EP36 How to Lead Without a Title: Nurse Influencer Secrets - Michelle Lingner (ECU Health)
Beyond the Blueprint - Health Series
Release Date: 10/04/2025
EP44 - Beyond the Pilot: Scaling Ambient Listening at Sutter Health - Dr. Veena Jones and Stephanie Driscoll
Beyond the Blueprint - Health Series
In this episode, we’re joined by two leaders from Sutter Health who are scaling ambient listening across their enterprise: Dr. Veena (Goel) Jones, Chief Medical Informatics Officer, and Stephanie Driscoll, Vice President of Digital Implementation. In 2025 alone, Sutter onboarded more than 3,100 clinicians to ambient listening—moving well beyond pilot programs to true system-wide adoption. Together, they share what it takes to make that scale possible, from EHR integration and workflow redesign to governance, training, and change management. Key Takeaways Ambient listening only scales when...
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EP43 - Cybersecurity as Patient Safety: A 2026 CMIO Playbook - Dr. Christian Dameff, Steven Ramirez, Dr. Sean Kelly
Beyond the Blueprint - Health Series
In this episode we’re joined by Dr. Sean Kelly (Imprivata), Dr. Christian Dameff (UC San Diego Health), and Steven Ramirez (Renown Health) to explore a critical yet often misunderstood frontier: the intersection of cybersecurity and patient safety. Together, we unpack how clinical leaders can prepare for digital outages, ransomware attacks, and the escalating threat landscape—not as isolated IT events, but as high-stakes clinical disruptions. From real-time decision-making to cultural readiness, this conversation is a practical playbook for CMIOs navigating care delivery in an age...
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EP42 - Why RTLS Is Core Infrastructure in Healthcare - Todd Frantz, Ali Youssef, Paul Zieske
Beyond the Blueprint - Health Series
In this episode we’re joined by Todd Frantz (AdventHealth), Ali Youssef (Henry Ford Health), and Paul Zieske (Why Where Matters) to explore how next-gen real-time location systems are reshaping care delivery. Together, we dive into the evolution from dots-on-a-map asset tracking to intelligent platforms that drive staff safety, streamline workflows, and generate high-fidelity data for AI. From ED duress alerts to ambient analytics and digital wayfinding, this conversation is a roadmap for health leaders rethinking how hospitals move, sense, and respond in real time. Whether you’re...
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EP41 - From Mannequins to Metaverse: The Future of Nursing Simulation - Dr. William Scott Erdley (
Beyond the Blueprint - Health Series
What if the future of nurse training didn’t just include mannequins—but holograms, AI conversations, and full-on metaverse environments? In this episode of Beyond the Blueprint, we’re joined by Dr. William Scott Erdley, a retired simulation pioneer and former Director of Simulation & Clinical Skills Labs. With decades of experience in nursing education, Dr. Erdley unpacks the evolution of clinical simulation—from standardized patients and mannequin drills to immersive technologies like VR, AI, and even wetware. Together, we explore how simulation builds confidence, strengthens care...
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EP40 - AMDIS Roundtable - Why Hospital Pilots Fail and What It Takes to Actually Scale
Beyond the Blueprint - Health Series
What happens when pilots become more than experiments? In this AMDIS collaboration, Dr. Eve Cunningham (Cadence, formerly Providence), Kaitlyn Torrence (WellSpan, formerly MUSC), and Dr. Camille Bradley (Baylor Scott & White) reveal what separates failed pilots from scalable innovation. Drawing on real-world deployments of virtual care, ambient listening, and decision support tools, this episode dives deep into the operational, cultural, and clinical realities behind adoption. From rebranding “pilots” to building internal trust, the panel offers a blueprint for moving from spark to...
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EP39 - AMDIS Roundtable - Beyond the digital front door: Empowering Pediatric Families in the Digital Age
Beyond the Blueprint - Health Series
What happens beyond the digital front door? In this AMDIS collaboration, Dr. Yaa Kumah-Crystal, Dr. Natalie Pageler, and Dr. Sarah Rush unpack the complex realities of digital family engagement in pediatric care. From patient portals and teen privacy laws to ambient documentation and AI-enabled translation, this panel explores how hospitals can rebuild trust, reduce barriers, and design systems that truly work for families. Together, they examine cultural readiness, access equity, and why health systems must treat family engagement as both a design challenge and a clinical imperative. Key...
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EP38 Why AI in Healthcare Fails Without Nurses at the Table - Athena Fernandez, Jing Wang, Troy Seagondollar
Beyond the Blueprint - Health Series
In this episode we explore why so many AI initiatives in healthcare stall—and how nursing leaders can change that. Dr. Jing Wang (FSU Nursing), Athena Fernandez (Penn Medicine), and Troy Seagondollar (formerly Kaiser Permanente) reflect on the current AI landscape and what it takes to make tools truly work for nurses at the bedside. From sepsis prediction models to staffing automation, they share hard-won lessons in AI governance, change management, and clinical trust. Our panel dives into the growing gap between innovation and implementation—and how nurse-led strategies can help...
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EP37 Healthcare Communications: Bridging Technology & Care - John Elms (JH Elms & Company)
Beyond the Blueprint - Health Series
Join us for a conversation with healthcare communications veteran John Elms as he breaks down what it really takes to design digital systems that frontline clinicians will actually use. Drawing on decades of leadership at TigerConnect, Critical Alert, and Spectralink, Elms shares hard-won lessons on user-centered design, project governance, and the hidden costs of fragmented communication tools. We explore a real-world case study that improved patient transport efficiency by 55%, and dive into strategies for aligning IT, operations, and clinical teams around change that sticks. Whether you're...
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EP36 How to Lead Without a Title: Nurse Influencer Secrets - Michelle Lingner (ECU Health)
Beyond the Blueprint - Health Series
Join hosts Keith Washington and Kris Baird for a conversation with Michelle Lingner, FNP-C, RN-BSN, RNFA—a trauma nurse practitioner at ECU Health who's redefining what it means to lead without formal authority. Michelle shares how intentional mindset shifts transformed her from burned out to energized, and how that shift rippled through her entire team. Drawing on her experience in a 1,000-bed Level 1 trauma center, she reveals practical strategies for peer-to-peer influence, closing communication gaps that delay patient care, and choosing positivity even in high-pressure environments. Kris...
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EP35 Revolutionizing Patient Safety: A Deep Dive Into Wearable Technology - Patrick Baker, RN (Palarum)
Beyond the Blueprint - Health Series
Join us for a conversation with nurse executive and healthtech innovator Patrick Baker shares the story behind Palarum’s smart sock—an advanced wearable that’s dramatically reducing patient falls without adding to clinical workload. With insights shaped by decades on the frontlines, Baker walks us through how alarm fatigue, design thinking, and data transparency inspired a smarter approach to patient safety. We explore how real-time mobility tracking, clinical workflow integration, and human-centered innovation are shifting the paradigm in hospital care. Whether you're in nursing...
info_outlineJoin hosts Keith Washington and Kris Baird for a conversation with Michelle Lingner, FNP-C, RN-BSN, RNFA—a trauma nurse practitioner at ECU Health who's redefining what it means to lead without formal authority. Michelle shares how intentional mindset shifts transformed her from burned out to energized, and how that shift rippled through her entire team. Drawing on her experience in a 1,000-bed Level 1 trauma center, she reveals practical strategies for peer-to-peer influence, closing communication gaps that delay patient care, and choosing positivity even in high-pressure environments.
Kris Baird, nurse executive, author, and CEO of the Baird Group, guides the conversation with coaching insights on self-management, creating cultures of feedback, and knowing when toxic team members need to be coached up or moved out. Together, they explore how self-awareness, consistent micro-habits, and simple handoffs can shift culture from the bedside. Whether you're in nursing leadership, healthcare operations, or healthtech innovation, this conversation offers a blueprint for becoming an influencer in your organization—no title required.
Key Takeaways
- You don't need a formal leadership role to positively influence those around you
- Intentionally showing up with positivity takes less energy than being negative
- Leading yourself first gives others permission to do the same
- Simple communication handoffs can reduce patient care delays by hours
- Small acts of follow-up build your "influencer bank account"
- Positivity spreads through teams when practiced consistently as a routine
- Staying curious about what triggers negativity helps shift toxic dynamics
- Dead weight employees can be influencers too—just in the wrong direction
- Taking ownership and closing communication loops improves ED throughput
- Culture change starts with self-awareness and one repeated action
Episode Highlights
00:00 Introduction: Leading Without a Title
02:00 Michelle's Role at ECU Health's Level 1 Trauma Center
03:48 Who to Follow: Positivity, Problem-Solvers, and Bridge Builders
04:54 Managing Your Own Mindset: From Burnout to Intentional Leadership
06:48 The Power of Routine: Making Positivity a Practice
08:14 Staying Present in High-Stress Trauma Care
10:25 How One Person's Attitude Shifts an Entire Culture
13:16 Dealing with Toxic Team Members: When to Coach, When to Let Go
17:00 The Communication Gap That Delays Patient Care
20:14 Building Your Influencer Bank Account Through Small Acts
23:29 How Communication Impacts ED Throughput and Bed Availability
25:26 Closing Thoughts: Self-Awareness and Repeated Action
26:00 "When You Lead Yourself First, You Give Others Permission to Do the Same"
Guest: Michelle Lingner, FNP-C, RN-BSN, RNFA - ECU Health
Host: Keith Washington - Companions in Courage Foundation
Cohost: Kris Baird - Baird Group
Sponsored by: Simplifi Medical & Storage Systems Unlimited
Audio/Video: Tim Jones - Health Nuts Media
Marketing: Josh Troop - Troop-Creative
Learn More at: www.beyond-blueprint.com