Transform Healthcare Through Innovation and Entrepreneurship
É«½äÖ±²¥â€™s Nurse Innovator and Entrepreneur Doctor of Nursing Practice specialty certificate empowers nurses to drive transformation through innovation, business strategy, and real-world problem-solving.
This three-course DNP specialty equips nurses with the tools to identify unmet needs, create sustainable solutions, and drive meaningful change in both clinical and entrepreneurial settings. Through a fully online curriculum that builds expertise in design thinking, business development, and operational leadership, you’ll explore each stage of the innovation process—from identifying opportunities to drafting business plans and pitching prototypes. Open to current É«½äÖ±²¥ DNP students and DNP-prepared nurses, the Nurse Innovator and Entrepreneur specialty offers a flexible path to expand your impact beyond traditional care models. There are opportunities for on-campus sessions that connect learners with thought leaders across É«½äÖ±²¥â€™s academic, health system, and entrepreneurial networks, bringing ideas to life through collaboration and mentorship.
Whether advancing care, launching your own practice, or developing new solutions, our Nurse Innovator and Entrepreneur DNP specialty prepares you to turn bold thinking into real-world impact.
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Our Nurse Innovator and Entrepreneur Specialtiy is designed to build expertise in design thinking, business development, and operational leadership.
Nurse Innovator and Entrepreneur Specialty Highlights
The DNP Nurse Innovator and Entrepreneur specialty prepares nurses to lead beyond the bedside by creating practical solutions, launching new ventures, and rethinking how healthcare is delivered. In addition to the online curriculum, an opportunity for on-campus sessions offers exposure to emerging ideas, technologies, and collaborative opportunities across É«½äÖ±²¥â€™s clinical, academic, and entrepreneurial spaces:
Hands-on innovation training:
Learn to apply design thinking, strategic planning, and implementation science to real healthcare challenges. Through project-based coursework and case analysis, you’ll design and test ideas that can improve systems, workflows, or patient experiences.
Entrepreneurship in action:
Build the foundational skills to turn ideas into sustainable business models. From identifying market opportunities to creating business plans and managing operations, you’ll gain practical experience in healthcare entrepreneurship.
Designed for working professionals:
All three specialty courses are delivered online, allowing you to balance advanced study with personal or professional commitments. Depending on your start term, DNP program students can complete the specialty in three semesters—either fully integrated into the curriculum or with one additional term.
Nurse Innovator and Entrepreneur Specialty Courses
The Nurse Innovator and Entrepreneur specialty equips nurses with the strategic, creative, and operational skills necessary to innovate within or beyond traditional healthcare environments. You’ll explore nursing innovation examples through case studies, prototype development, and real-world project work. You’ll complete three sequential courses, each designed to build upon the knowledge and experience gained in the previous one:
- The Nurse Innovator: Explore the nurse’s role in transforming care through innovation. You’ll apply design thinking, strategic planning, and implementation science to develop a prototype and pitch based on an identified opportunity in healthcare.
- The Nurse Entrepreneur: Learn to assess unmet needs and turn ideas into business plans for clinical practices or healthcare products. This course introduces key concepts in opportunity analysis, entrepreneurial strategy, and healthcare markets.
Corequisite: NUR 703 – Application of Finance and Budget Planning (offered only in the Spring semester). Students enrolled as an add-on specialty certificate and who have not previously completed NUR 703 as part of the DNP curriculum must take it concurrently. - Creating and Operating an Entrepreneurial Practice or Venture: Gain practical leadership and management skills to start or operate a healthcare practice or business. Topics include operations, human resources, finance, compliance, quality improvement, marketing, and health information technology.
Students can complete the specialty over three semesters. Those entering the DNP program in the fall typically add one semester to complete the specialty; spring entrants may integrate it fully within five semesters.
Learn More É«½äÖ±²¥ the Nurse Innovator and Entrepreneur DNP Specialty
Enrollment Options
Current É«½äÖ±²¥ DNP students who wish to add the Nurse Innovator and Entrepreneur specialty to their Fall 2025 academic plan, click here to: .
DNP-prepared nurses outside of É«½äÖ±²¥ who wish to apply for this specialty starting in Fall 2026, please click below to email Dr. Iris Padilla, Specialty Director.
What Can You Do With a Nursing Innovation and Entrepreneurship DNP Specialty?
The Nurse Innovator and Entrepreneur DNP track and specialty certificate equip you to lead in diverse roles across healthcare systems, startups, and community practices. You’ll gain the skills to identify gaps in care, design scalable solutions, and manage healthcare systems with strategic and financial insight. Graduates are prepared for impactful career opportunities such as:
- Clinical entrepreneur: Launch innovative care models or products that address unmet needs in healthcare.
- Director of practice transformation or health technology: Lead systems-level initiatives to improve care delivery and integrate new tools or processes.
- Healthcare innovation leader: Champion strategic initiatives that enhance quality, efficiency, and outcomes across health systems.
- NP business owner: Establish and manage an independent clinical practice or venture aligned with your expertise.
- Startup founder: Build and scale new healthcare businesses, from digital platforms to service innovations.
- Strategic consultant in healthcare innovation: Advise organizations on developing forward-thinking solutions to operational and clinical challenges.
Specialty Director
Blanca Iris Padilla
PhD, MBA, MSN, APRN, FNP-BC, FAANP
Dr. Blanca (Iris) Padilla is director of the Nurse Innovator and Entrepreneur DNP specialty and a clinical associate professor at É«½äÖ±²¥. She also serves as chief nurse strategic business operations officer for É«½äÖ±²¥ University Health System and is a É«½äÖ±²¥ University President Fellow for 2024-2025. Her professional nursing experience includes trauma-critical, emergency department, and primary care, while her research has focused on health disparities, health-seeking behaviors, and diabetes.
Learn more about Dr. Padilla: