In this episode of The Healthcast, host Phil Zappone speaks with Dr. Kristi Reguin-Hartman, President of the Academy of Medical-Surgical Nurses, about nursing leadership, clinical transformation, healthcare technology, and the future of medical-surgical nursing.
Dr. Reguin-Hartman shares the experience that first inspired her to pursue nursing: caring for a college student who had become paralyzed after a traumatic hockey injury. A single line he later wrote—“In the mornings, it was better”—showed her how meaningful it could be to make even a small difference in someone’s life.
She reflects on her journey from earning an ADN to completing a DNP, the mentors who encouraged her to accept opportunities before she felt fully prepared, and the philosophy that has shaped her career: say yes.
The conversation also examines some of the most urgent challenges facing nurses today, including unsafe staffing levels, excessive workloads, limited autonomy, difficult work environments, and the continued misconception that medical-surgical nursing is simply a starting point rather than a complex specialty.
Phil and Dr. Reguin-Hartman discuss why nurses must be included in healthcare technology design from the beginning, how health systems can improve technology adoption, and why clinical workflows should be built around the people who will actually use them.
The episode closes with a look at the future of nursing, from virtual and corporate nursing roles to AI, advocacy, professional recognition, and the importance of ensuring that the best voices—not simply the loudest—shape healthcare’s next chapter.

In This Episode
- How staffing, workload, acuity, and payment models intersect
- The risks of assigning one medical-surgical nurse too many patients
- AMSN’s fellowships, awards, education, publications, and advocacy
- How AI and rapid innovation may reshape healthcare
- Why healthcare cannot always put money first

Episode Chapters
00:53 – The experience that inspired a career in nursing
03:41 – Learning to care for a patient with complex needs
05:02 – A defining moment in nursing leadership
07:10 – How saying yes shaped Dr. Reguin-Hartman’s career
10:10 – Helping nurses understand that they have a voice
11:27 – When nursing becomes part of your identity
13:09 – Bridging healthcare technology and nursing leadership
14:23 – Why healthcare technology implementations struggle
15:26 – Rethinking staffing, workload, and patient outcomes
17:48 – The biggest issues facing medical-surgical nurses
19:50 – Nursing attrition and evolving career paths
21:34 – Workflows that create the most friction for nurses
22:51 – How AMSN chooses programs and initiatives
23:17 – Fellowships, health equity awards, and professional recognition
24:36 – Expanding recognition beyond traditional medical-surgical units
25:22 – Education, publications, and member resources
26:40 – The greatest opportunities and challenges ahead
28:40 – Where listeners can learn more about AMSN

Episode Resources:
Website | https://amsn.org/
LinkedIn | https://www.linkedin.com/in/kristi-reguin-hartman/

Check out what I do helping small businesses here:
Website | https://nxaihealth.com/
LinkedIn | https://www.linkedin.com/in/phil-zappone-647957379/

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In this episode of The Healthcast, host Phil Zappone speaks with geriatrician Dr. Emily Coskun about how healthcare can better serve one of the country’s fastest-growing and most medically complex populations: older adults.

Dr. Coskun shares how caring for patients during the COVID-19 pandemic changed the direction of her career and ultimately led her to geriatrics. She also reflects on the mentors and patients who shaped her approach to medicine, including the responsibility physicians have when guiding people through serious diagnoses, cognitive decline, end-of-life decisions, and other defining moments.

The conversation explores what makes geriatric medicine different from traditional adult medicine, including the Four M’s of age-friendly care: what matters most, medications, mobility, and mind. Dr. Coskun explains why deprescribing, fall prevention, cognitive screening, social connection, and care planning are essential to helping older adults maintain their independence and quality of life.

Phil and Dr. Coskun also discuss ageism, the shortage of geriatricians, gaps in long-term care coverage, caregiver burden, and the growing need for home-based services. They examine practical programs that can improve outcomes and reduce costs, including adult day services, comprehensive geriatric assessments, frailty screening, hospital-at-home models, and the Hospital Elder Life Program.

The episode closes with a look at how technology—including telemedicine, point-of-care ultrasound, fall-detection wearables, and AI—can support the deeply human side of geriatric care.

Episode Chapters
00:43 – How Dr. Coskun found her calling in geriatrics
02:18 – A personal example of aging in place
03:47 – The mentor who became her professional North Star
05:10 – The national shortage of geriatricians
06:45 – Ageism and how society values older adults
08:01 – Handling difficult diagnoses and defining moments
09:43 – What older patients teach us about life
11:12 – Understanding the Four M’s of geriatric care
13:51 – Why good physicians know when to stop medication
15:10 – Evidence-based approaches to longevity
16:47 – The greatest gaps in outpatient and home care
17:44 – The cost of long-term care and caregiver burden
19:37 – Adult day services, socialization, and cognitive health
20:57 – Misconceptions about the cost of geriatric care
23:04 – Rising hospital demand and patient complexity
25:05 – Rural healthcare shortages and specialty access
26:57 – Telemedicine and consultative geriatric care
27:40 – Comprehensive assessments and frailty screening
29:38 – A high-impact investment for hospital leaders
31:06 – Point-of-care ultrasound for older adults
32:42 – Wearable technology and fall detection
33:39 – Opportunities to reduce readmissions and costs
35:25 – Hospital-at-home and remote monitoring
38:52 – Combining high-touch care with high-tech tools
40:11 – The exercise shown to reduce fall risk

Episode Resources:

Website | https://xacweillcornell.org/emily-brooke-coskun-md

Check out what I do helping small businesses here:
Website | https://nxaihealth.com/
LinkedIn | https://www.linkedin.com/in/phil-zappone-647957379/

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In this episode of The Healthcast, host Phil Zappone sits down with Dr. Bei Zhang, an MD-PhD educator working at the intersection of pathology, medical education, and healthcare innovation.

Dr. Zhang shares how a lifelong curiosity about living things led her to pathology—a field where biology and detective work come together to uncover how and why disease develops. She also reflects on her early passion for teaching, the mentors who shaped her career, and why she views education as both a privilege and a responsibility.

The conversation explores where traditional medical education is struggling to keep pace with a rapidly changing healthcare environment. Dr. Zhang explains why future physicians need more than clinical knowledge: they must learn how to filter overwhelming amounts of information, understand emerging technologies, collaborate across disciplines, and apply what they learn in authentic patient-care settings.
Phil and Dr. Zhang also discuss online education, virtual patient simulations, barriers to innovation within academic medicine, and the importance of introducing patient-centered learning from the beginning of medical school.

When it comes to artificial intelligence, Dr. Zhang describes AI as a powerful but “wild horse”—capable of taking healthcare and education to extraordinary places, but only when both the technology and its users are properly trained. She shares how she incorporates AI into learning sessions with her students to strengthen their questioning skills and critical thinking rather than allowing the technology to replace the learning process.

Episode Chapters
00:48 – What drew Dr. Zhang to medicine and pathology
01:34 – Discovering a passion for teaching and innovation
04:42 – The teachers and mentors who shaped her career
07:35 – Why pathology is essential to patient care
08:51 – Finding personal purpose through teaching
11:50 – Where traditional medical education is falling behind
12:49 – Building a strong foundation for future physicians
15:06 – The skills today’s medical students need
17:19 – The lasting impact of online medical education
19:08 – AI as a powerful but “wild” tool
21:01 – The biggest barriers to educational innovation
23:24 – Bridging classroom learning and clinical practice
25:14 – Virtual patients and practice-based learning platforms
27:17 – Redesigning physician training around the patient
31:13 – Why medical schools must invest more in educators
32:43 – The greatest opportunity and challenge facing healthcare education
33:56 – Bringing students, teachers, and AI into the same learning session

Episode Resources:
LinkedIn | https://www.linkedin.com/in/bei-zhang-96235b3a/

Check out what I do helping small businesses here:
Website | https://nxaihealth.com/
LinkedIn | https://www.linkedin.com/in/phil-zappone-647957379/

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