Fostering Healthcare Innovation: A Mixed-Methods Study of an Impact Entrepreneurship Course for Nurse Practitioner...

Background/Objectives: Despite its benefits for both nurses and patients, entrepreneurship among nurses remains uncommon. Specifically, impact entrepreneurship has rarely been applied in nursing. Impact entrepreneurship promotes solutions to health, social, and environmental challenges using business models committed to measurable social impact and return on investment. Beginning in 2020, an impact entrepreneurship course was introduced as a mandatory component of the master's and nurse practitioner programs in geriatrics and palliative care at an Israeli college. This article examines the perceptions of the nurses who completed the course and explores how the course affected them and their professional practice. Methods: This mixed-methods study employed a convergent design and included self-administered questionnaires sent to all graduates of two cohorts, along with a qualitative thematic analysis of students' reflective essays written during the course. Results: Students reported that the course empowered them to be innovators and contributed to their professional and personal development. They also explained that studying impact entrepreneurship could increase their earning potential and enable them to make a substantial difference for patients. Throughout the course, participants shifted their view of entrepreneurship and realized that, given nurses' closeness with patients, they can and should be entrepreneurs. Before the course, students were reluctant to engage in entrepreneurship; afterward, students demonstrated marked interest in pursuing entrepreneurial pathways. Conclusions: Exposure to impact entrepreneurship can help nurses identify and implement creative and cost-effective solutions to workplace challenges. The professional characteristics of nurses position them as potential leaders of impact entrepreneurship in healthcare. Educational institutions worldwide should incorporate the subject of impact entrepreneurship into curricula and practice to realize that potential.