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TYLER, Texas (KLTV) - The first virtual nursing program in the region can be found at UT Health East Texas.

A team of 16 registered nurses serve as an extension of bedside nursing to enhance both the experience for the nurses on the floor as well as their patients.

“In essence, the patient has two clinical nurses that are overseeing their care and it’s another set of eyes, it’s just an extension of the bedside nurse,” said UT Health East Texas Chief Nursing Officer Lecia Bowman. “I think as a nursing leader all of us have a desire and a passion to make nursing better and to continue to make our profession grow - this is just the next step in that.”

The virtual nurses all have at least three years of bedside experience. Their main purpose is to streamline admission and discharge to give bedside nurses more time to be thorough with their in-person care.

“When they come to the floor instead of their bedside nurse standing there for 30 to 45 minutes, asking them all these questions, I come into the room virtually, you know and make sure they’re ok with talking to me just like on a Facetime call, and we just have a conversation,” said one of the 16 registered virtual nurses, Keshia Neal.

In addition to admission and discharge, the virtual nurses participate in routine monitoring and making virtual rounds to make sure patients are comfortable and have what they need.

“Virtual nursing has made such a huge impact on the bedside team, we’re giving time back to the bedside nurses, but we’re also making an impact on patients,” said Sandra Tovar, Director of Nursing for UT Health Tyler.

The program is in every network hospital except Carthage, Henderson and UT North in Tyler. It has been in development since fall of 2023.