This research article, titled “Cultivating healthcare innovators: a cross-sectional study on entrepreneurial abilities and influencing factors among nursing undergraduates”, addresses a critical gap in nursing education and professional development. The authors, Hongyu Yu and Guimin Wen, highlight that the rapid transformation of healthcare environments, intensifying employment competition, and emerging entrepreneurial opportunities necessitate entrepreneurial ability as an essential quality for nursing undergraduates. However, they note that current educational systems are inadequate in cultivating these critical entrepreneurial skills, and research in this specific area remains scarce.
The study’s primary objectives were to assess the entrepreneurial abilities of nursing undergraduates, identify the factors that influence these abilities, and propose actionable strategies to enhance innovation-driven adaptability, thereby supporting healthcare transformation and evidence-based education policies.
To achieve these objectives, a cross-sectional survey was conducted from March to April 2023 at the nursing school of a university in Liaoning, China. The study included 521 undergraduate nursing students, selected using convenience sampling. Participants’ entrepreneurial abilities were assessed using the Self-Assessment Scale for Entrepreneurial Ability of College Students, which comprises four dimensions: entrepreneurial personality, basic entrepreneurial ability, core entrepreneurial ability, and social coping ability. Multiple linear regression analysis was performed to identify the significant influencing factors.
Key findings indicate that the overall entrepreneurial ability of nursing undergraduates is at an upper-middle level, with a mean score of 3.80 (SD = 0.647). While social coping abilities scored the highest (3.92), basic entrepreneurial abilities had the lowest score (3.69). Specifically, sub-dimensions like practical ability (3.42) and resource integration (3.66) received the lowest scores, highlighting areas for significant improvement, especially as these are closely related to core entrepreneurial activities.
The study identified several significant positive predictors of entrepreneurial ability:
- Higher comprehensive academic performance rankings.
- Class leadership experience.
- Parents holding college or associate degrees (higher parental educational level).
- Family members’ supportive attitudes towards entrepreneurship. These factors collectively accounted for 19.3% of the variation in entrepreneurial abilities.
In conclusion, the research underscores the imbalance in nursing undergraduates’ entrepreneurial ability structure, with strengths in personality and social coping but weaknesses in practical and core entrepreneurial skills. The findings strongly advocate for the integration of targeted entrepreneurship training—particularly in opportunity identification, risk management, and resource mobilization—into nursing curricula. The study also proposes actionable strategies such as mandatory “Nursing Innovation Practice” courses, clinical innovation practicums, interdisciplinary practicums with health-tech startups, and enhanced home-school collaboration to foster these essential competencies.
Reference: Yu, H., & Wen, G. (2025). Cultivating healthcare innovators: a cross-sectional study on entrepreneurial abilities and influencing factors among nursing undergraduates. BMC Nursing, 24(678). https://doi.org/10.1186/s12912-025-03380-7