#20 - Erica DeBoer: Technology and the ongoing nursing shortage

In this episode, Erica DeBoer sits down for an in-depth conversation with Dr. Aaron Neinstein, chief medical officer at Notable. Among other things, the two discuss:

* The impact of automation on patient registration and clinical intake

* The role of AI in helping address challenges in nursing

* How the next generation of nurses view the profession

* And much more.

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Erica DeBoer, RN, MA, CCRN, CNL, serves as Sanford Health’s chief nursing officer. A member of the organization’s executive leadership team, DeBoer provides clinical expertise for Sanford Health’s work in quality, safety, research and care management. She also oversees the integration of clinical initiatives.

DeBoer has more than 20 years of experience as a front-line registered nurse, including roles in critical care, clinical leadership and education. She most recently served as Sanford Health’s senior executive director of nursing and clinical services and clinical informatics. DeBoer has also served as adjunct faculty for nursing programs at South Dakota State University and the University of Sioux Falls.

The Sanford Health nursing practice DeBoer oversees is the largest division of the enterprise workforce supporting patient and resident care, including nearly 9,000 nurses across the post-acute, ambulatory and inpatient settings. She believes nurses are a critical part of the fabric binding the many facets of health care work together to achieve safe, high-quality care that exceeds patient expectations.

DeBoer is particularly interested in the link between patient experience and employee experience, knowing that changes in one sphere often directly drive improvements in the other. She sponsors a variety of initiatives in both areas at Sanford, including the use of predictive analytics to inform care and plan workforce needs; leveraging technology to automate non-value-added work so teams can focus on patient care; reducing clinical variations in care; and improving health equity and reducing the barriers patients face in accessing care. DeBoer says nurses are an incredibly flexible, innovative resource in these efforts and are essential to meeting the needs of our patients and communities.

Active in several professional associations, DeBoer holds a bachelor’s degree in nursing from South Dakota State University and a master’s degree in nursing from Augustana University.

DeBoer resides in Lennox, South Dakota, with her husband, Shane, and their two children.

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Outline

Here are the timestamps for this episode.

(00:00) - Intro

(01:25) - Why is the nursing workforce shortage coming?

(02:22) - What are we doing about the nursing shortage?

(03:25) - How nursing will change in 2024 and beyond

(04:42) - Why technology is important but only when properly focused

(06:09) - Examples of ‘unlocks’ that have made nurses lives better

(07:45) - The impact of automating patient registration and clinical intake

(09:34) - As administrative burden is removed for frontline staff, where do they focus?

(10:49) - Sanford Health is the largest rural healthcare system in the United States

(12:16) - The role of AI in addressing challenges in nursing

(14:10) - How Sanford is addressing governance when it comes to AI

(15:20) - How do nurses view AI? Helpful or hurtful?

(20:41) - The critical importance of change management 

(23:10) - Sanford’s job architecture project and defining career pathways

(25:00) - Reimagining nursing and the role of regulation

(26:55) - What do the next generation of nurses want from the profession?

(29:01) - Nearly every nurse wants help removing or reducing this aspect of their job

(34:56) - End

Relevant links

* Erica DeBoer on LinkedIn

* Dr. Neinstein on LinkedIn and Twitter

* Notable on LinkedIn

* Notable Perspectives