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.

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.

The COVID-19 pandemic has added incredible strain on health systems and organizations who aid our most vulnerable populations. In honor of National Hunger and Homelessness Awareness Week, meet five nurses who are continuing to go above and beyond to help improve access to care in local communities.

For more than 25 years, Johnson & Johnson has partnered with the Elizabeth Glaser Pediatric AIDS Foundation (EGPAF) to eliminate mother-to-child-transmission of HIV in India and seven countries in sub-Saharan Africa.

Nurses are more likely to come in contact with human trafficking victims during the time of their exploitation than any other profession[1], but very few are identified by staff and helped to find safety. Nurse innovator Danielle Jordan Bastien, APRN, DNP, FNP-BC, was determined to help those potential victims who might be in danger by developing a screening protocol that helps healthcare workers identify signs of abuse.

As the healthcare industry becomes more focused on innovation as a pathway to improving patient outcomes, nurses are stepping up as leaders and innovators, turning their frontline experience into creative solutions to improve patient care. Across her various positions at the University of Pennsylvania (UPenn), Marion Leary, RN, MSN, MPH, FAHA, is focused on researching ways that nurse-led initiatives can improve healthcare now and in the future.

For years, the best practice for protecting a certain type of birth defect called an omphalocele before surgery was to dry it out, which shrinks the surface area of the exposed organs, but requires a lengthy hospital stay. Enter Roxana Reyna, MSN, RNC-NIC, WCC, CWOCN, FNP-C, a nurse with 20 years experience as a nurse in the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU).

While working for Mercy Health Saint Mary’s in Grand Rapids, Mich., Lauran Hardin, MSN, RN-BC, CNL, met one patient whose complex social issues and challenging life circumstances led to his frequent visits to the emergency room — not because he was injured or sick, but because he needed somewhere to go to feel safe. She realized that there is much more complexity to every patient than just their medical conditions, and healthcare providers can make a difference for these vulnerable people.

Taura Barr, RN, PhD, FAHA, Co-Founder and Chief Science Officer at Valtari Bio Inc. is developing a new bedside diagnostic tool to help triage suspected stroke patients in the emergency room setting.

Though some forms of CHD do not result in health problems later in life, about 25 percent of infants with CCHD have a critical CHD, which can lead to negative outcomes if not diagnosed soon after birth.

Significant healthcare innovations are often developed in response to issues encountered by providers, including nurses. When it became evident there was a way to provide more efficient care to some of the smallest, most fragile patients – babies in the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) – Erin Hoch, RN, BSN, was determined to bring her innovative idea to life. Working at Loma Linda University Children’s Hospital in Loma Linda, Calif., Erin’s idea has helped to improve the feeding process for these newborn patients.

Many school nurses were already overwhelmed, but as districts across the country return to school amid COVID-19, they are facing the profound challenge of ensuring both student and staff safety. Six school nurses share their thoughts on the pandemic and how they’re innovating to adapt.

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, SONSIEL, Microsoft and dev up have teamed up again to host “NurseHack4Health: Improving Access to Care,” a free, virtual hackathon, May 14 - 16, inviting nurses and other innovators to solve for better quality, sustainable and equitable access to healthcare. Register today!

Nurses are facing unprecedented challenges in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic. We spoke to Hiyam Nadel, RN, MBA, CCG, Director of the Center for Innovations in Care Delivery at Massachusetts General Hospital, to hear how her team is working to support and recognize nurses on the frontlines.

Amid a global pandemic, when the world needed their leadership in healthcare more than ever, nurses answered the call. Johnson & Johnson is celebrating National Nurses Month 2021 by sharing the stories of 15 nurse healthcare disruptors, just some of the many nurses who led the way through COVID-19.

A crucial takeaway from the Accelerating Nursing, Transforming Healthcare report was the mental health strain nurses experience and methods of reducing it. From trauma-informed group sessions to songwriting, check out the innovative strategies supporting nurses’ mental health and reducing stigmas.

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.

The role of the nurse has evolved greatly over the past century, but nurses’ innovative and compassionate spirit has remained a constant. Meet Nurse Kevin Moore, BSN, RN, who serves in a unique role dedicated to patient advocacy, equity and improving the patient experience for the LGBTQIA+ community at NYU Langone Health in New York City.

Imagine if Florence Nightingale hadn’t worked to improve the standard of the sanitary practices used in hospitals, or if Sister Jean Ward never discovered that sunlight helped treat jaundice in newborns. Throughout history, nurses have been on the front lines of care, profoundly transforming health through the creation of new innovations that ultimately changed the standard of care to this day. By caring for the sick when others won’t, identifying smarter and better ways to heal, and developing life-saving methods, nurses are important facilitators of health across the globe. Still, many people don’t recognize the role nurses play in changing the trajectory of human health.

Providing respectful and competent care is a cornerstone of exceptional nursing. However, a patient’s perception of healthcare and healthcare providers’ abilities to provide comprehensive care can be impacted (positively or negatively) by a healthcare provider’s ability to take a patient’s own background and experiences into account. This is particularly true within Alaska Native (AN) and American Indian (AI) communities, as each culture maintains distinct traditions. When nurses in Alaska are able to relate to indigenous ways of living, knowing, and healing, they can establish a comfortable and trusting relationship with AN and AI patients.

At Johnson & Johnson, we believe that nurses are the backbone of our healthcare system, and our critical partners on the front lines of care. Nurse-led innovation has resulted in important healthcare advancements throughout history – and Johnson & Johnson is committed to helping nurses continue addressing patient needs through resources and opportunities like the J&J Nurses Innovate QuickFire Challenge.

How has the first year of the SEE YOU NOW podcast series helped amplify nurse innovation? Oriana Beaudet, DNP, RN, PHN, Vice President of Nursing Innovation for the American Nurses Association, celebrates an inspiring and innovative year and shares her biggest takeaways from the series in a new featured article.

Student nurses left the National Student Nurses’ Association (NSNA) 66th Annual Convention plenary session feeling inspired about their future role as healthcare professionals in a world where nurses are empowered, recognized, and valued as change makers.

Shawna Butler, RN, MBA is a nurse economist, health tech catalyst, host of the SEE YOU NOW podcast, and above all—a relentless advocate for nurses everywhere. We spoke with Shawna about her career path, how she leverages her nursing expertise in a wide range of roles, and why she is so enthusiastic about the SEE YOU NOW podcast.

Outbreaks of infectious disease are no longer contained to a single community. Recent outbreaks of Ebola, influenza and Zika demonstrate that the risk of a global pandemic is a reality with which healthcare workers across the world must contend.

Nursing is more than a job, it’s a lifelong calling. A new article from Johnson & Johnson profiles four nurses who've benefited from programs supported by the Johnson & Johnson Campaign for Nursing’s Future, and shares how each nurse has inspired patients and impacted the nation’s healthcare system.

The most exciting milestone I have witnessed in mental health nursing over the past few years is the continued acceptance of mentally ill patients and the growing popularity and success of anti-stigma campaigns. These types of initiatives help encourage individuals to seek mental healthcare sooner and discuss their mental health symptoms.

Johnson & Johnson proudly supported nurse innovators and entrepreneurs this April who are profoundly changing human health and moving healthcare forward. Learn more about our presence at several of this month’s largest nursing conferences, including NSNA Convention, AORN Expo, and ONS Congress.

Johnson & Johnson is proud to announce the Johnson & Johnson Nurse Innovation Platform, which aims to enable and elevate the visibility and impact of nurse-led innovation in transforming human health.

From socks that monitor heart failure to a tool that aims to predict developmental outcomes in newborns, nurse innovators around the world are developing solutions with the potential to change human health. Meet five nurses who are transforming what it means to be on the frontlines of care.

Bringing together students of multiple backgrounds, majors, and experience levels, the Master of Healthcare Innovation program at The Ohio State University College of Nursing is empowering today’s healthcare leaders to embrace human-centered design and develop their pioneering solutions.

At UnitedHealth Group’s Center for Clinician Advancement, nurse leader Mary Jo Jerde, MBA, BSN, RN, FAAN, and her team are energizing clinicians to innovate in new areas of healthcare and become leaders in their profession through programs that encourage nurses to challenge the status quo.

Frustrated by the quality of the dressing for her son’s blood transfusion port, nurse innovator Abi Huskins, RN, BSN, CPN, used what she had at home- Play-Doh, a cork and a spare needle- to invent a prototype of a medical device that could help her son and others with sickle cell anemia.

In San Francisco General Hospital’s Ward 5B and 5A, nurses like Guy Vandenberg, RN, treated HIV/AIDS patients with compassion and found innovative ways to improve care. The film 5B shares the stories of those who worked in the ward in the 1980s, but Guy shares why the film is so relevant for today.

Together with the Association of Women's Health, Obstetric and Neonatal Nurses (AWHONN), Johnson & Johnson is proud to announce the Nurses Innovate QuickFire Challenge in Maternal and Newborn Health, inviting nurses to submit their ideas to improve maternal and newborn care.

Chief Nursing Optimization Officer Betty Jo Rocchio, MS, BSN, CRNA, CENP, and her team at Mercy are using technology, data and analytics to create environments that provide nurses more time at the bedside doing what they do best: caring for patients and developing innovative solutions.

Meet the PA nursing student whose immigration experience inspired her to become a nurse to give back and help her community.

Ahead of the Year of the Nurse in 2020, we sat down with nurse innovation expert, best-selling author and public speaker Bonnie Clipper, DNP, MA, MBA, RN, CENP, FACHE, to hear what she’s most excited about for the future of nursing and learn about her new book, “The Nurse’s Guide to Innovation.”

Debbie Gregory, DNP, RN, was always fascinated by the intersection of health and interior design, but when she followed her passion to a design conference, she was shocked at the lack of nurses there. Learn more about how this experience led her to launch the Nursing Institute for Healthcare Design.

Johnson & Johnson and the American Nurses Association have launched SEE YOU NOW, a new podcast series spotlighting nurse-led innovation that is addressing today's most challenging healthcare problems. SEE YOU NOW invites listeners to see nurses as they never have before – as innovators and leaders with the power to transform health.

On the cusp of Earth Day 2021, Nurses remain uniquely positioned to identify areas in healthcare delivery that can be improved to lessen healthcare’s impact on the planet. A new, free course from the Johnson & Johnson Institute invites nurses to explore how they can lead solutions for environmental sustainability and stewardship.