and personalized feedback provide a full simulation learning experience. vSim for Nursing offers: • Point-of-care content used in hospitals nationwide • An interactive, personalized simulation experience • Realistic communication, SBAR Hand-off • Improved clinical judgment skills • Real-world, evidence-based scenarios • Unique, personalized learning • Measurable success • Training support END USER LICENSE AGREEMENT VSIM MOBILE APPLICATION PLEASE READ THESE LICENSE TERMS CAREFULLY THIS APP IS TO BE USED ONLY IN CONJUNCTION WITH THE VSIM® FOR NURSING SIMULATION TRAINING PRODUCT MADE AVAILABLE BY WOLTERS KLUWER HEALTH, INC. (“WKH”) TO ITS CUSTOMERS AND END USERS THROUGH WKH’S PLATFORM KNOWN AS THEPOINT®. THIS APP IS ONLY INTENDED FOR USE BY USERS REGISTERED ON THEPOINT. AS A COMPONENT OF THE VSIM TRAINING PRODUCTS AND IS NOT INTENDED FOR ANY OTHER USE OR FOR ANY STANDALONE USE. DO NOT DOWNLOAD OR USE THIS APP IF YOU ARE NOT ALREADY REGISTERED AS A USER OF THE VSIM PRODUCT ON THEPOINT (HTTPS://THEPOINT.LWW.COM). BY DOWNLOADING AND USING THE APP YOU AGREE TO THESE TERMS AND THE ADDITIONAL TERMS STATED IN THE WKH END USER LICENSE AGREEMENT AVAILABLE HERE HTTPS://SSO.WKHPE.COM/TERMSANDCONDITIONS AND THE WKH WEBSITE PRIVACY & COOKIE NOTICE AVAILABLE HERE: HTTPS://THEPOINT.LWW.COM/PRIVACY, COLLECTIVELY KNOWN AS THE “TERMS”. IF YOU DO NOT AGREE TO THE TERMS DO NOT DOWNLOAD OR USE THE APP.

About

ICU Basics

Prepare for critical care and respiratory therapy certifications with exam-level questions and detailed rationales. Features mock exams, rhythm strips, and smart study modes for effective learning.

Highlights
  • Exam-level questions
  • Detailed rationales
  • Full-length mock exams
  • Rhythm strips and waveforms
  • Smart study modes
  • Clinical calculators
Features
Read full description

ICU Basics is the ultimate pocket companion and study guide for critical care nurses, respiratory therapists, nursing students, and healthcare professionals. Whether you're preparing for the CCRN, PCCN, CMC, CSC, or ACLS, the 2027 NBRC Respiratory Therapy Examination, or just want to sharpen your clinical knowledge on the floor, ICU Basics gives you exam-level questions and detailed rationales. NEW: RESPIRATORY THERAPY EXAM PREP Built to the NBRC content outline effective January 2027, the single exam that replaces the TMC and CSE for the CRT and RRT. More than 400 questions on patient data, devices and patient safety, interventions, and scenario-based clinical judgment for adult, pediatric and neonatal patients, with 160-question, 4-hour mock exams. FULL-LENGTH MOCK EXAMS Mock exams built to each exam's official test plan. • The real number of questions and time limit: 150 questions in 3 hours for the CCRN and PCCN, 90 in 2 hours for the CMC and CSC • Topic mix matched to the published percentages, with new questions every time • See answers after each question, or only at the end like test day • Skip, go back, flag questions, and review before you submit • Leave anytime and pick up where you left off; the timer pauses COMPREHENSIVE EXAM PREP • CCRN (Adult): Cardiovascular, Pulmonary, Endocrine, Neuro, Professional Caring, and more • PCCN: Cardiovascular, Respiratory, Endocrine/GI/Renal, Multisystem, and Professional Caring • CMC: Heart failure, ACS, electrophysiology, and patient management • CSC: Post-op hemodynamics, bypass complications, and recovery • ACLS: Megacode scenarios, rhythm recognition, and AHA algorithms • ICU Basics: 31 core topics, including ABGs, shock and vasopressors, sepsis, ventilators and ARDS, sedation, ECMO, IABP, Impella, and LVADs Questions that apply to more than one certification appear in every exam they fit. RHYTHM STRIPS AND WAVEFORMS Read the strip, not just the stem. Questions include rhythm strips and bedside waveforms drawn right in the app: sinus rhythms, atrial fibrillation and flutter, SVT, VT, torsades, heart blocks, paced rhythms, plus arterial line, CVP, PA catheter, IABP timing, capnography, and ventilator tracings. SMART STUDY MODES • Daily Review: Spaced repetition brings questions back right before you'd forget them • Second tries and follow-ups: a miss returns at the end, after a new question on the same idea • Trouble Questions: everything you've missed three or more times, in one drill • Question of the Day: A fresh, challenging question every day • Custom Quizzes: Choose your topics and question count • Timed Quizzes: Study against the clock • Missed Questions and Weakest Subject sessions built from your own answers • Daily Reminders: A nudge at the time you choose DETAILED RATIONALES We don't just tell you the right answer, we explain why. Every question includes a full rationale, plus an explanation of why each wrong answer is wrong. 60 CLINICAL CALCULATORS Hemodynamics, respiratory, renal and electrolytes, acid-base, drug calculations, and more, each with the formula and management notes. Save favorites for quick bedside access. TRACK YOUR PROGRESS • Daily streak, overall accuracy, and how much of the bank you've covered • Accuracy and coverage for every topic • Mock exam scores over time, and the reviews due each day this week • Your own notes on any question, and search across the whole bank • Backup to iCloud Drive or Files, and restore on a new device • A daily countdown to your exam date Start mastering critical care today with ICU Basics! ICU Basics is an independent study aid and is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or sponsored by AACN, the AACN Certification Corporation, the American Heart Association, or the National Board for Respiratory Care (NBRC). CCRN, PCCN, CMC, and CSC are exams of the AACN Certification Corporation; CRT and RRT are credentials of the NBRC. Content is for education and exam preparation only and is not medical advice.

Screenshots

ICU Basics4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is rating: ICU Basics at 4.6 against vSim for Nursing's 2.0. ICU Basics also leads on update cadence (weekly vs monthly). vSim for Nursing's advantage is iOS requirement (13.0 vs 16.4). On price, ratings volume, ads and in-app purchases there is nothing between them.

Scored on Price · Rating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings · Update frequency · Ads · In-app purchases · Monetization · Best chart rank · Devices · Requires iOS

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Both are free to download. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

ICU Basics holds the better App Store score, 4.6 against 2.0. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 10 and 5 respectively.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

vSim for Nursing ships an update monthly, ICU Basics weekly. The most recent releases landed on October 22, 2026 and October 29, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard3 real differences · 7 level
vSim for Nursing versus ICU Basics: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParametervSim for NursingICU Basics
PriceFreeFree
Rating2.0 (10 ratings)4.6 (5 ratings) — better
Positive reviews11.1% of reviews—
Number of ratings10 — better5
Update frequencyMonthlyWeekly — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationFreeFree
DevicesiPadiPhone, iPad — better
Requires iOS13.0 — better16.4
Further details — not scored
Size136 MB54 MB
Age rating17+17+
DeveloperLaerdal Medical ASALEXANDER STEPHEN GATELEY

Customer experience

vSim for Nursing

All ratings7 ratings
Positive28.6%
Neutral0.0%
Negative71.4%
Written reviews27 reviews
Positive11.1%
Neutral0.0%
Negative88.9%

ICU Basics

All ratings5 ratings
Positive80.0%
Neutral20.0%
Negative0.0%

In-app purchases

None

vSim for Nursing

No in-app purchases

None

ICU Basics

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is vSim for Nursing free?
vSim for Nursing is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is ICU Basics free?
ICU Basics is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, vSim for Nursing or ICU Basics?
ICU Basics is rated higher. vSim for Nursing averages 2.0 out of 5 from 10 ratings, while ICU Basics averages 4.6 from 5 ratings.
Do vSim for Nursing or ICU Basics have ads?
Neither vSim for Nursing nor ICU Basics shows ads.
Which is updated more often, vSim for Nursing or ICU Basics?
vSim for Nursing ships an update monthly, and ICU Basics weekly. Most recently, vSim for Nursing was updated on October 22, 2026 and ICU Basics on October 29, 2026.

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