The pandemic may have spotlighted nurses as unsung heroes, but it also led to a mass exodus of senior nursing staff, exacerbating the existing staffing shortage. To fill these gaps, providers are using virtual care and artificial intelligence to support bedside teams, reduce burnout and give veteran nurses a new way to continue the work they love.
In Springfield, Mo., the pandemic left CoxHealth in need of experienced nurses to mentor younger colleagues. With six hospitals and 80 clinics to support, Chief Nursing Information Officer Summer Blackerby and Administrative Director of Nursing Practice Gina Ellerbee saw virtual nursing as a promising solution.
In 2022, as CoxHealth was about to start its annual budget planning, Blackerby and Ellerbee seized the opportunity to begin a virtual nursing pilot as a proof of concept before requesting funding for a virtual care program. They launched the pilot on two acute care floors at Cox Medical Center South, later expanding to a third floor in a community hospital in Branson.
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