WOODBRIDGE, Va. – Sentara Northern Virginia Medical Center has launched a new virtual nursing program that’s already changing how nurses care for patients—and how patients experience care.
The hospital’s Virtual Registered Nursing (VRN) Program allows experienced nurses to connect with patients through 50-inch screens in hospital rooms, handling admissions, discharges, and patient education remotely. The goal: give bedside nurses more time to focus on hands-on care, while still ensuring patients get one-on-one attention.
“The virtual nurse can come into the room through the web camera and the large televisions that we put up,” said Brooke Phelps, Director of Nursing and Patient Care Services. “They can really spend that time with [patients] one-on-one to develop those relationships and improve that patient experience.”
The program, already rolled out at other Sentara hospitals, began at the Woodbridge-based center on May 13. In less than a week, staff completed 55 virtual nurse sessions, saving over nine hours of time for bedside nurses.
Chief Nursing Officer Christy Grabus described the VRN sessions as surprisingly personal.
“The one word [a patient] said that was just amazing to me was… ‘This was so personable,’” said Grabus. “There was no interruption, and I really felt like I was the center of attention.”
The system also allows caregivers to participate remotely, a feature that could be especially helpful for families who live far from the hospital.
“We can arrange it so when we schedule your education sessions, we can have your daughter actually link in… she doesn’t even have to physically come in,” said Grabus.
During a Potomac Local News Podcast interview, Grabus and Phelps shared how the technology not only improves care but also helps recruit and retain nursing talent by offering less physically demanding roles for experienced nurses.
“This is a very physically demanding job,” said Grabus. “Think about being able to still work… even though you may not be physically capable to be out there in a hospital setting.”
Watch the full conversation in the embedded Potomac Local News Podcast episode to hear more about how this innovation is reshaping healthcare in Northern Virginia.
