Telehealth Essentials for Advanced Practice Nursing

Patty Schweickert, DNP, FNP- C, is an experienced neuroradiology nurse practitioner at UVA and general faculty in the UVA School of Medicine, caring for neurovascular patients as a member of the neurovascular team for the past 20 years. Dr. Schweickert has a well- rounded foundation for telehealth practice and education, with over 32 years’ experience in a variety of nursing arenas, including critical care, emergency/trauma care, ambulatory care, family practice, neuroradiology, nursing education, and telehealth. She received her Bachelor of Science in Nursing from Wheeling Jesuit College, Master of Science in Critical Care Nursing from UVA, Post-Master’s Primary Care Family Nurse Practitioner Certification from UVA, and Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) from Old Dominion University (ODU). Her DNP project implemented the first patient- focused stroke tele-education program. Dr. Schweickert was student member of the American Telemedicine Association board of directors from 2010 to 2012 and was presented with the American Telemedicine Association Student Paper Award in 2011 for her work in tele-education.

Since graduating with her DNP in 2011, Dr. Schweickert has focused on educating nurses in telehealth practice as well as developing and participating in a variety of telehealth programs to address rural health care needs, including a 2015 Health Resources and Ser vices Administration (HRSA) grant award for a preceptor education program titled “Advanced Practice Nurse- Preceptor Link and Clinical Education (APN- PLACE),” and a 2016 HRSA grant award for a school telehealth program titled “Better Health Care for Kids, Parents, and Communities (eBACKPAC).” Dr. Schweickert was program director of APN- PLACE from 2015 to 2018.

Dr. Schweickert is clinical faculty at the UVA School of Nursing, where she teaches telehealth. She is contributing faculty at Walden University College of Health Sciences, teaching in the DNP program, and adjunct faculty at ODU College of Health Sciences, collaborating with colleagues to promote and teach telehealth nursing. As a member of the NONPF work group, which developed the position paper on educating nurse practitioners in telehealth, Dr. Schweickert disseminates support for telehealth nursing education. She is a founding member of the international telehealth Millennia2015 WeHealth Task Force. She lectures and mentors within UVA and has lectured locally, nationally, and internationally on telehealth nursing and neuroradiology nursing. She is a published researcher in nursing telehealth education, telehealth stroke education, neuroradiology, and a variety of nursing topics. Dr. Schweickert lives in rural Virginia with her husband, Louie Christopher Schweickert, and has 2 sons, Adam and Dylan.

Carolyn Rutledge, PhD, FNP- BC, is professor and Associate Chair of the School of Nursing at ODU. In addition to her academic role, Dr. Rutledge holds the position of professor of family medicine at Eastern Virginia Medical School, where she has maintained an active clinical practice as a family nurse practitioner for 32 years. She was instrumental in the development of C-TIER at ODU. Dr. Rutledge is a national speaker on telehealth and has published numerous articles and served as an investigator on over 25 grants that have focused on developing new models to provide care to rural and underserved populations. Since 2010, Dr. Rutledge has focused on improving the way health care is delivered in remote areas, using telehealth to enhance patient care and communication. She has advocated for the use of telehealth as a means for interprofessional collaboration and as a must when teaching students to work collaboratively at a distance. She was the lead author in developing the NONPF position paper on educating nurse practitioners in telehealth. Dr. Rutledge serves as a national consultant on telehealth training and is consulting with schools of nursing across the country on the development of a telehealth education toolkit. She serves on the board of the Virginia Telehealth Network, which works closely with the state legislature, broadband providers, and telehealth vendors to break down barriers to the use of telehealth. In 2014, Dr. Rutledge received the State Council of Higher Education for Virginia’s (SCHEV) Outstanding Faculty Award, the highest honor provided to faculty in the state of Virginia.

Dr. Rutledge lives in Virginia Beach with her husband, Jim Rutledge, her greatest supporter. She has 2 sons, Michael and Carson Rutledge.