As a nurse, you know that solutions aren’t found in textbooks. They’re found in the trenches. 

You’ve dodged crises with a steady hand and a creative mind, from rigging an extra-large abdominal band for your post-op patient when supplies run low to creating safer staffing matrices. Now, NurseHack4Health is calling on you to be part of turning nurses’ ideas into reality.

Ready to see nurses take it apart, fix it, and build it better? We answered your burning questions about the 2024 NurseHack4Health Pitch-A-Thon so you can watch and find out how to apply for future programming. 

Q: What is a Pitch-A-Thon?

The NurseHack4Health Pitch-A-Thon is a free, global virtual event where nurse-led interdisciplinary health system teams ideate, create solutions, and pitch ideas to address workplace and well-being challenges in nursing. The goal of the Pitch-A-Thon is to receive up to $150,000 in grant funding to bring these ideas to life.

For the fifth year in a row, Johnson & Johnson, the Society of Nurse Scientists Innovators Entrepreneurs and Leaders (SONSIEL), and Microsoft have teamed up, supported by ALL IN Wellbeing First for Healthcare and Johnson & Johnson Foundation, to sponsor the event.

Following an application process, ten finalist teams were selected by healthcare and industry experts to participate in a two-part virtual sprint. The event is comprised of an innovation accelerator and a live virtual pitch event for finalists to compete for grant funding.

Johnson & Johnson is committed to the success of nurses, and the Pitch-A-Thon is one way they continue to champion and bolster the profession.

Q: What will happen at the 2024 NurseHack4Health Pitch-A-Thon?

The 2024 NurseHack4Health Pitch-A-Thon is a virtual event that will be held on October 15, 2024 at 1:00 pm ET. This year’s theme is “Take it Apart | Fix it | Build it Better.”

From May 2024 to August 2024, nurse-led health system teams applied to pitch their ideas to a panel of industry-expert judges. The top entries have been selected to pitch their ideas for an opportunity to receive up to $150,000 in grant funding. 

By attending this event, you will have the opportunity to cheer on your peers in the selected nurse-led teams and have a first look at innovative ideas in the nursing world. 

Q: Is a Pitch-A-Thon worth it?

For many Pitch-A-Thon participants, including the 2023 Pitch-A-Thon awardee, Sally Newton-Mason, it was.

Newton-Mason’s project, Autochart, was designed to automate nursing documentation. Her team received $150,000 in grant funding from the 2023 NurseHack4Health Pitch-A-Thon. 

“Going into it, all we had was an idea and a team,” Newton-Mason says. “We faced many uncertainties: How do you create a business plan? What financial costs are involved? How do you craft a compelling pitch?” During the event, Newton-Mason was guided through workshops and introduced to supportive mentors who helped them think through the logistics of their idea and craft a compelling pitch. 

When her team was announced as the awardee, Newton-Mason screamed so loud her cat shot out of the room! “We were ecstatic. It felt like all our time and energy had paid off.”

Q: What happens to the best ideas from nurses?

All organizers of the Pitch-A-Thon do not acquire any intellectual property during the event; Nurse-led teams who submit applications or who are selected as finalists to present at the Pitch-A-Thon aren’t required to have patents for their ideas. “Any intellectual property created is owned by and remains the sole responsibility of the inventors,” Nico Sciasci, the executive director of SONSIEL, co-organizer of NH4H with J&J and Microsoft, explains. 

After the Pitch-A-Thon, Newton-Mason says the organizers continued to support her team’s invention by setting them up with a mentor who connected them with experienced professionals in the health tech industry. “These connections have been invaluable and likely the most impactful. The grant funding from J&J Foundation and ALL IN: Wellbeing First for Healthcare has been instrumental in making this exciting opportunity possible. We feel incredibly fortunate and privileged to pursue something we’re passionate about,” Newton-Mason explains.

Q: What about nurses without intrapreneurial or innovation experience?

“The NurseHack4Health community is open, warm, and supportive,” Rhonda Manns, MBA, BSN, RN, CCM, a 2023 Pitch-A-Thon coach said. “As a participant, you have access to coaches and mentors to help you develop your pitch and create something actionable. If you haven’t participated in an event yet, I encourage you to tune in, check it out, and cheer on nurse innovators working to transform healthcare.”

Participation in the Pitch-A-Thon is open and welcome to all nurses, no matter their background, specialty, or experience. And of course, everyone is welcome to watch and cheer on Pitch-A-Thon participants at the live event on October, 15 at 1:00 pm ET, as well!

Looking to gain more innovation skills? Enroll in the NurseHack4Health Innovation Academy, a free virtual course.

Q: How is a Pitch-A-Thon worth your time?

Attendance at the 2024 NurseHack4Health Pitch-A-Thon on October 15, 2024 is free, with the entire event being conducted virtually. 

“It was definitely worth the time investment as we learned so much about forming a presentation, budgeting, and networking. It was a fantastic experience, and we believe it’s something we’d even be willing to travel for in the future, given the abundance of learning and mentorship available to attendees,” Newton-Mason says.

Ilana Borkenstein, a Pitch-A-Thon participant, now a coach, and CEO of M7, adds that the event was critical to getting her company off the ground. “Our team received invaluable mentorship who have helped us navigate how to introduce innovation within health systems, a notoriously challenging task! The Pitch-A-Thon also gave us the tools needed to strengthen our pitch and storytelling.” 

Q: What could a Pitch-A-Thon do for you?

Newton-Mason says, “Life has certainly become busier!”

Her Autochart team has already done a technology demonstration at the Nursing Informatics International Conference, and they were interviewed for the entrepreneurship@UBC Venture Founder program.

Even as a Pitch-A-Thon attendee, you can make connections and be inspired to create systemic and sustainable change for a thriving workforce and healthier work environments.

Build It Better

If you have a solution that could make a difference in nursing, consider applying for a future Pitch-A-Thon and joining a community of like-minded professionals dedicated to building a better future for healthcare. 

Through NurseHack4Health, you have the power to turn healthcare problems into possibilities and build them better. “There is no other nurse-led experience that brings nurses together in such support, care, and excitement,” says Manns.

The NurseHack4Health Pitch-A-Thon is presented by Johnson & Johnson, Microsoft, & SONSIEL and sponsored by ALL IN: Wellbeing First for Healthcare and Johnson & Johnson Foundation.

This article is sponsored by Johnson & Johnson.