ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. — More than 6,000 registered nurses are needed to meet national standards and fill an ongoing shortage across New Mexico.

In the meantime, Lovelace Medical Center is turning to artificial intelligence to fill in the gap and care for more patients. They’re one of only a few hospitals in the U.S. to do this.

Care AI is a new system that allows nurses to appear in a patient’s room virtually. It also lets nurses communicate as they would in person.

Lovelace implemented this technology in its ER and behavioral health units.

Bree Wayt is the associate chief nurse officer at Lovelace Health. She says it’s helped them help patients quicker.

“It’s also freeing up nurses and space for the patients coming into the emergency room and creating a much more efficient process,” Wayt said.

Since its implementation, clinical liaisons – the nurses that appear on camera remotely – say Care AI has made a world of difference.

“When we receive a referral from a woman’s website, we would actually drive there. So now with the camera, we don’t have to do that,” Wayt said.

Not only does it cut down on drive time, but nurses can care for more patients.

“When it comes to patients, we’re able to actually see them very quickly. So that way, they don’t have to wait in the room longer for us to drive and get there we’re able to, you know, see them right away and appropriately come up with a plan of care that’s best for them,” she said.