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Becker’s Healthcare Podcast
Agility, innovation, and heart: How Phoebe Sumter is redefining nursing leadership
00:20:20
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- [00:00]
A
Hello everyone and welcome to the Becker's Healthcare Podcast. My name is Kathy Turner. I'm the Chief Nurse Executive at Meditech and I'm excited to welcome our guest, Dr. Kelsey Reed, Chief Nursing Officer and Chief Operating Officer at Phoebe Sumter Medical center in Georgia. Kelsey was recently recognized as one of the 2025 Becker's Women in Health it to know. Today we'll be talking with Kelsey about her dual role as as both CNO and coo and the benefits this brings to both nurses and her organization. We'll also discuss how Phoebe Health is using virtual nursing to improve retention and efficiency and the innovative steps her team is taking to support the next generation of nurses. Kelsey will also share her organization's plans for service line growth at a time when many organizations are cutting back. As a nurse and healthcare executive myself, I'm really looking forward to this conversation. Kelsey, thank you for joining us today.
- [00:59]
B
Thank you so much for having me. I'm happy to be here.
- [01:03]
A
To start, I want to talk a little bit about your dual role at Phoebe Sumter. And I know with the background as being Chief Nurse Officer and the different areas that you're responsible for, it does lend itself nicely to the COO role as well. What have you seen about that synergy between the two?
- [01:21]
B
Yeah, there is truly so much synergy. I believe that nursing leadership and operations, they're just naturally intertwined. Nursing touches every part of our patient's experience and then operations just make sure that we have the right systems and resources in place so that we can support that care at the bedside. So it's both the CNO and the circle coo. I see myself as a bridge. I'm able to bridge those worlds, ensuring that our operational priorities like throughput or staffing models and resource allocation are truly informed by the realities of what does really happen at the bedside. But what I also love about it is that it creates great collaboration between our clinical teams and our non clinical teams. So when we have nursing and environmental services and dietary and then even facilities all working towards the same goal, it could be improving patient flow or reducing length of stay or the patient experience. The results are incredible when that engagement occurs between those departments. So in my role I'm able to be there to ensure that collaboration happens. I will say that one example that stands out most recently is we were having some patient flow challenges in our emergency department and like every other emergency department in the country, we are closely monitoring our EC length of stay. So from a nursing standpoint, at the time it really felt like more of just a nursing staff issue, resource allocation issue. But then when we were able to bring everybody to the same table and look at it more from an operational lens, I was able to see that it was really more so a system wide issue. So transport, environmental services and dietary timing all play such an important part in that emergency room length of stay. So all of our team members were able to come to the same table, work together to streamline our processes, which helped us reduce delays, but also improve our staff satisfaction and patient satisfaction too. So in my opinion, that's one of the best parts about that dual role. I'm able to see those dots connect in real time and it allows me to better advocate for our clinical staff, but also challenge the system to support that care at the bedside, to make sure that my clinical voice helps drive those decisions that impact care delivery, just not reacting after those decisions are made. So that dual lens has absolutely shifted how I make decisions in my role.
- [03:49]
A
Yeah, I love that Kelsey and I know those early relationships at CNO makes a difference as you transition to really owning both sides of the house, if you will. Before you transitioned into this role, when you served as the director of patient care, you were a strong advocate for implementing new technologies there. Has this role allowed you to be a little bit more agile in identifying what those new technologies should be, either on a smaller scale or really expanding them house wide?
- [04:17]
B
Yes, absolutely. And honestly, that's one of my favorite things that I've enjoyed the most at being at Phoebe Sumter. Because we are a smaller facility, we have the ability to move quickly and pilot new ideas or new strategies. So coming from a larger facility, as you know, implementing new technology or a new process, it oftentimes requires a lot of time, a lot of coordination and many layers of approval. And I know for me, I'm a just do it person, if I see an opportunity, I want to fix it and I want to fix it it quickly. So at Phoebe Septer, we have that flexibility to be a little bit more agile. We're able to test, learn, adapt very quickly and in real time. One example, we're in the process of piloting some alternative wound care dressings, a new nurse call system we just started, a new multidisciplinary rounding workflow, a new sepsis surveillance system. So many, many new pallets in process. And because of our size, we're able to pilot these in a more controlled setting. So. And then we're also able to gather that real time feedback from our staff and make quick adjustments. And I believe that kind of Responsiveness builds excitement amongst the team. It allows us to have more frontline staff involved in that innovation process too. So it creates that buy in. So the impact is really twofold. We're able to pilot it here, strengthen our own processes at our facility, and then really be more of a proving ground for the broader health system. And then if it works well here, we can scale it once we have that data and that buy in. So I think it's a really good example of how a smaller hospital can drive that system wide improvement. When given the opportunity to do so.
- [06:00]
A
Your staff, especially your nurses, must really feel that, see that you're looking out for them and seeing where you can take advantage of this. One of the things you had referred to earlier was the resources. And you've done a lot in terms of recruitment and retention of nurses. I know you have a nurse residency program, you've rolled out virtual nursing. You provided mobility with expanse, point of care. Talk a little bit more about each of those efforts. Maybe start with the virtual nursing effort.
- [06:29]
B
Sure, I'll start with virtual nursing. I do believe every health system in the country, we've had to think about nurse recruitment and retention differently than we ever have before. We have to be very agile when it comes to the way we recruit. So for virtual nursing, launching our program was really about reimagining the care of how we provide that support for our bedside nursing teams. So our motivation simply came from listening to direct feedback from our frontline nursing staff. They've told us we want to spend more time providing direct patient care and less time doing that clerical, more administrative task, less time on documentation, completing admissions and discharges. But at the same time, we also found ourselves with many very experienced nurses who were ready to step away from the bedside. Or maybe they already had, but they still wanted to find a way to contribute. So our virtual nursing model became a way for us to bring those two needs together, to support our bedside needs, but also to keep our seasoned nurses engaged in the profession and to be able to support patients just in a different light. So we were very intentional about we're not replacing our bedside nurses. It's just an acceptance extension of the bedside nursing team. And as we shift responsibilities, so our virtual nurses have been able to assist with admissions and discharge documentation, provide patient education, and really do more transitional care tasks, while our bedside frontline nurses are able to focus on that hands on care and connection.
- [08:07]
A
Yeah, it makes such a difference. I've heard that the patients really appreciate that as well because they feel like they're getting that undivided attention then, whether it is the admission or the education or the nurse at the bedside. So that's a nice feature that you've added. And have you seen the retention change as a byproduct? Have you been able to retain those senior nurses that might have been that bedside was a lot and wanted to still care for patients, but in a different way?
- [08:36]
B
Yes, we absolutely have. The tenure of our virtual nurses averages around 30 years as our virtual nurses can just provide so much and advice and mentorship to new nurses as well. So not only are they able to be able to be involved in that care, plan for the patient and take care of their admission, take care of their discharge, really give them enhanced teaching that otherwise they would, the patients would not receive that same level of education, but they're also able to serve as a mentor for our new nurses. So we always encourage our virtual nurses when we bring a new nurse off of orientation, hey, we've got this nurse coming off of orientation. Make sure to provide that individual a little bit more oversight when it comes to their documentation. Do check ins with them, ask if there's anything needed so that we've got that real time mentorship available for those new nurses as well. And that's certainly well received.
- [09:35]
A
And I want to come back to the technology, but you're talking about your new nurses and I know you started a nurse residency program and how has that been received both by, you know, the new nurses as well as those mentors?
- [09:47]
B
Yes, we have a great nurse residency program here at Phoebe. It is a year long program that all of our new graduates go through. One thing that we do at the beginning of that program is our nurses go through what I refer to as a mini boot camp, a new nurse boot camp called instep. And so for the first six weeks of their orientation at Phoebe, it is spent in our simulation center. And so we are really investing the time and the energy and resources on making sure that they have the right skills before we transition them to that real world at the bedside where they are taking care of patients. And so I think that has paid dividends for us because we focused on the front end and making sure those skills are there. And then we've continued to encourage them throughout the year long residency program in addition to that. And so our nurse residents, they meet monthly, have a dedicated day together, and we have different workshops that they go through during that year. One that I especially love is a workshop focused just on documentation. And so in that I actually spend some time with them and I talk to them about what are the great things about the, the emr and then what are the things that we should maybe look at differently? Are there opportunities to decrease some redundancy in their workflow, to improve their workflow? Is there something on the status board that they would like to have or changes in the work list that they would like to have? And it's always enlightening because they have such fresh perspective and eyes on it that we can look at the same thing every single day and we might not see the opportun opportunity there. But because of their fresh perspective, they're able to give us that direct feedback and then we take it back to our team and we redesign the EMR accordingly if we feel like there's opportunity to do that. But then we're able to circle back to those new nurses and say, hey, because you spoke up and recommended this change, we've been able to follow through with it. And so it encourages them to keep recommending new ideas, new perspectives, because that's what it's all about. I'm a firm believer in shared decision making. Whatever happens at with our frontline staff, we want them to know that they have a voice that they can speak up and say if we should look at doing something differently. And so this is a great example of how we do that at Phoebe.
- [12:04]
A
Well, and you know, certainly the new nurses have kind of grown up with a phone in their hand.
- [12:08]
B
Yes.
- [12:09]
A
And I know you also rolled out the point of care documentation, so talk a little bit about, you know, how that became operational to those nurses. But also as you rolled out the virtual nursing, and now you've got nurses at the bedside really paying attention to those patients better without the distractions. So how did both of those things unfold and benefit kind of each side?
- [12:33]
B
Yes. So here at Phoebe, we have been able to roll out point of care devices for our bedside nursing teams. And I will tell you, when we started it, we did it as a way to improve our efforts and part of our hospital acquired pressure injury action plan. So we started by using those point of care devices to start taking photos on admissions of patients wounds so that we could stage and monitor that progression over time. And it's continued to play such an important part of those efforts. But the interesting thing is we started with that, with the intention to go back after a few months and teach our nurses how we can also use those point of care devices to help streamline their documentation workflow and improve their efficiency. And they were already finding ways to better use those point of care devices before we could even go back to them and provide that training. Nurses are just very innovative always. And and so that has truly enhanced our nurses workflow. So now our nurses do use the point of care devices to document that bedside care, communicate with the team right there at the bedside. And that allows them to have more time with the patients, less time with being frustrated with documentation and just a smoother workflow overall. But then also for our patients, it translates to more attention from their caregivers and just a better sense that their nurse is fully engaged and present. So I think that in and of itself, the implementation of our point of care devices is just a great example of how when technology is implemented thoughtfully, it definitely can improve both the caregiver and the patient experience and really make it more safer and efficient overall.
- [14:13]
A
Right. And I love that then that device doesn't come between the patient and the nurse. And with that real time documentation, have you seen that make a difference between your virtual nurses and the nurse in the bedside, making sure that they have that up to date information?
- [14:30]
B
Yes, absolutely. So the great thing is, you know, both, both our bedside nurses and our virtual nurses can be in the EMR at the exact same time. So our virtual nurses are able to see that updated information about the patient that they're assisting with care for very quickly and they're able to coordinate care because they have that real time information. So versus it being a look back, we're able to get that in real time and that makes a difference in the way that we're able to provide care for patients.
- [15:00]
A
One other thing that I noticed that you were doing was the community education with your team. And can you talk a little bit about that, that outreach into the community?
- [15:09]
B
Yes. That's so important and such an important piece of what we do here at Phoebe Sumter. So this year, as we were working on margin improvement projects and quality projects within each of our care teams, our emergency center nurses, they actually came to me and said, hey, we want to do some more community education. We see a need for it and how can we help? So we decided, and this is a staff led project, we decided to start a stop the bleed campaign. And so we worked first with our Sumter county school system transportation department and we've been able to train 65 school bus drivers that care for our most fragile population. The ones that they care for our children every day, taking them to and from school. And we've been able to prepare them that in the event of an emergency, how do they handle it? So we've been able to give them hands on preparation and training. And that was all done by our emergency department team members. So in the event of an emergency, they're well prepared to be able to take care of the children that they care for. That's just one example of many. We have many more plans in place to continue that community education. And I love that it's coming from a group of caregivers that they want to give back to their community. They see the need there and they're being very intentional in their efforts. And there is nothing that fills my cup more as a chief nursing officer than to see our frontline staff want to give back in such an important way.
- [16:40]
A
Sounds like a wonderful program. And. And I love that they came forward to you with.
- [16:44]
B
Right. That makes it better than anything else that it was their idea that they saw a need and then they planned it all themselves. They. They reached out to the transportation department. You know, oftentimes as leaders were the ones doing that work for them and then just providing the venue for it, but they handled it all on their own. So I'm super proud of them for it.
- [17:06]
A
Well, I think that speaks highly of you in terms of them knowing they could come to you with that and knowing that you would take that seriously and see how you could roll that out. So congratulations.
- [17:15]
B
Thank you. I appreciate that.
- [17:18]
A
So, looking ahead, what's your vision for nursing at Phoebe Sumpter in the next three to five years? And I know that's hard to say because things are changing so rapidly, but. But what do you. What do you foresee?
- [17:29]
B
Yeah, well, certainly things are changing rapidly and I feel like that vision could look differently every day a little bit. Right. But my vision is really centered on creating that environment where our staff do feel empowered, where they feel supported and heard. And I believe in shared decision making, as I spoke of earlier. But I want to create that shared decision making culture where our frontline team members can have a voice in shaping the way that we deliver care, but also speak to those operational improvement ideas too. At the same time, I will say we are so focused right now on driving measurable outcomes. So improving patient safety, improving quality, improving our stroke outcomes, our sepsis outcomes, and just overall experience strategically. Here at Phoebe Sumter, we are aiming to achieve a Level 3 trauma designation within the next year. We're working to expand our maternal service line, our robotics program, and also to grow our program so that Phoebe Sumpter continues to be recognized really statewide for making a meaningful impact in our rural healthcare setting. Ultimately, though, I do want our staff to trust, feel proud to work here. When our patients enter our facility, I want them to know quickly that they are in a special place. I want to create a feel that when they walk in, they know that they are going to receive exceptional care. But I also want our community to know how committed that we're continuing to grow, continuing to advance, to deliver exceptional care to them no matter where they're located. That's so important to me.
- [19:06]
A
Well, that is so encouraging. And you know, in an era where many organizations are cutting back on services, the fact that you're looking at really how to expand those into those, into the community is just wonderful. Thank you for that.
- [19:20]
B
Embark on a master plan here at Phoebe Sumter. So we are a 76 bed facility and within the next year we hope to grow up to 99 beds. And so right now we're looking strategically at what areas do we want to grow in? Is the need there more from an acute care standpoint? Are there specialties that we have an opportunity to add to set us apart within our region? So I'm excited to embark on that master plan growth that's, that's so important for our community and I look forward to being a part of that.
- [19:53]
A
That's fabulous. And thank you so much for your time today. That brings us to the end of our conversation with Dr. Kelsey Reed from Phoebe Sumpter Medical Center. Kelsey, it was a pleasure talking to you. And for everybody listening, thank you for joining us today. And Kelsey, thank you for sharing your insights and your passion which has truly come across with advancing nursing and healthcare. Thank you.
- [20:16]
B
Thank you so much for having me, Kathy. I appreciate.