Theresa McDonnell, DNP, RN, is a bit unusual when it comes to healthcare management. He is the main nurse at the Duke University Health System, one of the best academic health care systems in the USA, moreover, he remains a practicing oncological nurse. It brings this double perspective – the strategy of the conference room meets the reality of the bed – to all the decisions they make.
Most healthcare systems throughout the country react to burn out clinicians. But McDonnell tries to make changes proactively – directing groundbreaking employee initiatives and security. Her team introduces innovations led by Frontline, such as Safety training in the workplace based on virtual reality and staff tools powered by artificial intelligence, which already reduce the overtime nurses and improves retention.
It also helps in newly defined the relationship between academic and clinical practice, combining the medical school and Duke’s medical care system in a way that can lend a hand positively affect the training and preserve the next generation of nurses.
We talked to McDonnell to get a view of her approach to nursing, burning and automation.
Q: Talk about your strategy supporting the technology in Duke.
AND. Safety in the workplace is fundamental for everything we do in healthcare, but the way we train must evolve. We adopted the nurse’s approach to rethinking safety education using an addictive virtual reality.
The initiative was born at our peak innovation of a nurse, where the first line nurses identified gaps in time-honored training methods, especially when preparing for de -lens conflicts in real time. The result was the VR platform, which places clinicians in simulated high stress scenarios, allowing them to build self -confidence and muscle memory in a sheltered, repetitive environment.
What makes this strategy effective is only technology, but a deliberate design process. The training reflects real clinical challenges because they were developed by those who experience them every day. Over 5,000 hours of internship have already been completed and we saw measurable Reduction of reported incidents related to violence in the workplace. This training meant that our nurses felt more prepared, supported and controlled by their safety.
This VR training is part of the wider redefinition of professional development. We move from models based on compliance with experimental learning, focused on man. Regardless of whether we improve security or communication, we build capacity through effective and strengthening innovations. It strengthens that our nurses are not passive participants of the system – they are a catalyst for changes.
Q: Another innovation you conduct are staff tools, designed to reduce overtime nurse and improve retention. How do these tools work and what results do you see?
AND. Personnel tools powered by artificial intelligence transform the way of thinking about planning a workforce. Not only as a logistic challenge, but as a way to restore balance and justice in our teams. These tools exploit real -time data to forecast patient demand and recommend energetic staff corrections. More importantly, they provide nurses with greater predictability and control in everyday schedules, which directly supports retention and satisfaction with work.
Not only did we connect modern software and we hope for the best. From the very beginning, we introduced nurses to the design and testing process. Their input data shaped everything from interface usability to the way of captivating shift preferences. This approach to cooperation meant that we solved real problems, not just the digitization of the elderly ones.
The results speak for themselves. Since the implementation, we have reduced overtime by 23%, improved retention by 18%and strengthened the continuity of care by reducing the need for swimming at the last minute.
The most encouraging is to see how these tools strengthen our wider strategy of workforce. AI allows better insight into the support of making decisions. For a nurse leaders, this means more groundbreaking resource planning. For staff nurses, this means better quality of life. For patients, this means care teams that are present, rested and focused.
This is what wise innovation looks like when nurses lend a hand to pay the fee.
Q: You told me that your vision is rooted in compassion. Talk about how it affects your work in general, work with burnout and work with nurses and health.
AND. Compassion is a strategic imperative in healthcare. My leadership philosophy is rooted in the belief that compassion increases clarity. When we devote time to understanding the living experiences of our staff, not only what they do, but also what needs to be done, we create smarter systems and stronger results.
It is not about relieving discomfort for convenience; It is about designing care environments in which people feel seen, supported and equipped to perform the work to which they were called.
When discussing burnout, we often focus on what is missing: staff, time, support. But I discovered that trust was eroded. Trust that the system will meet clinicians halfway. We restore this trust, embedding compassion in our operations. This means listening without judgment, engaging staff in shaping used tools and creating work flows that respect their knowledge.
Regardless of whether this gives employees more control over their schedules, or removing unnecessary tasks of documentation, our approach is steadfast: how would it look with empathy and tracking of activities?
In health space, compassion means ensuring that technology adapts to man, not the other way around. Our staff actively shared tools with our teams, asking how something works and how they feel. The sympathetic approach to innovation ensures solutions soothes friction.
Will he sluggish down the time for significant patient interaction? Does it lend a hand clinicians to end the change of energy left for their families and themselves? This lens helps us to avoid moving engineering and maintains our groundbreaking efforts based on humanity. Ultimately, compassion connects technology with the goal and people with progress.
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