Real Nurses Real Stories

At Johnson & Johnson, we will never stop advocating for, elevating and empowering nurses as innovative, critical leaders on the frontline. This National Nurses Month, and in the International Year of the Nurse, learn how we are working to support nurses on the frontlines of COVID-19.

Susan Bakewell-Sachs, Dean of Nursing School at Oregon Health & Sciences University, shares how a deeper integration of nursing education and practice can create a seamless transition into the nursing profession.

Simmy King, Chief Nursing Informatics Officer at Children's National Hospital, discusses the importance of diversity, inclusivity and representation in the nursing workforce, and how Children’s National is helping to support diverse students enter the nursing profession.

Maureen Swick, Enterprise Nurse Executive at Atrium Health, shares how technology enabled an extra layer of care and brought humanity to the bedside for patients at Atrium Health.

Meet the nursing student led by faith and family, ready to face her fears head on and advocate for patients—and herself.

Johnson & Johnson sees the threat of infectious disease as one of the most pressing, yet addressable, public health challenges. Over two million are infected with HIV each year — mothers, fathers, children, men and women, gay and straight, on every continent — and over one million die each year.

Meet the nursing student who wants to become a last-line advocate for patients and a helping hand for new nurses on their paths to the profession.

Meet the nursing student who brings her most authentic self to the table—and hopes to make an impact from Jamaica to the U.S. and beyond.

Meet the Mississippi nursing student who hopes to provide compassionate care and patient advocacy to those who need it most.

A new resource from the Duke University School of Nursing is empowering nurses to make artificial intelligence (AI) an ally in their nursing practice. Nurse and Associate Professor Michael Cary, PhD, RN, FAAN emphasizes the importance of training and educating nurses for practice in the era of AI and how to use it to best benefit patients.

What do a nurse, a handyman, and an occupational therapist have in common? Each plays an integral role in providing in-home health services to older adults through the Community Aging in Place — Advancing Better Living for Elders (CAPABLE) intervention. This multidisciplinary team approach aims to equip low-income older adults to live more comfortably and safely in their homes by letting patients set their own functional goals, like taking a bath or walking to church, while also improving their living environment though renovations like installing hand rails or lowering shelves.

Throughout history, nurses have played an outsized role in interacting with patients, with critical roles in prevention, education, treatment and recovery. In celebration of International Women's Day and Women’s History Month, meet nurses whose innovative approaches to patient care have profoundly changed human health.

Across the country, registered nurses (RNs) play a critical role in the medical preparedness and response to natural disasters of all kinds, working to safeguard the health and wellbeing of the at-risk public. Nurses are uniquely qualified to manage emergency situations — which can come at a cost to themselves and their families.

Nursing informatics (NI), as defined by the Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society (HIMSS), is a “specialty that integrates nursing science with multiple information management and analytical sciences to identify, define, manage, and communicate data, information, knowledge and wisdom in nursing practice.” Nursing informaticists combine nursing knowledge with information technologies to develop more efficient processes, advance healthcare and provide exceptional patient care.

In celebration and as a call to action related to the World Health Organization’s designation of 2020 as the International Year of the Nurse and Midwife, we asked 14 nurse leaders and innovators across the US what the Year of the Nurse means to them today, and to the future of nursing.

Data and information gathering is vital to healthcare outcomes and quality – from identifying best practices for taking care of patients to predicting and planning resource needs and staying nimble during constant change. The role of nurses in technology and informatics is more critical than ever as AI is poised to streamline systems and practices.

Telemedicine is here to stay. According to an article published in the American Journal of Critical Care (AJCC) earlier this year, telemedicine is changing the way patient care is provided in a growing number of intensive care units across the country.

From inventing a medical grade protective mask to forming an interdisciplinary prone team; developing a virtual rounding tool to creating color-coded signs to improve communication. Johnson & Johnson was excited to speak with ten U.S. nurses who have developed innovative solutions in response to COVID-19.

These stories are just a small snapshot of the many ways in which nurses are innovating and leading to improve care delivery in communities. Johnson & Johnson is committed to advocating for, elevating and empowering nurses as they transform healthcare and change human health for the better.

Are you drawn to a nursing career, but want to avoid working in a hospital setting? Visiting nurses meet patients where they are, by providing care for them in their homes. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, home healthcare is one of the nation’s fastest-growing industries, with a projected compound annual growth rate of 5 percent for 2014–2024, which translates to approximately 760,400 new jobs.

Did you know that January is National Mentoring Month? By preparing young adults for college and careers, mentoring helps develop the future talent pipeline for skilled professions like nursing. Mentors are especially important for students from demographics that are underrepresented in the workforce.

Nurses have a long history of supporting disaster relief efforts through the American Red Cross. In the past six weeks, the Red Cross has launched a wide-ranging relief effort to help people devastated by three historic, back-to-back hurricanes—Harvey, Irma, and Maria.

Rebecca S. Koszalinski, PhD, RN, CRRN, CMSRN, was inspired to become a nurse after experiencing a nurse’s care during her own health journey.

Improving the health of women can not only save lives, it can contribute to the overall health and economy of a nation. Nurses can help communities improve women’s health by providing education, healthcare services, health supplies and increased awareness of key issues.

Ten nurse-led multidisciplinary health system teams from around the world were selected as finalists for the NurseHack4Health Pitch-A-Thon, with the chance to be awarded up to $150,000 in grant funding to bring solutions for a thriving workforce and healthy work environment to life. Meet the finalist teams below!

The U.S. faces a substantial primary care shortage. Nurse practitioner-led clinics are well positioned to fill these gaps, but operating a healthcare enterprise comes with its own challenges. Meet the NP working to expand care access by providing the resources and economies of scale to other nurse-led clinics.

Is perioperative nursing for you? Perioperative or operating room (OR) nurses provide patient-focused care in a variety of settings and specialties, with ample opportunities for professional growth. Get the scoop on this fast-paced, team-based, and fulfilling specialty, and find out how health systems and nursing schools are working to strengthen the pipeline of new nurses entering this critical specialty.

In an inspiring display of nursing innovation, the nurse-led teams from the Ghanaian-Diaspora Nursing Alliance and Seattle Children’s Hospital have together been awarded a combined $185,500 in grant funding through the third annual NurseHack4Health Pitch-A-Thon. Meet the two teams here.

The largest health system in the Carolinas has introduced a Well-Being Coaching Initiative that is transforming nurse well-being by reducing burnout and turnover by fostering self-leadership. This program trains nurses to coach both themselves and their peers, creating a ripple effect of support across the organization. With impressive results, Atrium is building a long-term culture of well-being by empowering its nursing staff.

As AI-based technologies help to solve complex problems, it’s essential that systems emphasize the importance of collaboration between nurses and AI developers to ensure care is delivered compassionately, equitably, and safely.

Interprofessional collaboration is the practice of approaching patient care from a team-based perspective, with a team comprised of multiple health workers with varying professional backgrounds. By implementing interprofessional collaboration into healthcare environments, multiple disciplines can work more effectively as a team to help improve patient outcomes and better the workplace.

Nurses serve as both the backbone of the healthcare industry and on the front lines of developing health solutions. The day-to-day reality of their job has changed in dramatic ways over the past ten years.

We are excited to share our latest innovation resource, the Johnson & Johnson Nurse Innovation 101 Hub, an online destination exploring nurse innovation, providing key resources and celebrating the legacy of nurse innovators who have improved patient care and strengthened health systems.

Johnson & Johnson, together with the American Psychiatric Nurses Association, are thrilled to announce the Awardees of the Johnson & Johnson Nurses Innovate QuickFire Challenge on Mental Health: nurse Entrepreneur Chris Recinos and Nurse Disrupted co-founders Bre Loughlin and Tracy Zvenyach.

In the year since WHO declared COVID-19 a pandemic, nurses have problem-solved and led transformational health system change from within to respond to the crisis. Five nurses from Advocate Aurora Health share how they used technology, collaboration and expertise to lead change with lasting impact.

Together with the Oncology Nursing Society (ONS) and Johnson & Johnson Innovation - JLABS, we’re thrilled to announce the two awardees of the Johnson & Johnson Nurses Innovate QuickFire Challenge in Oncology: Micah Skeens from Nationwide Children's Hospital and Janet Van Cleave from New York University’s Rory Meyers College of Nursing.

In the early stages of COVID-19 when PPE was scarce, University Health CNE Tommye Austin sprang into action to protect her front line colleagues—creating a mask with surgical draping and filters. Almost a year later, Tommye’s innovation success is helping to inspire nurse innovation at her health system and beyond.

Jasmine Bhatti and Ayan Said of Navi Concierge Nurses are building a platform that connects both patients and nurses seeking better outcomes in at-home care

Mentor. Women’s health advocate. Innovator. Meet Rachel Preiss, nurse practitioner, educator and graduate of the Sigma Theta Tau International Honor Society of Nursing's Maternal-Child Health Nurse Leadership Academy, who developed a pioneering tool to help women and healthcare professionals embrace shared decision-making.

Inspired by the strength of nurses around the world and driven by the desire to offer support, the inaugural cohort of the Johnson & Johnson Nurse Innovation Fellowship came together to pen a letter to their colleagues on the frontlines of COVID-19.

ICYMI: Get inspired! Check out what happened during the latest NurseHack4Health hackathon. From improving onboarding for new nurses to addressing burnout, the winning innovations from the weekend had one common denominator: creating a more sustainable workforce for nurses.

Johnson & Johnson, together with the American Nursing Informatics Association (ANIA) and the American Organization for Nursing Leadership (AONL) proudly announce the eighth Johnson & Johnson Nurses Innovate QuickFire Challenge: Healthcare Transformation Through Nurse-Led Tech.

According to the National Kidney Foundation (NKF), for many people a successful kidney transplant can provide a better quality of life. Kidney transplant may mean greater freedom, reduced cost, more energy and a less strict diet than patients on dialysis. Nurses play an integral role in helping patients go through the transplant process and helping match live donors with patients in need of a kidney.

When a patient is in critical care, nurses are there through every step of their care, from performing assessments and administering therapies, to educating patient families and opening new pathways to improving patient care.

When you hear the word “hackathon,” you may not necessarily envision a room full of nurses brainstorming ideas. However, at the “Nurse Hackathon: Nurses Hacking HealthCare” event, nurses are leading the problem solving and developing solutions to issues in healthcare.

We’re thrilled to announce the two awardees of the J&J Nurses Innovate QuickFire Challenge in Perioperative Care: Debbie Kantor, APRN, Co-Founder at HERO Medical, and Chao Hsing Yeh, PhD, RN, Associate Professor at Johns Hopkins School of Nursing. Read more about their ideas to change human health.

Becoming a new mom can be an overwhelming time for many women, especially if they are experiencing poverty. Using insights from their nurses, Nurse-Family Partnership has launched Goal Mama, a platform that provides mothers with resources they need to achieve goals for themselves and their newborns.

Hip fractures can have serious health implications for patients and cost of care implications for hospitals. Meet the nurse duo who helped develop the pioneering Hip Fracture Care Program that is transforming fracture care for patients and health systems – Stacie Cox and Shandy Welch.

As part of our broader pledge to support frontline health workers and help provide equitable health solutions for communities of color, Johnson & Johnson partnered with the American Association of Nurse Practitioners (AANP) and the Association of Public Health Nurses (APHN) to launch the Johnson & Johnson Nurses Innovate QuickFire Challenge, focused on Improving Access to Care. Meet the Challenge awardees, Erin Athey and Christina Calamaro.

Shaken by the experience of witnessing a child nearly die from heat exhaustion after accidentally being left in a hot car, emergency room nurse Maria Striemer, RN, BA, channeled her insight to invent the Backseet Buddy, an app that provides parents with peace of mind that it won’t happen to them.

For nearly 30 years, nursing, pharmacy, physical therapy and dentistry students and more have taken healthcare to their surrounding community, perhaps where it’s needed most. The Farmworker Family Health Program, launched by a nurse leader at Georgia State in 1993, and carried on by Emory University in 2001, provides various students an opportunity to offer basic care for the underserved migrant farmworkers of Colquitt, Cook, Brooks, and Tift counties in southwest, GA. Learn about its inception and how it grew to a nurse-led, community-focused effort.

VA nurse researcher Shannon Munro, PhD, APRN, BC, FNP, discovered an easy and inexpensive solution to reduce cases of hospital-acquired pneumonia in her hospital: encouraging patients to brush their teeth. Munro explains the science behind the nurse-led innovative program, HAPPEN.

At this year’s Aspen Ideas: Health Festival, Johnson & Johnson sponsored two sessions that invited healthcare innovators and changemakers from around the world to share their stories of why and how they’re shaping a world where everyone can thrive.

Johnson & Johnson and the American Psychiatric Nurses Association are proud to announce the Johnson & Johnson Nurses Innovate QuickFire Challenge on Mental Health, inviting nurses and nursing students to submit their ideas with the aim to improve mental health for patients and healthcare workers amid the pandemic and beyond.

Claire Zangerle, Chief Nurse Executive at Alleghany Health Network, describes how Alleghany Health is improving patient care through the concept of team nursing.

Tatu Msangi learned she was HIV-positive while pregnant, but with the help of the Kilimanjaro Christian Medical Centre (KCMC) and the work of the Elizabeth Glaser Pediatrics AIDS Foundation (EGPAF), Tatu had access to the care she needed. Now, Tatu works as a nurse at the same hospital where she received care, counseling HIV-positive pregnant women and mothers.

Meet the nontraditional nursing student inspired to join her daughter and son-in-law in the nursing profession.

Meet the first-generation nursing student balancing motherhood, work and school to achieve her lifelong dream of becoming a nurse.

Nurses of color have long-shaped the nursing profession and transformed healthcare, but their stories are underrepresented in the broader nursing narrative. A new nurse-led project, “Nurses You Should Know,” is using storytelling to help close the representation gap by amplifying their contributions.

From improving mental health care to making it easier for nurses to develop their innovative ideas, the 12 Johnson & Johnson Nurse Innovation Fellows have been busy building their networks, and applying their insights, experiences and learnings from the Fellowship to individual projects that spotlight the power and potential of nurse-led innovation.