Friday Five – Emerging Trends Reshaping Virtual Nursing
This week’s Friday Five is brought to us by Collette Health, a provider of integrated virtual care solutions powered by human-centered AI. According to Dr. Christine Gall, DrPH, MS, BSN, RN, Chief Nursing Officer, virtual nursing continues to evolve rapidly across healthcare settings. Drawing from experiences across diverse hospital systems, here are 5 emerging trends reshaping virtual nursing implementation.
Measuring ROI Beyond FTE Reduction
Leading health systems are shifting their virtual nursing ROI conversations from simply redistributing limited nursing resources to comprehensive value creation as virtual nursing represents a substantial innovation in care delivery. The most successful programs demonstrate benefits in improved care quality, enhanced patient outcomes, and greater nursing retention through flexible work options. Organizations seeing the greatest success measure indicators like reduced readmissions, improved HCAHPS scores, and decreased nursing turnover alongside traditional efficiency metrics.
Flexible Infrastructure Solutions
Healthcare facilities are increasingly exploring a blend of virtual nursing hardware solutions, with a growing interest in permanently installed systems in patient rooms to augment mobile solutions. This architectural evolution addresses workflow disruptions while ensuring reliable connectivity. While portable cart-based solutions continue to offer valuable flexibility for certain settings and use cases, many organizations are incorporating wall or ceiling-mounted options as part of their “smart hospital room” strategy. The trend shows that organizations achieving the highest utilization rates are those that thoughtfully match hardware deployment to specific clinical environments and workflows rather than applying one-size-fits-all approaches.
Hybrid Nursing Models Gaining Traction
Innovative hybrid approaches combining bedside and virtual nursing staffing opportunities are emerging as particularly effective. Staff express great satisfaction with the flexibility that working a combination of virtual and traditional shifts enables. Leaders are experiencing that offering the hybrid and exclusively virtual staffing options are extending the tenure of their senior staff. These blended models are proving instrumental in addressing nurse burnout by providing scheduling flexibility and career path diversity. Organizations implementing hybrid models report not only improved retention metrics but also enhanced knowledge transfer as experienced nurses in virtual roles mentor less experienced bedside staff. Additionally, the hybrid approach serves as an effective strategy for facilities new to virtual nursing, allowing staff to gradually adapt to technological changes while maintaining clinical confidence.
Virtual Nursing as a Care Continuity Solution
Healthcare organizations are expanding virtual nursing across the full patient journey to create seamless care experiences. This approach leverages virtual nurses during critical transitions including admissions, transfers between units, educational interventions, and discharges. By maintaining consistent virtual nursing support throughout these transitions, organizations are reducing communication gaps, improving medication adherence, and enhancing patient understanding of care plans. Many facilities report that this continuity approach is particularly effective for complex patients and during staffing challenges when in-person resources must be strategically deployed. The result is a more cohesive care experience that bridges traditional workflow silos.
Customized Implementation Strategies Prevail
The virtual nursing landscape is validating that no single approach works universally. Leading healthcare organizations are designing implementation models tailored to their specific patient populations, physical layouts, and organizational cultures. Some facilities prioritize virtual admissions and discharges, while others focus on medication teaching or care coordination. This trend toward customization recognizes that virtual nursing success depends on aligning technology with each organization’s unique workflow challenges and strategic priorities rather than forcing standardized solutions.
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