Nurse Inventors

orangepink, NP · Aug 9, 2009

what kinds of stuff have nurses invented? my classmate and i were joking about reinventing the syringe :-)

findingmywayRN · Sep 17, 2009

Hi Everyone,

I haven't checked my original post in a while. I'm glad there is such an interest in nurse inventors!

I am a nurse inventor. I've invented many medical devices, as I'm always inspired by problems I come across in my job as a nurse. Looking for ways to improve things or making something "better, cheaper, faster" is a good place to start when looking to create an invention.

I must tell you that although some people may have a genuine interest in your product there are also untrustworthy companies out there, too. You always have to be very careful to protect your invention, or "intellectual property." A non-disclosure agreement won't stop a company from working around your device or patenting it first before you do. That is why it is so important to work with a patent attorney to protect your ideas!

If you have any other questions about inventing or nurses creating products please post your questions here and I'll try to answer them as best as I can.

Good Luck!

Sarah RN, BSN

katr131313 · Oct 12, 2009

I am not a "nurse inventor", but I share your concerns about having my idea stolen and someone else taking the credit (and $$$), from MY idea or invention.
This is called a "back door" copyright".
Type up you idea (or story, writing), in as much detail as you can.
Then put it in an envelope and mail it back to yourself, and when you get it back in the mail, (this is the most important!), leave the letter UNOPENED!. It now has a legal date stamp courtesy of the Post Office. Put it in a safe place.
You then have legal proof that it WAS your idea, (or Intellectual Property), and can prove it.
You might want to contact an attorney who specializes in copyrights, and get some legal advice. In the meantime, the letter should prove your ownership in the short term. Hope that helps.
Lindarn, RN, BSN, CCRN
Spokane, Washington

hahaha this is totally what my aunt adviced me to do!!!! genius!!!!!!!!

findingmywayRN · Oct 25, 2009

The only true protection of intellectual property is patenting. Copyrighting is for written work - not establishing legal protection of intellectual property. In fact, mailing yourself an envelope is not legal proof of anything - what if you sent the envelope unsealed and put in the information later? Inventors must go to great lengths to ensure that their inventions are protected - patenting, always using a Non Disclosure Agreement, and having a lawyer assist you in the negotiations with whomever you would like to speak with about your product.

findingmywayRN · Oct 25, 2009

i found this kind of cool site and thought i would mention it to my fellow nurse idea-generators! if you have a business idea, you can post it to this site. you can get comments and votes and each month they invest $10,000 in the winning idea to help develop it. if you are afraid of someone seeing and taking this idea, may not be the site you want to post on, however at least you can get some feedback.
www.ideablob.com
i am still looking for stuff about how to get product ideas to pay. i wonder if you can present your idea to a company that manufactures a similar product while having them sign a non-disclosure agreement.
lisa

hi lisa,

what types of products are you refering to? medical devices or general ideas? are these ideas patented or patentable? many manufacturers are open to product suggestions - but many are also reluctant to sign non-disclosure agreements to protect themselves in case they were already working on a similar idea. these companies may request a "non-confidential" descriptions of your idea. this basically means using only the most extremely vague terms - in a way which no one could possibly imagine what your product could be or look like. you still always need to be very careful, not to disclose too much. using a lawyer is recommended to set up agreements on what to discuss, etc.