Building a COVID Field Hospital in Less Than 30 Days: The CNO Story

Abstract

Following a phone call from our respective chief nurse executives, two experienced nursing leaders from two large health systems put their ‘day’ jobs on hold to pivot and help build a COVID field hospital in the Baltimore Convention Center, transforming it into the Baltimore Convention Center Field Hospital (BCCFH). Both leaders, although qualified, had not served as chief nursing officers (CNOs), and the assignment for the BCCFH was to colead nursing as a CNO. Priorities included hiring over 3,000 per diem staff, writing policies and procedures needed to care for up to 250 patients, and designing workflows from patient admission, medication administration, shower schedules, and overall patient care, all of which required infection prevention protocols. Along with other key executives, the CNOs designed, created, and opened the BCCFH in less than 30 days.