Just months into her role as an ICU nurse at , USF College of Nursing alumna Bhakti Panchal is already transforming the patient experience, thanks in part to the mindset she developed at the college.
Panchal began her nursing career at TGH soon after graduating from USF in December 2024. Shortly thereafter, TGH鈥攊n collaboration with USF-Tampa General Physicians鈥攍aunched the Ambulatory Innovation Challenge. This was an opportunity for employees across the hospital system to pitch ideas aimed at improving patient flow and reducing wait times.
138 ideas were submitted. 8,000 people voted. Two employee ideas were selected for a $500 gift card and the chance for their idea to become reality.
Panchal was one of those two employees, winning with her idea ClarityConnect.
Panchal delivering her Pinning Ceremony speech as cohort president in 2024.
鈥淚 thought of this idea when I was waiting at an urgent care clinic for five hours before I was seen. People were frustrated, and it hurt me to see them in so much pain,鈥� Panchal said. 鈥淵ears later, I started at TGH and there still wasn鈥檛 a system in place.鈥�
Long wait times have a deleterious effect on patient satisfaction, but they also occupy nursing staff forced to answer to frustrated people in the waiting room rather than monitor patients. ClarityConnect promotes efficiency and prioritizes patient experience.
Panchal鈥檚 innovative solution uses data from existing patient-management systems to send SMS text messages to patients. These texts offer real-time updates on provider delays and wait times. Monitors and tablets in waiting areas also display estimated wait times. ClarityConnect is now in the first stages of implementation system-wide across the hospital for all outpatient settings and for urgent care.
Panchal has been an ICU nurse at TGH for four short months, but she is already making her mark. Not only is she increasing efficiency and patient satisfaction with ClarityConnect, she is advocating for the nursing staff as president of her ICU floor鈥檚 shared governance council. She credits her time at USF College of Nursing with more than just clinical preparation.
鈥淯SF fosters an environment where I felt encouraged to speak up, challenge norms, and collaborate. That mindset carried over into my work at TGH and ultimately helped shape the project that led to this award. Nurses play a crucial role in improving the bigger picture of healthcare. But it all starts with speaking up, being willing to try, and remembering that if you never take the shot, the answer will always be no.鈥�
Bhakti Panchal, BSN