Virtual nursing program supports patients, nurses

March 19, 2025  By: Melinda Lavine

Paige Klein and Charisha McGowan

At first, Paige Klein was skeptical about utilizing Essentia Health's virtual nurse program.

"I was concerned it would be difficult to use, that it would take away from the nursing experience and ultimately add more to my workload," said Klein, a registered nurse in the Medical-Surgical unit at Essentia Health-Duluth.

But she was pleasantly surprised.

“Virtual nursing has definitely benefited me as a nurse,” she said. “It has freed up my time. Not needing to do discharge education or admission questions has allowed me to get a break in or spend some additional time with other patients.”

The virtual nursing model was developed at Essentia during the pandemic to provide support for bedside nurses and technology-supported remote care for patients. The pilot program kicked off in April 2023 and became official systemwide in January 2024. 

Essentia staffs six virtual nurses, which cover 22 units across Duluth, Superior, Detroit Lakes and Fargo. In its first year, the virtual nursing program saved nursing colleagues more than 2,100 hours at the bedside, and virtual nurses completed nearly 5,000 remote admissions and discharges. Essentia is always looking to the future and creating the building blocks needed to support further innovation.

Essentia Health East Market virtual nurses Charisha McGowan, Rikki Miller and Heather McDevitt

How it works

An optimal patient for virtual care is alert, oriented, able to hear and/or accompanied by a caregiver who meets these criteria. When a patient is identified for virtual admission or discharge, they’re set up with an iPad, the MyChart Bedside app and a virtual nurse. 

“We're often asked, ‘Is this a robot?’ ” said Charisha McGowan. “I am not a robot, so there’s always a little comedy when patients realize we’re real, we’re live, we’re humans and actually skilled nurses with experience.”

Since starting at Essentia in 2010, McGowan has worked across medical-surgical float pools, the emergency department and outpatient surgery before moving to virtual nursing, which allows her to continue giving “undivided attention” to patients. She aims to cultivate personal connections with patients as she would in-person.

During virtual patient discharges, McGowan reviews after-visit summaries, ensures follow-up appointments are scheduled and works with the pharmacy, when necessary. 

“By the end of our conversation, patients are surprised; they’re relieved and they appreciate how thorough we are,” she said.

Having worked at the bedside for 15-plus years, McGowan relishes caring for both patients and bedside nurses. 

“Maybe IV fluids need to be changed, or there’s a bed alarm going off in the hallway that the nurse needs to respond to, or another nurse needs assistance, or a bathroom break. In the virtual world, that doesn’t exist, so we can offer that support,” she said.

Magnet journey

Essentia Health’s virtual nursing program demonstrates two key pillars of the American Nurses Credentialing Center’s Magnet accreditation: 

  • Knowledge, Innovations, and Improvements: Magnet organizations are constantly striving for discovery and innovation.
  • Empirical Outcomes: Magnet organizations demonstrate excellence and inventiveness through results based on sound structure and processes.

Why Essentia?

McGowan has had a long-standing relationship with Essentia Health. The virtual nurse was born at St. Mary’s Medical Center in Duluth, as were her extended family members. She also grew up receiving care at the Essentia Health-West Duluth Clinic. 

“When I finally figured out what I wanted to be when I grew up, it was an easy transition for me to Essentia because of that familiarity and all of the great care,” she said.

A peak experience for McGowan came when her sister received a life-altering diagnosis.

“My experience being at her bedside is what drew me to nursing in the first place,” she said. “I was privileged to experience the quality care that my sister was given as a patient here and when it came down to where I wanted to practice my nursing career, there was no doubt it needed to be Essentia Health.”

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