New virtual nursing model at Providence raises concerns for some nursing staff [Video]

ANCHORAGE, Alaska (KTUU) – Providence Hospital will be switching from a primary nursing model to a team-based model starting on Tuesday, according to nurses at the medical facility.

Under the new system, Providence bedside nurses in one of the medical-surgical units and the Progress Care Unit (PCU) will be teamed up with a tech nurse and a virtual nurse to care for five patients.

Patients in medical-surgical are usually stable and do not require being in an intensive care unit, while PCU patients require an intermediate level of care between the Intensive Care Unit and the med-surg unit.

Currently, nurses in PCU care for four patients, while nurses in med-surg can see anywhere from one to five patients.

“The work actually decreases, because the work is redistributed across those three team members, and so the patient is receiving better care,” Providence Chief Nursing Officer Carrie Peluso said. “They’re actually getting …