Dean McMullen and Ascension: The Future of Nursing

On March 12, 2021, we hosted a conversation about the future of healthcare that featured leaders from The Catholic University of America and Ascension.

Patricia McMullen, dean of the Catholic University's Conway School of Nursing, talked in-depth with executives at Ascension: Karen Springer, executive vice president of performance optimization and nursing operations, and Amy Wilson, senior vice president of clinical operations.

They explored how the pandemic would affect the nursing profession, focusing specifically on the following:

• the changing role of nursing during the pandemic
• the impact of telehealth and other new technologies on the delivery of care
• management of staff resources to mitigate stress, prevent burnout, and build community
• implications for nursing education to meet the growing demand for highly-skilled and compassionate nursing professionals

Ascension is one of the leading and largest nonprofit Catholic health systems in the United States. As a national health ministry, it operates more than 2,600 sites of care, including 145 hospitals and more than 40 senior living facilities in 19 states and the District of Columbia.