At Phoebe Sumter Medical Center, Chief Nursing Officer and Chief Operating Officer Dr. Kelsey Reed is redefining nurse leadership by serving in a dual role and spearheading innovative strategies to attract, retain, and empower its valued nursing team. Dr. Reed recently joined MEDITECH Chief Nurse Executive Cathy Turner, RN, on a Becker’s Healthcare podcast to discuss how nurse leaders are evolving the profession.
Dr. Reed offers a unique perspective as one of a growing number of healthcare leaders serving in dual nursing and operational roles. She shares how this hybrid position enables her to align strategy with clinical insight and ensure that nurses have the visibility, resources, and support they need to deliver exceptional care.
“I believe that nursing leadership and operations are just naturally intertwined,” Dr. Reed said. “Nursing touches every part of our patients’ experience, and operations makes sure that we have the right systems and resources in place so that we can support that care at the bedside. As both CNO and COO, I see myself as a bridge between the two.”
Phoebe Sumter’s innovative approach to care includes a new multidisciplinary rounding workflow, a sepsis surveillance system, and many other projects. Dr. Reed shares how she has built staff support for these initiatives.
“Because of our size, we have been able to pilot these initiatives in a more controlled setting. We are also able to gather real-time feedback from our staff and make quick adjustments,” Dr. Reed said. “I believe that kind of responsiveness builds excitement amongst the team, and enables more frontline staff to be involved in the innovation process, which helps to create that buy-in.”
Leveraging MEDITECH Expanse has been key to many of these efforts. Phoebe’s deployment of Expanse’s Point of Care solution has brought mobility and efficiency to the forefront, giving nurses real-time access to critical information wherever they are.
“That translates to our patients getting more attention from caregivers and just a better sense that their nurses are fully engaged and present,” Dr. Reed said. “I think the implementation of our Point of Care devices is a great example of how, when technology is implemented thoughtfully, it definitely can improve the caregiver and patient experiences and make care safer and more efficient overall.”
Dr. Reed also shares insights into Phoebe Sumter’s innovative virtual nursing program, which was designed to improve recruitment and retention while enhancing patient care. She discusses how her team has defined the role of the virtual nurse, built trust among staff, and used technology to ensure smooth collaboration between virtual and bedside nurses.
Looking ahead, Dr. Reed envisions a sustainable and connected nursing workforce empowered by technology, collaboration, and leadership development.