What I’m Watching for at ViVE 2026 as a Nurse

If you work bedside, in a clinic, or even remotely, you probably don’t spend your days thinking about “digital health ecosystems.” You’re thinking about your patients, your charting, your staffing ratios, and whether you’ll get a real lunch break.

Which is why ViVE, a national conference that brings together healthcare and technology companies, is worth keeping tabs on.

The College of Healthcare Information Management Executives (CHIME) and HLTH launched the first ViVE event in March 2022. ViVE is one of those big healthcare innovation conferences where executives, tech founders, and health system leaders talk about what’s next. And while it may feel far removed from the unit, the ideas discussed there often show up in our workflows later. 

At ViVE 2026, I’ll be paying attention and taking notes for you on all things nursing.

ViVE’s Top Nurse-Centered Events

ViVE has keynote speakers, panels, and breakout sessions led by health system executives, startup founders, investors, and policy leaders. ViVE centers its content on digital health trends and innovation in healthcare workflows and technology. 

Here are the three nurse-related events at ViVE I’m most looking forward to:

1. The Evolution of Nursing in a Tech-Enabled Future

I expect a big picture conversation about where nursing is headed as technology advances. Particularly with AI charting tools, predictive algorithms, and other digital support systems. How do we use these tools without losing the human side of nursing?

To keep up with these changes, speakers will also address how to build technology fluency in nursing education and establish ethical guidelines for AI use in nursing and healthcare more broadly.

Moderated by: Dr. Bonnie Clipper, DNP, MA, MBA, RN, FAAN, Founder, Virtual Nursing Academy, Innovation Advantage

2. Reimagining Nursing Workflows: Giving Time Back to Care

One of the biggest struggles of bedside nursing is how administrative it has become and how much time nurses spend charting and clicking rather than being at the bedside with patients. Can we decrease documentation time? Can we improve burnout? Can we improve patient safety? At this event, I look forward to hearing about emerging technologies that augment charting efficiency, enabling nurses to get back to the bedside. 

Moderated by: Dr. Stephen Ferrara, DNP, RN, FNP, Associate Dean of AI, Columbia University

3. Nursing and Remote Care: Expanding Care Delivery Beyond the Bedside

This panel will explore how nursing roles are expanding beyond hospital walls. Adding a new staffing layer of virtual nursing, how do we expect shifts in hospital staffing and remote nursing job availability? 

Leaders will likely share how virtual nurse programs support admissions, discharge education, and ongoing monitoring, especially in rural or underserved areas. 

Moderated by: Oriana Beaudet, DNP, RN, PHN, VP of Innovation, American Nurses Association

In addition to these speakers and panels, I’ll also be checking out the showroom floor to look for nursing innovations. Overall, I’ll be looking at the conference through mainly one lens: What do these ideas mean for nurses?

Are you going to ViVE 2026 this year? Here’s your nurse checklist

• Find what matters to your practice. Focus on booths, demos, or sessions that relate to your unit, patient population, or specialty.
• Introduce yourself to other nurses, tech reps, and healthcare leaders. Ask them questions about what they hope to see at ViVE, what they are learning, or what’s exciting them in the health tech space most right now.
• Notice recurring topics. How could these help you or your team?
• Prioritize sessions where nursing roles or patient care improvements are discussed, or if you have a particular interest.
• Take care of yourself on the floor. Wear comfy shoes and take plenty of breaks!

I’ll Be Your Eyes and Ears

After ViVE, you will hear more about what’s going on with AI in nursing, nursing workflow updates, and virtual nursing. 

Let’s be honest: conferences like this aren’t accessible to most bedside nurses. Between cost, time off, and shift schedules, it’s not always realistic for all of us. That doesn’t mean these spaces aren’t important, because they are where health systems and innovators often gather to exchange ideas and set direction. Even if you are not able to attend, you’re absolutely part of the future being discussed, and I’ll be paying attention with you in mind.

🤔What do you think? What ideas in healthcare tech are you most excited about (or scared of) right now?