ABOUT ME
Leading Nursing Education Through the Age of AI
I have spent more than two decades in nursing education — as faculty, as a dean, and as an interim provost — building and leading the programs that shape the next generation of nurses.
That experience gave me something no conference keynote or research paper could: I know what it takes to move change through an academic institution. I know how curriculum gets built, how faculty get convinced, how leaders make decisions under pressure, and how students ultimately carry what we teach them into clinical environments where lives depend on it.
When artificial intelligence began entering those clinical environments at scale, I recognized a problem that was both urgent and familiar. Nurses were being handed tools they hadn’t been prepared to use, and being held responsible for the results. Academic institutions were racing to respond — without frameworks, without faculty preparation, and without nurses at the table where the AI decisions were being made.
That recognition became my mission.
I am the Founder of The Digital Stethoscope and Co-Founder of Nurses for AI™, platforms dedicated to advancing AI literacy, competency, and governance in nursing — based in Connecticut and working with educators and healthcare leaders across the country and around the world.
"Nurses are accountable for AI-informed outcomes every day. The question is whether we will also have a voice in how those tools are built, deployed, and governed."
— Susan Deane, EdD, MSN, CNE, RN
MY WORK
Advancing AI Competency & Clinical Leadership in Nursing
In 2026, I co-authored AI Competency Domains for Nurses with Dr. Irina Koyfman — a framework mapping eight AI competency domains to the AACN Essentials, ANA Principles, NLN core competencies, and the Joint Commission RUAIH™/CHAI framework. The book reached #1 New Release in Nursing Trends on Amazon and is being used by nurse educators and healthcare leaders nationwide.
I developed the AI Safety Pause™ — a trademarked three-question clinical reasoning tool for bedside use:
- Does this make clinical sense?
- What might the AI be missing?
- Who is accountable for this decision?
I also serve as an advisory board member for NurseVetted, a nurse-led platform ensuring nursing voices are represented in AI tool development and evaluation
PUBLISHED WORK
AI Competency Domains
A Framework for Education, Practice, and Leadership
This book delivers the first structured AI competency framework for nurses, providing practical strategies to ensure AI is used safely, ethically, and with clinical judgment at the center.
The AI Safety Pause™
A Clinical Framework for Critical Thinking in the Age of Artificial Intelligence
As AI becomes more integrated into healthcare, nurses are increasingly expected to evaluate and act on AI-generated information in real-time clinical settings.
The AI Safety Pause™ provides a practical framework to help nurses maintain clinical judgment, patient advocacy, and accountability in the age of intelligent systems.