VirtuAlly Among First in Nation to Deliver Specialized Virtual Nursing in Neonatal Intensive Care Setting
Partnership with MUSC brings virtual nursing to South Carolina’s highest-acuity NICU.
CHARLESTON, S.C., Feb. 10, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- VirtuAlly, a national leader in virtual nursing (VRN) and clinical support services, is expanding its specialty care model to a new and highly complex patient population: critically ill and premature newborns. Beginning in January, VirtuAlly’s experienced VRNs joined the care team in the Level IV Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) at the Medical University of South Carolina (MUSC) — the state’s only Level IV NICU, the highest designation for neonatal care.
The collaboration underscores VirtuAlly’s role as a national leader in NICU virtual nursing, bringing specialized clinical expertise that expands staffing capacity, improves workflows, and elevates care for critically ill newborns and their families.
A specialty virtual nursing team for a specialty environment
VirtuAlly’s nurses are highly trained clinicians with an average of 13 years of experience. In the NICU, their work focuses on strengthening clinical coverage and supporting bedside teams through:
- Real‑time collaboration with bedside team to support safety education & initiatives
- Discharge education (to support reduction of readmissions)
- Documentation and care coordination
- Orientation support for families
- Enhanced family education and communication
- Translation and language support
By integrating into MUSC’s care model, VirtuAlly’s VRNs broaden the impact of the bedside clinicians, enabling frontline teams to focus on direct patient care.
Supporting families and easing administrative complexity
“NICU care is complex on every level — medically, operationally, and administratively,” said Angel Bozard, Chief Nursing Officer at VirtuAlly. “Beyond continuous clinical attention, caring for these neonates often means coordinating communication across large care teams — including social workers and families — while navigating intensive patient‑education needs. Our virtual nursing model helps manage those layers of complexity so bedside nurses can stay focused on delivering exceptional, compassionate care to newborns and their families.”
Building on their deep clinical expertise, VRNs receive advanced training in “webside manner,” ensuring that every interaction with families is clear, compassionate, and culturally responsive. Their expertise in patient education includes structured teach‑back techniques that help families understand complex care plans and feel confident caring for their newborns at home, a critical factor in reducing preventable readmissions. VRNs also provide multilingual communication support, helping bridge language barriers that can complicate care for families navigating the NICU environment.
A trusted partner in one of the hospital’s most demanding environments
“The NICU setting demands precision and constant coordination as our team cares for the most fragile patients in the hospital,” said Emily Warr, MSN, RN, Administrator for the MUSC Center for Telehealth and former NICU nurse. “We’ve seen the demonstrated positive impact of VirtuAlly’s pediatric virtual nurses in the med-surg units of our children’s hospital, and their expertise and collaborative engagement style make them a trusted extension of our care team. Bringing the VirtuAlly partnership into the NICU strengthens our nursing coverage effectiveness, streamlines team-based nursing workflows for added efficiency, and helps ensure our newborns receive the highest level of care in the critical first days of their lives.”
Building on a proven pediatric foundation
VirtuAlly’s expansion into neonatal care builds on its established success supporting pediatric hospital units, and a nationwide strategy for women’s and children’s care. ViruAlly’s VRNs currently serve in Shawn Jenkins’ medical-surgical unit as well as the mother baby population in women’s and children’s supporting acute and chronic care patients and staff. medical-surgical pediatric units, supporting acute and chronic care patients and staff. The company’s VRNs have supported more than 3,000 admissions and discharges, helping improve care delivery, documentation accuracy, and family communication.
“Over the past year, our pediatric virtual nursing program has proven what’s possible when highly trained clinicians are integrated seamlessly into hospital care teams,” said Joe Wechsler, CEO of VirtuAlly. “That success laid the foundation for our expansion into the NICU, where the need for precision, coordination, and family support is even greater. We believe virtual nurses will become the standard of care in modern healthcare, and this partnership with MUSC is a powerful step toward that future.”
About VirtuAlly
VirtuAlly is a leading virtual care company that is on a mission to reimagine, redefine and reinvigorate the virtual care industry. They bring the best of human empathy and professional healthcare expertise in areas like virtual nursing and telesitting, and partner with leading technology teams to deliver flexible and comprehensive solutions. The VirtuAlly team helps patients feel known and cared for while allowing its customers to optimize bedside delivery. The company serves as a steadfast ally of its customers, helping an array of health providers confidently transform their patient care outcomes and experience. By delivering world class, scalable and personalized virtual caring solutions, VirtuAlly strategically elevates care and outcomes at every point of need. For more information: virtually.io
About MUSC
The Medical University of South Carolina (MUSC) is South Carolina’s only comprehensive academic health system, dedicated to advancing health through education, research, and patient care. Based in Charleston, MUSC includes a nationally recognized academic medical center, a robust clinical enterprise, and a statewide network of hospitals and physician practices. MUSC is committed to improving the health of all South Carolinians through innovative care delivery, leading-edge research, and training the next generation of healthcare professionals.
Media Contacts
Alex Keown
Inspire Agency on behalf of VirtuAlly
akeown@inspire-agency.com
630-346-5141
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