Caitlin Drouin, RN, who recently conducted a virtual nursing visit with a patient at L+M Hospital, said virtual nursing is rewarding for many reasons, including giving her colleagues more time for direct bedside care.
JoEllen Ruisi, RN, a medical-surgical nurse at L+M Hospital, admits she was “a bit skeptical” when she learned that “virtual” nurses using telehealth monitors in patient rooms would be handling admission and discharge duties for her patients.
However, after seeing how it works, “it made a huge difference in my workflow,” Ruisi said. “It really freed me up to provide more direct bedside care.”
Others across Yale New Haven Health agree. “Virtual nursing empowers nurses to provide efficient, personalized care,” said Emma Crouse, RN, Transplant unit (WP 9), Yale New Haven Hospital.
“It’s an extra layer to the care team that helps nurses, providers and the multidisciplinary team provide patient-centered, safe and timely care,” added Tina Neville, RN, also from WP 9.
Virtual nursing is part of a growing virtual care model across YNHHS that began more than a decade ago with programs such as Telestroke and TeleICU. Virtual care grew rapidly in the outpatient setting during the COVID-19 pandemic; it expanded to inpatient care as hospitals installed telemonitors to reduce caregivers’ COVID exposure and conserve vital personal protective equipment.
Today, with a national nursing shortage, telehealth hardware in patient rooms has opened a major opportunity for nurses.
Bridgeport Hospital has a thriving virtual nursing program that started with a pilot in 2023. A similar program is working well at L+M.
“Bridgeport reported great results with nurse retention, nursing engagement and patient satisfaction, so we were excited to be next,” said Shannon Christian, RN, chief nursing officer, L+M and Westerly hospitals. “I’m passionate about virtual nursing because our med-surg nurses are so busy. This gives those nurses some vital support.”
This year, Yale New Haven Hospital is expected to expand its pilot program to include 400 beds, and Greenwich Hospital will launch a program soon. Clinical leaders are also assessing future virtual needs at Westerly Hospital.
There are numerous advantages to virtual nursing, explained Leslie Hutchins, RN, chief nursing information officer, YNHHS. The virtual nurse partners with the bedside team to support patient admission and discharge. In some instances, the virtual nurse role has given nurses the opportunity to continue practicing and providing patient care without the physical demands at the bedside.
As for patients, “When they see the nurse on the monitor, they feel they have the undivided attention of that nurse,” Hutchins said.
Most virtual nurses also rotate back into clinical roles on units to keep their skills sharp and maintain trust and camaraderie with colleagues.
Caitlin Drouin, RN, a virtual nurse at L+M, explained why she loves the role. “I’ve had discharges that can take an hour, and to give an hour back to a bedside nurse is huge,” she said. “You can spend more time with the patients and their families, so hopefully we’re reducing length of stay and readmissions, too.”
She also noted she can tackle patients’ socio-economic issues, such food or housing insecurity. “I can find out what they really need and order a social work consult,” Drouin said. “I can connect patients with the people who can best support them. In that way, I believe we’re supporting our community as well.”
Andy Quito, RN, director, Patient Care Operations in Bridgeport, agreed. “Once our patients understand the concept, they love it,” he said. “We assure patients that we are not taking away bedside nurses but rather enhancing their care with virtual colleagues. It’s another layer of clinical support.”
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