Risk Never Sleeps Podcast: Episode #184

"Inside the Smart Room: How AI Is Transforming Nursing at the Bedside,"

Guest: Brittany Cyriacks, Clinical Informatics Program Director, UCHealth
Host: Ed Gaudet
Date: January 7, 2026

Episode Overview

This episode explores the rapidly evolving intersection of artificial intelligence (AI), nursing, and bedside care. Host Ed Gaudet speaks with Brittany Cyriacks, Clinical Informatics Program Director at UCHealth, about how new technologies—including ambient AI, computer vision, and virtual command centers—are revolutionizing both patient safety and the nursing experience. Cyriacks offers an insider’s perspective on the transformation happening inside the “smart room,” shares her professional journey, and gives practical advice for nurses considering careers in informatics.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

Brittany’s Role and Background

• UCHealth’s Virtual Health Center
  • Services 14 hospitals across Colorado and affiliates in Nebraska and Wyoming with a centralized “command center.”
  • Supports both inpatient (acute care) and outpatient programs.
• Bridging Operations and Technology
  • “I really get to be the interpreter between [operations] and then really getting to know the technology over the last seven years...I spend a lot of time almost in a consultant role, a lot of times between the clinicians and the tech side just to bridge that gap.” (01:41)
• Origins in Nursing
  • Started as a nurse in the pulmonary unit and spent 10 years in operations before moving into informatics.

Driving Patient Safety and EHR Standardization

• Single Instance of Epic EHR
  • “We are very fortunate that every hospital runs the same instance of Epic, which really makes our command center efficient and successful.” (02:58)
• Workflow Automation Challenges
  • Discussed integrating identity and access management with workflow and the challenges with medication scanners and authentication systems (e.g., tap and go cards).
  • “It can be challenging. It's a workflow. You're integrating identity and access management with workflow. And it's hard.” (03:24 — Ed Gaudet)

The Smart Room & Future of Nursing Workflows

• AI Empowering Nurses at the Bedside
  • “I’m really looking forward to that smart room of the future—what we can do with computer vision and ambient technology, and taking it a step further with maybe even some agentic AI to really be that agent for the nurse while they're in the room and just allow them to provide that care and use technology and design it to just really make it streamlined.” (04:22)
  • Described scenarios where AI prompts and even drafts communications for nurses, tracks pain management, and supports protocol adherence in real-time.
• Reducing Clinician Fatigue
  • “We’ve tried to build these checklists and EPIC and fire alerts to the nurses and we're fatiguing them and we're telling them stuff they already know…Why can't we tell them and do it for them?” (05:33)

The Promise of Patient-Centered AI Agents

• Patient as Active Participant
  • Envisioned agents that also advocate for patients, reminding clinicians (and patients) of allergies, recent drug reactions, and care preferences.
  • “You can imagine the patient having their own advocate as well, participating…So you've got the clinical side has agents and the patient advocate now has an agent…” (06:40 — Ed Gaudet)

Personal Story and Career Path

• Early Health Experience and Motivation
  • Diagnosed with type 1 diabetes at age 10, which led to frequent interactions with healthcare providers and shaped her desire to build rapport with patients.
  • “I can talk to a brick wall... It just lends itself nicely to making people feel comfortable at their most vulnerable.” (08:01)
• Transition to Informatics
  • Driven by success helping new nurses “understand and feel like they could achieve success” and by thriving in ambiguous, innovative environments.

Nursing Culture & Advice for Clinicians

• Empathy in Healthcare
  • “You gotta be in the weeds for sure with them, you know, and feel it... How can you empathize with people if you haven't actually done it, done the work or the pain or been through the challenges?” (10:48 — Ed and Brittany)
• Imposter Syndrome and Identity
  • “Now, I mean, you like in IT you have imposter syndrome kind of big time. Because everyone's like, you're not a real nurse. And I'm like, I'm a nurse's nurse…” (10:19)

Leadership & Innovation

• Advice for Younger Self and Leaders
  • “Just knowing, like, not to be the smartest person in the room. I like to remain relatable and I like to make sure people know they can challenge me. When you're in innovation, you really need to just make sure everybody feels like every idea is a good idea.” (12:01)
  • “That ego... check the ego at the door.” (12:55)
• Patient-First Philosophy
  • “It's not about me, it's about the patient. I think that's a great thing.” (13:03)

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On Informatics as a Career Risk:

  • "Getting into clinical informatics was a big risk ... There was a solid six months that I was like, yeah, if this doesn't get any better, I gotta go back to what I was doing. It was really hard. So that was a big risk, and I'm glad I took it." (13:45)

• On Teaching and Real-time Support:

  • “How can we teach them in the moment, provide them the resource in the moment and keep that quality of care for the patient? ... I’m really excited for these tools because, to be honest, we’ve tried to build these checklists and EPIC ... and we're fatiguing them watching the same alerts.” (05:33)

• On Staying Humble and Curious:

  • “If I don't know an answer, I'll go find it for you. But just really making sure, you know, you go to an interaction to learn something.” (12:38)

Timestamps for Key Segments

• 00:42 – Brittany’s introduction and hybrid role between clinical operations and informatics
• 02:32 – Evolution of UCHealth’s EHR and tech stack
• 03:42 – Standardizing tools and virtual nursing post-COVID
• 04:22 – The vision for smart rooms and agentic AI at the bedside
• 05:33 – Reducing EHR alert fatigue and streamlining clinician workflows
• 06:40 – Patient-centered AI advocacy
• 07:31 – Brittany’s personal motivation rooted in her experience with diabetes
• 08:36 – The importance of empathy and communication in healthcare
• 10:19 – Addressing imposter syndrome as a nurse-turned-informaticist
• 12:01 – Leadership lessons and fostering innovation
• 13:36 – Riskiest career decision: moving into informatics
• 20:03 – Off-topic: Family, sports, and fantasy football
• 24:08 – Advice for nurses aspiring to informatics or IT careers
• 25:42 – Value of on-the-job clinical experience prior to informatics roles

Advice for New Graduates & Nurses Interested in Informatics

• “Do the Work, Know the Work”
  • “You have to do the work and know what the work is like to do well in a position like mine. If you want to make nurses' lives easier, you have to live through it. And it can't just be one or two years right in the profession.” (24:11)
• Be Engaged and Use Your Voice
  • “Get involved in extra committees, make sure your voice is heard… We're not doing anything in a silo. We really do ask for the nurses to come to the table here when we're engaging in projects.” (24:33)
• Stay Curious and Advocate
  • “Stick with it, stay engaged, do the extra raising of your hand, use your voice, advocate for the profession.” (25:42)

Summary: Flow and Tone

This episode blends practical, forward-looking discussion on the infusion of AI into clinical workflows with personal reflection and humor. Brittany Cyriacks offers nuanced commentary in a relatable, down-to-earth tone, balancing technical vision with empathy for staff, patients, and the challenges of culture change in nursing. The friendly banter and real-world anecdotes keep the conversation both engaging and instructive for listeners in healthcare and beyond.