What if the nursing shortage isn't a shortage at all? Terry McDonnell, DNP, RN, Chief Nursing Executive at Duke University Health System, argues that much of the problem is that we've made bedside work untenable. She explains the co-care model Duke built in response: inpatient nurses working two shifts at the bedside and one in a virtual care center each week, same patients, same team. Find out what happened the night three patients crashed at once.

Episode Chapter Guide:

00:39 Introduction to Dr. Terry McDonnell and her journey
02:15 From bond trader to healthcare leader
03:41 Personal stories of healthcare challenges and lessons learned
07:00 Impact of healthcare system transformation and innovation
08:11 The co-care model: integrating virtual and inpatient care
13:21 Preparing clinicians for digital and virtual care delivery
15:17 Details of the co-care model and technology integration
20:55 Patient and staff experiences with virtual care
22:58 Leadership in healthcare transformation and team engagement
26:29 The future of healthcare technology and nurse training
32:38 Advice for future healthcare leaders and the importance of curiosity

What if chaos isn't the problem to be solved?

Daniel Hudson, MSN, RN, SVP of Nursing Operations at Jefferson Health, built one of healthcare's most talked-about workforce innovations on a premise borrowed from quantum physics: chaos must be present for any system to evolve. He untangles VUCA — vision, understanding, clarity, agility — the nursing team deployed like a special operations unit, and why "red is good." Discover why 95% of your problems aren't your people.

Episode Chapters:

02:53 Daniel Hudson's Leadership Journey and Systems Thinking
07:58 Understanding VUCA and Chaos Theory in Healthcare
12:35 Applying VUCA: Volatility, Uncertainty, Complexity, Ambiguity
20:35 Building Adaptive and Flexible Healthcare Systems
27:37 The Role of Red Data in System Improvement
32:45 Leadership Culture: Red Is Good and Change Realization
39:33 Leadership Style: Curiosity, Courage, and System Ownership
43:23 Future Skills for Healthcare Leaders: Curiosity and Courage

Everyone can launch an improvement initiative. But it takes a very special leader to keep one alive.

Dr. Prerna Singh Kahlon went from a dental surgeon in India to leading quality, process improvement, and patient safety at Grady Health System—a safety-net hospital on a high-reliability journey since 2022. She explains why sustainment is the hardest part, how Grady let 150+ staff pick their own error prevention tools, and where AI stops being useful. Discover the real test of any improvement.

Episode Chapter Guide:
00:33 Introduction to Dr. Prerna Singh Kah and her journey
02:11 From dentistry in India to healthcare quality in the US
07:39 Understanding high reliability organizations
09:05 Partnering for safety at Grady Hospital
12:57 Training leaders and staff in error prevention tools
15:15 Sustaining improvement through accountability and measures
19:26 The role of AI in healthcare quality and safety
22:50 The importance of human relationships in quality improvement
24:18 Leadership qualities for complex healthcare environments
28:30 The most important skill for future success