Entrepreneurship education for nurses and healthcare professionals: A scoping review and future research agenda

AIM: To map and synthesise global evidence on entrepreneurship education for nurses and healthcare professionals. BACKGROUND: As healthcare systems face increasing complexity, entrepreneurial skills-including innovation, value creation and resourcefulness in addressing service gaps-are recognised as vital for transforming healthcare delivery. While entrepreneurship training has expanded in medical education, its integration into nursing and allied health education remains limited and under-researched. DESIGN: Scoping review guided by the Joanna Briggs Institute methodology and reported in accordance with PRISMA-ScR guidelines. METHODS: A systematic search of five databases (Embase, Scopus, Web of Science, CINAHL and Medline) identified 18 eligible studies. Data were thematically analysed and mapped using the Quintuple Aim framework alongside a consolidated set of ten entrepreneurial competencies derived from established entrepreneurship literature, enabling integrated analysis of program content and outcomes. RESULTS: Programs were predominantly concentrated in urban academic centres and primarily targeted physicians. Nursing-focused initiatives were fewer and demonstrated narrower competency coverage, with key gaps in risk management and financial literacy. Most programs employed experiential, team-based pedagogies. Evidence of impact was strongest for improving the work life of healthcare providers, while empirical evidence for patient outcomes, cost reduction and health equity remained limited. CONCLUSIONS: Entrepreneurship education shows promise for strengthening the leadership, innovation and system-change capacity of nurses and healthcare professionals. However, current offerings are fragmented and physician centric. This review highlights the need for more robust, nursing-specific entrepreneurship education grounded in comprehensive competency frameworks and evaluated through rigorous, longitudinal approaches, providing a foundation for curriculum development, faculty capacity-building and future research.