Rady Children’s Hospital Orange County has expanded its virtual nursing program to its emergency and neuroscience units.
The hospital in November added virtual nurse coverage to the Julia and George Argyros Emergency Department and the neuroscience unit in the Bill Holmes Tower, according to a Nov. 20 news release. The move builds on a pilot program started in September 2024 in the multispecialty unit, which treats patients with medical, oncologic, hematologic and neurological conditions.
The program uses care.ai technology to conduct virtual nurse visits through a patient’s in-room television, paired with a camera and speaker. Virtual nurses, all experienced Rady Children’s nurses, handle tasks such as admissions, discharges and routine check-ins. They operate from private offices on-site after completing virtual system training and a three-hour in-person class, according to the release.
The hospital has trained 13 virtual nurses for the multispecialty unit, six for the emergency department and nine for the neuroscience unit.
Rady Children’s Hospital said the virtual nursing model is expected to continue growing, with further expansion planned for fiscal year 2027.
