The 4th P: Helping Nursing Students Pitch Evidence-Informed Projects

Nursing students often lack the leadership and communication skills needed to serve as innovative change agents in health care. These skills are rarely emphasized within undergraduate curricula.

This innovation addressed challenges students face in delivering concise, solution-focused pitches to health care leaders on clinical and system issues.

Using a single-group pretest-posttest design, 19 of 50 enrolled students completed all components, including a knowledge quiz and self-assessment survey. Students presented paired pitches before a faculty panel; the top 5 advanced to an interdisciplinary panel.

Repeated-measures analysis of variance (ANOVA) revealed significant gains in skill and attitude toward pitch development and delivery, although anxiety levels remained unchanged. Increasing rehearsal opportunities and faculty coaching may reduce this anxiety in future iterations.

Integrating pitches, the 4th P, into nursing education broadens dissemination and strengthens communication, advocacy, and innovation across undergraduate and graduate programs.