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HCA Healthcare Nursing Research Day 2025: How nurses are shaping the future of care
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By Dr. Sammie Mosier, Senior Vice President and Chief Nurse Executive, HCA Healthcare
At HCA Healthcare, we believe that nurses are not only caregivers – they are advocates, innovators, leaders and changemakers. This year, we took a bold step forward in advancing nursing research by hosting HCA Healthcare’s inaugural Nursing Research Day, a collaborative event with Galen College of Nursing that united nurses, students and faculty to highlight how inquiry and innovation are transforming care delivery.
Held during National Nurses Week in May 2025, Nursing Research Day brought together more than 700 HCA Healthcare nurses, Galen nursing students and faculty from across the country, showcasing 8 research projects that are driving evidence-based care across HCA Healthcare.
As HCA Healthcare’s Chief Nurse Executive, I regularly hear from patients, physicians and other caregivers about the extraordinary care our nurses provide. These stories reflect a culture of compassion and excellence – a hunger to learn, to improve and to lead.
With 100,000 nurses across HCA Healthcare’s 190 hospitals and 2,400 sites of care, we have a unique opportunity – and responsibility – to lead the future of healthcare through nurse research. HCA Healthcare nurses are already shaping care delivery through data-informed practice, and Nursing Research Day provided a platform to amplify that work, foster collaboration and accelerate innovation.
For over two decades, HCA Healthcare has been a pioneer in evidence-based practice in nursing – leading to improvements in patient outcomes and changes in practice including medication bar-code scanning, patient fall reporting and scheduling guidelines. Two years ago, my leadership team and I began asking: what if we created a space where nurses could share their research, challenge assumptions and build a community of scholarly excellence?
Fast forward to 2024, the “HCA Healthcare Journal of Medicine: Volume 5, Issue 5 Nursing-Sensitive Indicators” was published, marking a turning point – a recognition that nurse-led research is not a “nice to have,” but a strategic imperative. That momentum carried into 2025, culminating in our very first Nursing Research Day, a clear demonstration of how nurses are driving meaningful change in care delivery.
Elevating nurse research is pivotal to our Nurse Forward strategy, which places nurses at the heart of care transformation. By investing in research, we’re not only empowering nurses to lead – we’re shaping the future of healthcare.
The following projects offer a snapshot of the nurse-led research presented during HCA Healthcare’s inaugural Nursing Research Day – each one illustrating measurable improvements in care delivery and patient outcomes.
Nurse-led Research: Urinary Catheter Replacement
Project: Does urinary catheter replacement prior to obtaining urine for culture make a difference?
Led by by: Julia Moody MS, Jackie Blanchard MSN, Keetha Kratzer MSN, Laura McLean Med, and Kenneth Sands MD MPH
The challenge: For many patients with indwelling urinary catheters (UCs), pain and discomfort are common, yet unfortunate, side effects. There has been an ongoing debate in healthcare centered around whether catheters should be routinely replaced before obtaining a urine culture. Over time, UCs develop layers of microorganisms – a biofilm – that grow over time, raising concerns that could potentially lead to false positive lab results when testing for infections.
What was tested: After analyzing thousands of urine culture results from more than 150 acute care hospitals, Nursing and Infection Prevention leaders at HCA Healthcare found no significant difference in test outcomes or infection rates when catheters were changed at or after the three-day mark.
What nurse researchers are seeing: The results of these findings suggest that in these cases, routine catheter replacement may not be necessary.
Why it matters to nurses: UC change without benefit may generate complications as well as administrative burden.
What’s next: The data collected from this research informed the adoption of a new practice that reduces patient discomfort, minimizes potential complications and enhances overall patient experiences. This nurse-led research project will be featured at the 2025 American Nurses Association conference in October 2025.
“It is rewarding to be able to use our own data to answer questions and make change to reduce patient harm.”
Julia Moody, primary study author and AVP of Infection Prevention Research and Field Support
Nurse-led Research: Retaining Patient Care Technicians (PCTs) at The Bedside
Project: Hanging on to Support Staff – A Model for Retention
Led by: Nicki Roderman, DNP, RN, CCRN and Shandlie Wilcox, MS
The challenge: Following the COVID-19 pandemic, turnover among patient care technicians (PCTs) reached an all-time high of 68.7% in 2022. The objective of this research was to develop and implement a structured program aimed at improving the recruitment, retention and job satisfaction of Patient Care Technicians (PCTs), recognizing their essential role in supporting nursing staff and enhancing patient care.
What was tested: Monthly turnover data reviews were conducted with chief nursing officer and nursing directors to monitor staffing trends. Nurse managers also initiated and led the Patient Care Technician (PCT) council, which offered monthly educational sessions and projects to support overall staff development. In addition, ongoing colleague recognition and structured peer interview and onboarding processes were established.
What nurse researchers are seeing: The results of these findings contributed to a 41% decrease in PCT turnover from July 2022 to July 2024, and 8% year-over-year reduction in role vacancies as well as a 5% improvement in engagement.
Why it matters to nurses: Interdisciplinary team (Chief Nursing Office, Nurse Leaders, Human Resources, Staff) used proven strategies and findings from this research to more effectively recruit and onboard, improve overall job satisfaction, increase colleague recognition and build sustainable retention.
What’s next: The results of this research significantly improved outcomes and fostered an environment of empowerment among colleagues. In addition, HCA Healthcare increased retention rates, supported the achievement of organizational goals and continued to improve nurse satisfaction.
Nurse Student-Led Research
As part of HCA Healthcare, Galen College of Nursing offers students and faculty meaningful opportunities to engage in nursing research. With nearly 18,000 students enrolled in 24 campuses and online nursing education provided across 49 states, Galen is exposing future and current nurses to research early in their education and connecting classroom learning to real-world practice.
“The HCA Healthcare and Galen partnership allows us to build a new model of nursing education,” said Dr. Tracy Ortelli, president and chief academic officer of Galen College of Nursing during Nursing Research Day. “It’s not just collaboration – it’s integration. We’re preparing current and future nurses to positively impact the care delivered to patients across the country.”
At Nursing Research Day, Galen students presented projects focused on improving care environments and clinical outcomes, including:
- Equipping Nurse Preceptors
- Improving Employee Engagement in a Med-Surg Department
- Decreasing Blood Culture Contamination in the ICU
Galen College of Nursing has also embraced data-driven innovation using the Jane Assessment, an AI assisted examination named after Jane Englebright, Galen College of Nursing’s chair of the board and former chief nurse executive and senior vice president of HCA Healthcare. Originally designed for practicing nurses, this assessment is now given to students in their final terms to benchmark their readiness against licensed professionals. More importantly, the data is being used to create personalized learning pathways, allowing students to identify and strengthen areas of weakness before entering the workforce – making the data not just theoretical, but immediately actionable.
“The use of the Jane Assessment is incredibly valuable for us. We’re not just hoping students have retained what they’ve learned, we can actually show them how they are growing into competent, confident and compassionate nurses ready to practice at the top of their license.”
Dr. Tracy Ortelli, president and chief academic officer of Galen College of Nursing
Looking ahead at nursing excellence and research
Nursing Research Day is only the beginning. The projects presented reflect how nurse-led research is already advancing patient safety protocols, improving retention and reimagining education – but the real impact lies ahead.
As Jackie Blanchard, vice president, nursing excellence and infection prevention at HCA Healthcare reminds us:
“This is an important moment for nurse-led research that deepens our understanding of the impact we have – not just on patient care, but on our workforce. By elevating what we know as nurses, we bring our insights to the forefront and ensure we help guide research that transforms healthcare.”
Jackie Blanchard, vice president, nursing excellence and infection prevention at HCA Healthcare
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About HCA Healthcare
HCA Healthcare, one of the nation's leading providers of healthcare services, is comprised of 190 hospitals and more than 2,400 ambulatory sites of care, in 20 states and the United Kingdom. Our more than 300,000 colleagues are connected by a single purpose — to give patients healthier tomorrows.
As an enterprise, we recognize the significant responsibility we have as a leading healthcare provider within each of the communities we serve, as well as the opportunity we have to improve the lives of the patients for whom we are entrusted to care. Through the compassion, knowledge and skill of our caregivers, and our ability to leverage our scale and innovative capabilities, HCA Healthcare is in a unique position to play a leading role in the transformation of care.
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