Norfolk, Va.-based Sentara Health plans to implement virtual nursing at each of its 12 hospitals by the end of October 2025.
At the end of 2024, the health system launched a virtual nursing program at its flagship facility, Sentara Norfolk General Hospital. Efforts to expand the program started in January and, by the end of October, Sentara anticipates virtual nurses will be supporting nearly 1,800 medical-surgical and intermediate care beds systemwide.
"The virtual nurses perform all components of the admission and discharge processes, as well as patient education, that do not require a hands-on approach," Jaime Caroll, RN, vice president of clinical support services at Sentara, said in a Jan. 30 news release. "This frees up time for the bedside nurses to focus on the care that requires the physical presence and touch of a nurse."
The health system's virtual nursing team will work from a centralized location at Independence Medical Center campus in Virginia Beach, Va. Virtual nurses are required to have at least five years of nursing experience, though those on the team currently have an average tenure of 14 years.
Going forward, leaders anticipate virtual nurses will support bedside nurses with additional tasks, such as dual verification of medications and safety monitoring. Sentara said it chose a model after studying virtual nursing efforts at other hospitals, including Houston Methodist Hospital and Nashville, Tenn.-based Vanderbilt University Medical Center.
Many health systems have moved beyond the pilot phase and are actively scaling virtual nursing programs, though no single model has emerged as the industry standard. Some have opted for a centralized hub model, while others integrate virtual nurses directly into unit-based workflows. Despite structural differences, the overarching goal remains the same: alleviating bedside nurse workloads and enhancing patient care efficiency.