Ep 100: Driving Innovation & Technology in Healthcare with Shawna Butler, RN, MBA

We’re celebrating 100 episodes with a fascinating look at the future of health. Shawna Butler, RN, MBA, has been leading the charge towards merging clinical care, technology, and sustainable business models and much of that conversation centers around the true value of nurses. Join us as we learn all about the work and research Butler has been doing, where the industry is headed from a technology standpoint, and what needs to be done to continue moving our profession forward. This show is going to be a celebration and a reflection on an exciting first 100 episodes, and we also have a special message to share with Sharon and Jeremy.

Click the timestamps below to help you navigate through the many topics we discussed.

On This Episode:

It’s hard to believe we’ve reached 100 episodes. What started as an idea during Charlotte a couple years ago has turned into a show that’s consistently charted among the top medical podcasts in the country. And little did we know how prophetic this show name would be when  Deb Flaherty came up with it for us.

But here we are and we’re so excited to be celebrating this milestone with you.

We have a few things planned for this special edition of the show. As always, we’re talking with a key figure in our industry who’s working hard to improve the profession through technology and policy. We also have a special surprise message for Jeremy and Sharon to kick off the show and voice our appreciation for all they’ve done for this community. And finally, we’ll close out the show with thoughts about the future of the podcast and the goals we have moving forward.

But back to our guest today, which is Shawna Butler, RN, MBA. If you don’t know her yet, Butler is a Nurse Economist and Health Tech Catalyst who also serves as the Managing Director for Exponential Medicine (US) and creator of the EntrepreNURSE-in-Residence role at Radboud University Medical Center (Netherlands).

Her various roles have taken her across the world and given her an unusually broad understanding of systemic health, care, and social challenges, and the impact technology and policy have on people, professionals, and populations. She’s taken this experience and dedicated much of her energy to focusing on the intersection of clinical care, technology, and how do we build sustainable business models. The final piece might be the most important for us to achieve effective health transformation and that’s why she’s so focused on finding solutions.

That brings up this important question that we’ll spend a lot of time on during the show: how do we really think differently about our technology and how to impact our health? Then you can combine that answer with the economic and clinical side of it because every interaction begins and ends with a nurse. Unfortunately, that nurse is the person in the room that isn’t always given their appropriate value.

Through her podcast and the platform she has created, Butler has learned that the vast majority of people don’t have any idea what all nurses do. The view has been narrowed down to caretaker, which is accurate, but they don’t see the innovation, scientists, leaders, and policy-makers. In order to change this, we need to non-nurse champions to recognize the economic value that nurses create.

So what do we need to fundamentally do? Butler believes rewarding health over healthcare is the first step. Once you do that, you start valuing help and the absence of disease, and you begin paying a group of people to do those things.

Policy, as she also explains, is an artificial barrier. So while technology is dramatically changing who is doing what, when and where, it can only go so far as what the policy allows. This line from the show sums it up perfectly: “Technology creates what is possible, but policy dictates what is permissible.”

We’re really excited about sharing this conversation with you and really appreciate the time Butler has given us for this special episode.

Keep an ear out for a variety of topics related to healthcare and technology, including these:

  • Why this topic is so important right now for the future of the industry
  • A sustainable business model is essential
  • What can we do to increase the value of nurses
  • How she uses her podcast to push the global EntrepreNURSE movement.
  • Helping change the way nurses are perceived
  • Ways to get policy changes and our voices heard
  • Examples of how nurses are innovating today
  • Key issues that nurses are focused on right now
  • The ways technology is impacting nursing
  • How to get nurses to view challenges differently by understanding the technology
  • Giving nurses the training to become entrepreneurs

Check it out the interview at the top of the page and use the timestamps to help you navigate through the many topics we discussed.

0:36 – Celebrating 100 episodes with a surprise

6:36 – Sharon & Jeremy look back on 100 episodes

8:38 – Welcoming in our guest today

9:29 – Background on Butler’s health and tech background

12:27 – Money is the root of many issues

14:57 – We don’t quantify nursing

22:24 – What her podcast is all about

30:22 – How to get policy changes to push nurses forward

35:38 – Examples of what nurses are doing now to innovate

41:58 – How is technology changing nursing? 

49:07 – Changing the way nurses view the problems we face.

55:11 – How to get nurses the business training to become an entrepreneur

1:02:03 – A 100th episode request for Butler

1:03:33 – What does the future hold for the podcast?

1:07:27 – A final, inspirational message from Butler

 


“You name it, if there’s a problem out there, there are nurses who have researched it, are working on it, innovating it, and solving it in some really creative ways.”

-Shawna Butler, RN, MBA

SHARE THIS EPISODE

Facebook
Twitter
LinkedIn

SUBSCRIBE

EXPLORE MORE

CRNA Careers

Meet Lokum: A New Tech Company Designed to Connect CRNAs to Providers

The nursing industry is filled with so many bright and talented people and today’s guest is just another example of that. Ayoade (Joy) Ademuyewo, DNP, CRNA is the founder and CEO of Lokum, which helps match vendors directly with anesthesiology providers without having to go through recruiting agencies. Find out why this could be the future of work as an independent contractor and learn more about the person behind it all.

LISTEN NOW »
CRNA Careers

Overcoming Physical Limitations: Brett Fadgen’s Road to Anesthesia

Jeremy and Sharon were up in Hershey for the PANA Spring Symposium and hosted a live taping of the podcast with Brett Fadgen, MSN, CFRN, CRNA. If you haven’t heard Brett’s story, it’s a remarkable one about perseverance and never giving up in the face of life’s challenges. Join us to hear all about his journey and how he became the only one-armed nurse anesthetist.

LISTEN NOW »
Current Events

Ep 250: Strengthening Advocacy Efforts with the AANA’s New Deputy Chief Advocacy Officer Ingrida Lusis

We had a chance to spend some time with the new AANA Deputy Chief Advocacy Officer Ingrida Lusis during our time at the mid-year assembly to learn more about her background in government affairs and how she plans to strengthen advocacy by bringing state and federal affairs all under one umbrella. Join Sharon and guest host Tracy Castleman, CRNA, as we go on the offensive with our newest advocacy leader.

LISTEN NOW »

SUBSCRIBE

NEW EPISODES EVERY WEEK!

Apple PodcastsGoogle PodcastsSpotifyStitcherTuneIniHeartRadio

HAVE A QUESTION OR WANT TO BE GUEST?

RECENT REVIEWS

J. Cross CRNA
Read More
This podcast is very well put together. I love the hosts Sharon & Jeremy, they do a fantastic job at presenting topics as well as getting great speakers on the show! This is my morning commute podcast everyday! Thank you for all that you do!
Bill.Nye
Read More
I enjoy listening every morning. Great content and always a pleasure to learn something new.
biggestbaseballfanever
Read More
I started listening to this podcast religiously early on in my CRNA journey, a year before applying to CRNA school. The content in this podcast was one of my most helpful resources for getting into my first choice school, Wake Forest! It has also been a huge motivator for getting involved with the AANA now and throughout my career. I highly recommend this podcast to every prospective CRNA I meet.
Trvlgrl1
Read More
I appreciate hearing the latest and greatest in the world of Nurse Anesthesiology while also getting Class B credits. Just listen on your commute for a win/win experience. I love the perspectives from Jeremy and Sharon who both ask varied and insightful questions!
doubledownmoney
Read More
If you’re a CRNA or any medical professional, I highly recommend giving this podcast a listen. Hosts have a great rapport.
Previous
Next

READ MORE REVIEWS OR LEAVE YOUR OWN!