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.

A new nationwide survey commissioned by Johnson & Johnson uncovered that nearly half of Americans (41%) are unaware of the role nurses play in developing new medical tools and solutions, even though the majority (66%) believe all medical professionals are capable of coming up with lifesaving ideas. Additionally, three-quarters (75%) of those surveyed believe nurses should be given a platform to submit their ideas and inventions to improve patient care.¹

This month, to help motivate the more than 3.2 million nurses throughout the United States to showcase their innovative ideas, Johnson & Johnson has launched the Nurses Innovate QuickFire Challenge. This unique challenge, which runs through February 1, 2019, invites nurses to submit ideas for new devices, health technologies, protocols, or treatment approaches that have the power to profoundly impact patient care and improve health.

Nurse-proposed solutions will be evaluated by a panel of reviewers and judges based on uniqueness of the idea, potential impact on human health, feasibility of the idea, thoroughness of approach, identification of key resources, and the plan to further the idea. The nurse innovators with the best ideas will receive up to $100,000 in grants and access to mentoring and coaching from Johnson & Johnson, via JLABS.

In partnership with actress and TV host Maria Menounos, who experienced the importance of nurses firsthand throughout her health journey battling a brain tumor, the Johnson & Johnson Nurses Innovate QuickFire Challenge is designed to support nurse innovators with ideas that can profoundly change lives.

“I interacted with nurses every day and know that nurses do so much more than many people realize,” Maria said in an interview. “They’re resourceful, creative problem-solvers. I truly believe we will all benefit from helping nurses develop their ideas for better patient care.”

As an advocate for a world where nurses are empowered, recognized, and valued as critical changemakers in patient care, Johnson & Johnson is committed to providing such a platform to help draw attention to the role nurses play as innovators, and bring their innovations to life.

“Nurses have ideas that can profoundly change lives, and at Johnson & Johnson we’ve consistently provided support by educating, inspiring, and empowering those in the field,” said Michael Sneed, Executive Vice President, Global Corporate Affairs & Chief Communication Officer at Johnson & Johnson. “The Johnson & Johnson Nurses Innovate QuickFire Challenge was created to bring these ideas to life by pairing them with our vast network of resources and expertise. In the end, our goal is to use the scale, resources, and know-how of Johnson & Johnson to help incredible ideas move forward.”

Every day, nurses’ creativity, innovation, and healing touch changes the lives of patients around the world. To learn more about Johnson & Johnson’s 120-year commitment to nursing and how to apply for the Johnson & Johnson Nurses Innovate QuickFire Challenge, visit nursing.jnj.com.

_{1. Harris Interactive UK, Sept. 2018, 1,144 respondents.}