Nursing Students Reported More Positive Emotions About Training During Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) After Using a Virtual Simulation Paired With an In-person Simulation

•Little is known about using virtual simulations (VS) as distance learning tools.•Nursing students’ emotions about VS are under-examined.•Weak-to-moderate and predominantly positive emotions from using a VS.•More positive emotions about program completion after blended learning with VS.•Positive emotions associated with nursing students’ performance.