CNO: CommonSpirit cut nurse turnover with virtual care model, residency program

CommonSpirit reduced first-year RN turnover for bedside units by 43% after implementing a virtually integrated care model and redesigning its nurse residency program, according to AONL member Kathleen Sanford, DBA, RN. Sanford, the Chicago-based system’s senior executive vice president and CNO, said new nurses feel more supported under the virtual care model, while enabling nurses burnt out by the physical demands of bedside work to remain in clinical practice. Experienced nurses remotely support admissions, discharges, medication reconciliation and real-time consultations with bedside staff, and they also mentor new nurses. In addition, CommonSpirit extended its residency program to a full year, gave nurses on any shift virtual access to more experienced nurses and brought in a career coach to discuss long-term career goals with new nurses. (Becker’s Hospital Review article, 9/3/26)