As we pause to recognize National Nurses Week, I’m reminded of a simple, yet profound comment from Katie Barr, SVP and Chief Nursing Informatics Officer for Advocate Health, made during a panel discussion at ViVE, “Nothing for us, without us.” It’s obvious that as healthcare IT professionals, we should of course place clinicians, our celebrated nurses, at the center of our provider experience solutions, but with so much of the conversation centered around the use of AI as either an extension of clinical reach or a replacement for clinical decisions, we need to hit the pause button and understand the nursing profession through the eyes of the approximately 6 million men and women working in the field.
According to the American Association of Colleges of Nursing, the median age of an RN is 46, and 43% of the nursing workforce is over the age of 50, while 13% are aged 65 or older. There will be no better time to harness the wisdom of these careerists who’ve seen the most seismic shift in patient care in their lifetime. Though most care settings use a digital or thermal thermometer, many nurses entering the profession would have taken their patient’s temperature with a mercury thermometer. They may have used water manometers to measure central venous pressure instead of digital manometers. They administered patient medication from handwritten medication cards (Kardex has been around since the late 19th century), handing pills out from trays. Predating electronic infusion pumps, nurses would have regulated IVs from glass bottles by counting drops per minute or using marked tape on the tubing to time flow.
And the paper. So. Much. Paper. All nursing notes and doctor’s orders were written by hand, on paper, save the few typewriters used for more formal requisitions. If the 21st Century Cures Act accelerated the development and implementation of electronic medical records and begat the last 10 years of digital transformation in healthcare, the way that AI has accelerated and transformed healthcare in the last 12 months is incomparable.
For every cool demo promoting a new AI technology, there is a nurse stooped uncomfortably over an ancient WOW cart, hoping the battery won’t die. For every AI start-up, flush with cash, there is an LPN/LVN making $24 an hour, volunteering for nights to get the shift differential. Hand-held mobile devices for clinical communication and collaboration work great for the younger eyes of digital natives, but I’ve yet to meet anyone over the age of 40 who hasn’t complained of the on/off/on/off of their reading glasses to successfully maneuver these devices in a clinical setting.
As leaders in the healthcare IT industry, let’s do better for our nurses by including them at the table in all technology evaluations, both big and small. Nursing is art and science. It’s care and passion. Nothing for them, without them.
Connection is a leader in the delivery of thoughtful solutions that address the most pressing needs of healthcare organizations: patient and provider experience, quality outcomes, cost containment, and equitable access to care. With over two decades of industry expertise, a Net Promoter Score of 82, and partnerships with more than 2,500 organizations, our commitment centers on those in healthcare who depend on IT the most—nurses. We prioritize amplifying their voices and ensuring their needs are met in every technological advancement and decision. If you want to learn more about how we can support the nurses in your healthcare environment through our IT solutions and services, engage our Healthcare Practice to get started.
Jennifer Johnson
Jennifer Johnson, Director Healthcare Strategy and Business Development, joined Connection in 2010 starting in field sales and joined the healthcare practice in 2015. Jennifer has more than 20 years in IT, including prior roles in distribution and manufacturing. Jennifer holds her Certified Digital Health Leader designation from the CHIME organization and is a member of HIMSS, where Connection is a diamond sponsor. Jen was named CRN Women of the Channel in 2023 and 2024 and holds certifications from NVIDIA (AI Advisor- Sales) and Dell Technologies (AI Champion- Partner Sales).
