Executive Insights: Navigating Workforce Challenges by Maximizing Nurse Potential

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Healthcare is entering an exciting era, where innovation and collaboration are redefining how staffing challenges are approached and care is delivered. In an episode of Staffing Unplugged, Patti Artley, Chief Clinical Officer and Chief Nursing Officer at Medical Solutions, discusses strategies that enable facilities to maximize clinician efficiency while enhancing patient care—helping clinicians achieve their fullest potential.

The Current State of Healthcare Staffing

Today in healthcare, post-COVID, organizations are blending time-tested practices with modern innovations. Patti describes this moment as “a state of flux,” where many organizations revisit older care models while embracing modern tools like AI and virtual nursing.

We’re just scratching the surface of virtual nursing,” Patti explains. By handling responsibilities like admissions, discharges, and patient education remotely, virtual nurses free up bedside staff to devote more time to patient care.

It’s about creating a new way for nurses to practice, one that enhances efficiency and truly supports clinicians at the bedside,” Patti says. With virtual nursing still in its early stages, the potential for broader adoption and deeper integration into healthcare systems is immense.

Investing in Technology to Support Clinicians

Technology is playing a key role in addressing clinician burnout, a challenge that continues to result in costly turnover, ranging anywhere from $16,736 to $56,300 per clinician. Patti points to AI-powered systems like early warning tools, which analyze patient data and provide actionable alerts. “These AI models allow us to alert the nurse or clinician so they can make the right decisions,” she says. By streamlining how clinicians navigate electronic medical records and synthesize complex data, these tools save time and reduce stress.

At the same time, investing in technology isn’t without challenges. According to Patti, healthcare organizations are still working to find the right balance between upgrading tools and maintaining competitive salaries and benefits. “Facilities are figuring out how to invest in tools that reduce clinician frustration while ensuring financial sustainability,” Patti explains.

Top-of-License Utilization: Unlocking Potential

One of the most effective strategies in tackling clinician burnout is through top-of-license utilization, an approach that helps ensure every clinician is able to focus on what they’re best trained to do, delegating other tasks to team members whose roles are better suited for those responsibilities. Patti explains how team-based care models—integrating RNs, LPNs, and patient care technicians—help to create a more balanced and efficient workload. “This is part of why nurses are burned out—doing tasks that others could handle takes time away from their core responsibilities,” Patti emphasizes.

Virtual nursing is a vital tool in this shift. It allows remote nurses to take on duties like assessments, education, and care planning, easing the pressure on bedside staff. “By removing some responsibilities from bedside nurses, they can provide better care and have a more manageable workload,” she adds, leading to better outcomes for both clinicians and patients.

Creative Solutions to Staffing Challenges

To tackle workforce issues, Patti says healthcare facilities are turning to innovative solutions like remote patient monitoring and robotics. These tools are not just futuristic concepts—they’re an upward trend that’s already making a tangible impact. Handfuls of hospitals today use robots to help deliver medications, transport linens, restock supplies, disinfect rooms, and more. These tools are already easing the burden on clinical staff, freeing them up to focus on patient care.

Adopting new technology is a step toward the future, but it is only part of the equation. Patti also emphasizes the importance of engaging staff in these changes. “The best solutions come from understanding the challenges your teams face and involving them in creating strategies,” she says. Listening to frontline workers ensures new systems are practical, effective, and genuinely helpful in addressing real frustrations.

Artificial intelligence is one way healthcare facilities can improve how they listen to clinicians. By analyzing feedback data and identifying key themes, AI makes it easier to pinpoint actionable insights and make informed choices to strengthen hospital culture. Most hospitals currently struggle with this, finding it cumbersome and time-consuming to sift through feedback, often leading to valuable comments being overlooked. At Medical Solutions, Patti Artley’s team focuses on helping clients adopt these best practices to better engage their workforce and achieve meaningful improvements.

A Bright Future for Nursing

Despite the hurdles, Patti remains optimistic about where nursing is headed. She sees this as a pivotal opportunity to rethink care delivery and embrace innovation. “This is an exciting time to be a nurse leader,” she says. “Technology is advancing rapidly, and we have an opportunity to learn from other industries and try new approaches.

She acknowledges that while some changes may feel daunting, they pave the way for meaningful improvements. “This is our chance to create better pathways for clinicians and patients alike.

You can watch the full Staffing Unplugged episode here, or visit the Medical Solutions website for more industry insights and expert discussions on healthcare staffing.

Tara Drosset is a Tara Drosset is a healthcare staffing content specialist based in Northern Washington. She enjoys writing articles that dissect industry challenges and trends, inspire and uplift, and help healthcare leaders and clinicians navigate the forces shaping healthcare today.