From Nurse to CEO: 5 Nurse Entrepreneurs to Know This National Nurses Week

In 2019, before coronavirus was part of our daily vocabulary, 2020 was designated "International Year of the Nurse and Midwife" to honor the 200th anniversary of the birth of Florence Nightingale, the founder of modern nursing. National Nurses Week started on May 6 and ends on May 12, International Nurses Day.

Nurses deserve our support this week and every week, so we've rounded up a list of businesses and organizations created, founded, and run by nurses. These incredible nurse entrepreneurs have taken their experiences in the medical field and applied them to their own businesses.

Nurse Nancy — The Route Beauty

Nurse Nancy has been a registered nurse for 32 years and a nurse practitioner for 29. She co-founded The Route Beauty, a skincare brand inspired by her years working in aesthetic medicine. "The Route is a nurse-founded brand and from day one, we have set out to focus on the underappreciated or unrecognized vital contributions that nurses in all fields make every single day. We were thrilled when 2020 was named The Year of the Nurse as this is in perfect alignment with the DNA of our brand." Nurse Nancy wanted to give more women access to "medical-grade" skincare that was simple but effective — The Route's most popular products include The Party Peel, an illuminating, exfoliating peel.

Nurse Jamie — Nurse Jamie Healthy Skin Solutions

Nurse Jamie is an Aesthetic Nurse Specialist and celebrity skincare expert with an impressive list of clients including Shay Mitchell, Jessica Alba, and Khloe Kardashian, who calls Nurse Jamie her "skin whisperer." She created a line of skincare tools and products to fill gaps she saw missing in the marketplace while working. Her innovative products like the Uplift — a lifting face roller, Beauty Bear — an anti-aging pillow, and NuLips RX — an exfoliating and nourishing lip care system, are loved by celebrities and beauty gurus.

Monique Rodriguez — Mielle Organics

With nine years of experience as a registered nurse, Monique Rodriguez combined her scientific background with her love for hair to launch Mielle Organics. Her brand uses organic, natural ingredients to promote healthy skin and hair.

Rand Rusher — Stitch Lab

Rand Rusher has been a registered nurse for over 20 years, working in a number of areas including surgical and dermatologic medicine. His work as a nurse led him to co-found Stitch Lab, a scrubs brand that creates functional and fashionable medical clothing. Since the outbreak of COVID-19, Stitch Lab has been making masks using their special fabric that has built-in filtration to support other frontline workers.

Karen Cunningham — Karen Cunningham Photography

As a photographer and a New York City nurse, Karen Cunningham combined her skills to create a moving collection of images depicting life for nurses working during the COVID-19 pandemic. The beautiful and intimate images remind us just how hard nurses and other frontline workers are working to fight this disease.