A catalyst for our profession’s future
What does nurse-led innovation look like? Do you know it when you see it? Maybe you read an article, watched a video, or came across work happening within or outside of your organization. You also may know of other current initiatives. The American Nurses Association (ANA) is committed to expanding innovation across the nursing profession by developing nurses and scaling nurse-led innovation. As part of this effort, ANA is actively searching for national nursing innovations being led by individual nurses, organizations, and programs. Send your examples of nurse-led innovation via Discovering Nurse Innovator and Innovations at bit.ly/3NEkBsE.
As the complexity of healthcare increases, nurses must weave innovation across their practice to deftly navigate healthcare environments and dynamic care delivery. Nurses can use inventive principles to decrease fragmentation, improve efficiency, and advance health equity and outcomes. Nurse-led innovation provides an opportunity to build upon the incredible value of nurses and the profession. Nurse leaders who harness innovation to navigate change and engage teams create space for original thinking, broad collaborations, and unique solutions.
Innovation at ANA
Take advantage of opportunities to learn, access funding, and engage. Then plan ahead and share your innovations via various avenues.
Learn. Listen to See You Now podcasts, which convey stories of nurses creating human-centered innovations and earn CNE. Check out our education page at nursingworld.org/innovation.
Fund. Do you need funding for your innovative work? Apply to the 2024 Innovation Awards sponsored by Stryker—with six categories, you have a wide range of possibilities. These awards offer a $25,000 prize for individuals and $50,000 for a team. If your ideas are still in an early stage—too early for the innovation award—consider micro-funding from the ANA Innovation Sandbox (bit.ly/3peOdn7).
Engage. If you’re going to the 2023 ANCC National Magnet Conference® and ANCC Pathway to Excellence Conference®, consider attending—or better yet, add your voice as a speaker to—the session on Innovation by Verse: Live Talks, Tales, and Slams of Nurse-led Innovation (bit.ly/3NC4OuA).
Join one of our virtual Innovation Lounges to connect with and learn from other nurses leading innovative initiatives. Interact with nursing colleagues and get inspired to develop and act on your ideas. Plus, ANA members have access to the ANA Innovation community.
Plan ahead. In 2024, explore new content areas, speakers, and support to advance your work or ideas in the ANA Innovation Accelerator community. NursePitch™ interactive events feature nurses who want to share their creative solutions and innovations around medical technology, process improvements, care delivery models, research, and education.
Share. To add to the collective body of nursing innovation at the national level, apply for one of seven ANA Innovation Advisory Committees: Data Science, AI, Augmented Intelligence; New Care Delivery Models; Planetary & Global Health; Medical Technology & Devices; Policy and Determinants of Health Equity; Business, Entrepreneurship & Intrapreneurship; Education & Communication. Applications open in Spring of 2024.
ANA Innovation has created a robust suite of education, initiatives, funding, and resources to activate and support the evolution of nurses. These initiatives supply nurses with new tools to lead into the future, drive much needed positive change through innovation, and transform health and healthcare in the United States and beyond.
Learn more at nursingworld.org/innovation. Email questions to innovation@ana.org.
Oriana Beaudet is the vice president of nursing innovation at the ANA Enterprise.
American Nurse Journal. 2023; 18(8). Doi: 10.51256/ANJ082333
