"Nurses, Stop Undercharging!" with Molly McCarthy

What happens when a nurse refuses to stay in her lane? She goes from the NICU to Microsoft, invests in nurse-founded startups, and ends up teaching the next generation of nurses how to work with AI.

That’s Molly K. McCarthy, MBA, BSN, RN-NI, FAAN, a seasoned executive who has spent her career uniting technology, clinicians, and patients to improve care delivery, safety, and outcomes. Molly is a health technology advisor and strategist to companies ranging from early stage startups to global organizations, and she serves as the Howley Family Visiting Professor of Healthcare at Villanova University for 2025 to 2027. She also hosts the Smart Care Team Spotlight Podcast.

In this episode, Rosa and Molly talk about investing in nurse-founded companies, keeping nursing education relevant when technology moves faster than a semester, why nurses need to stop undercharging for their expertise, and what Molly would do with a billion dollars for healthcare.

Timestamps

[0:00] Intro: Rosa welcomes Molly McCarthy, describing her as “what happens when a nurse refuses to stay in her lane.”

[0:40] Molly’s background: Her path from NICU nurse to nearly a decade at Microsoft leading clinical and technical teams in digital transformation, cloud, and AI.

[1:49] Catching up: Rosa and Molly reflect on finally meeting face-to-face after connecting last fall.

[2:17] What Molly’s working on now: Advisory work with startups and large companies, plus teaching at Villanova.

[2:46] Nurse Capital: Molly’s role as a limited partner investing in nurse-founded companies alongside Beth Brooks, Dan Weberg, and Marla Weston.

[3:54] Scrub Capital: A collaborative community of clinicians across professions who review pitches weekly and angel invest together.

[4:45] The Villanova professorship: Preparing the nurses of the future, upskilling faculty on AI, and rethinking academic strategy as federal funding shrinks.

[6:43] The AI challenge in education: Molly’s book chapters on AI and health IT, and why it’s so hard to keep curriculum current.

[7:56] Generative AI and vibe coding: How exponential the pace of change has been since fall 2022.

[8:21] Inside the investment process: Why Molly sees her role as coaching and mentoring rather than judging, and how the Nurse Capital investment committee works.

[10:13] Key questions for founders: “How are you gonna make money?” and “How do you compete in the market?” Questions Molly asks entrepreneurs and professors alike.

[11:07] Connecting the dots: Partnering with University City Center in Philadelphia to bring investors, startups, and health systems together.

[11:40] Cross-pollination in education: Nursing students teaming up with biomedical engineering and law students, including a freshman team that won a pitch competition.

[14:35] Nurse Hack for Health: How the hackathon started in 2019 with Johnson & Johnson, Microsoft, and SONSIEL and grew into a major event.

[18:16] Rosa’s hackathon idea: Pairing experienced bedside nurses with students and other disciplines to combine clinical wisdom with fresh energy.

[19:34] A Big East hackathon: Molly floats the idea of a hackathon at Madison Square Garden during March Madness, open to sponsors.

[21:02] The million-dollar question: What does Molly wish someone would build that she hasn’t seen yet?

[21:54] Valuing nurses: Molly’s biggest pet peeve, and why nurses should be paid for their expertise everywhere, from book chapters to product feedback to hospital care.

[23:08] Itemized nursing charges: The case for putting a dollar amount on nursing care in hospitals, separate from room and board.

[24:08] Consulting rates for nurses: Why nurses shouldn’t base consulting fees on their hourly hospital wage, and how to charge for expertise instead of time.

[26:23] The billion-dollar question: How Molly would use $1 billion for sustainable impact in healthcare.

[27:21] Scholarships and foundations: Funding students who need financial help with nursing school, including organizations like the Bedford Foundation.

[27:57] Investing in faculty: Why academia needs more visiting professors, guest lecturers, and industry professionals with real-world experience.

[29:45] Financial and tech literacy: A call for basic financial and technology education, including AI and cloud, in undergraduate nursing programs.

[30:39] Disrupting academia: Molly’s candid take on tenure, outdated faculty pay, and the need for more flexible models.

[32:38] Childcare as a barrier: How the lack of affordable childcare keeps people out of nursing school, and the case for on-site childcare.

[34:06] Final advice: “You can’t get what you don’t ask for.” Molly encourages nurses to take risks and step outside their lane.

[34:47] HLTH in Vegas: Rosa and Molly plan to meet up at HLTH this November, which overlaps with Formula 1 week, so book your hotel early.

Connect with Molly McCarthy on LinkedIN

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