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Amy Hester, an entrepreneur and adjunct faculty member in the UAMS College of Nursing, addresses the audience during her Aug. 17 lecture.
Image by Chris Carmody
College of Nursing Alumna Shares Keys to Success in Innovation, Entrepreneurship
| Amy Hester, Ph.D., RN, an entrepreneur and adjunct faculty member in the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (UAMS) College of Nursing, recently shared her tips for success in business and innovation with nearly 200 students and faculty members during the college’s fall orientation.
Hester’s Aug. 17 speech was part of the College of Nursing’s Claudia Beverly Lectureship in Nursing Leadership, which brings in national leaders to share their efforts to advocate for excellence in nursing education, practice, and research. Claudia Beverly, Ph.D., RN, is a professor emerita at UAMS and a former director of the university’s Hartford Center of Geriatric Nursing Excellence.
Hester began by telling the origin story of HD Nursing, the company she co-founded in 2012 to help healthcare systems implement programs that reduce patients’ risk of falls. The company has partnered with more than 200 hospitals nationwide, and its programs have been shown to reduce the incidence of falls by 58% and fall-related injuries by 69%.
Nearly 200 students and faculty members attended the lecture, which was part of the College of Nursing’s fall orientation.Image by Bryan Clifton
A UAMS alumna and former employee, Hester was working as a nurse manager in the hospital’s neurology unit in 2008 when she first identified the need for better fall-prevention measures.
“Nurses are positioned to be the problem solvers for their patients,” she said. “We are there 24 hours a day, seven days a week, and we serve as the eyes and ears for all the other healthcare professionals.”
She and colleague Dees Davis created a risk assessment tool and developed a program to reduce the number of falls on their ward. Eventually, the program was implemented throughout the hospital, leading to a significant decline in fall rates.
Hester and Davis founded HD Nursing with the help of BioVentures LLC, UAMS’ technology transfer office and business incubator. But Hester said she was initially reluctant to start the company, citing concerns about conflicts of interest and her fear of taking the leap into a new endeavor.
“I would encourage you not to let yourself get in the way of your own success,” she said. “Don’t let your fears affect your ability to touch the lives of innumerable patients.”
Hester also discussed the importance of protecting intellectual property, highlighting resources for those who have innovations to share with the world.
Sarah Rhoads, dean of the College of Nursing, said the lecture provided an opportunity for students to see how they can use their education to improve the lives of others.Image by Bryan Clifton
Noting that the new students arrived at UAMS with a blank slate, she encouraged them to ask questions and challenge conventional wisdom in patient care.
“There is absolutely no limit to the amount of innovation you can pursue in healthcare,” she said. “It could be a new medical device, or it could be an improvement in workflow or process.”
Sarah Rhoads, Ph.D., DNP, dean of the College of Nursing, said the lecture provided an opportunity for students to see how they can use their education to improve the lives of others. As she welcomed the students to the College of Nursing, she urged them to explore different specialties in the nursing profession, then focus on the one that they love.
“This is going to be a wonderful educational journey for you,” she said.