Ochsner to adopt virtual preceptor model

Ochsner Health, a virtual nursing pioneer, plans to expand the role of virtual nurses by having them oversee nurse interns, reducing the supervisory burden on bedside RNs. AONL member Tiffany Murdock, DNP, RN, senior vice president chief nursing and clinical excellence officer, envisions an intern starting an IV and tapping a screen to permit a virtual nurse to watch. Under Murdock’s leadership, the New Orleans-based system has reduced readmissions since 2023 by 2% in units that have standardized how virtual nurses manage discharges. Murdock says requiring some virtual nurses to work in a centralized command center has lowered readmissions. To free up bedside nurses, she is exploring whether an artificial intelligence agent could ask intake questions, with a virtual nurse completing an assessment through ambient listening. (Becker’s Hospital Review article, 8/10/26)