WTF is a Hackathon? A Nurse’s Guide to Tech Sprints & Solving Big Problems Fast

This past weekend, I participated in my first hackathon. 😳

Before moving to the Bay Area, "hackathon" was just a word I've heard during college that my friends in the school of engineering talked about in passing. Frankly, I was too busy trying not to fail out of nursing school to care.

After applying and being accepted to Out Of Pocket Health's 2nd ever AI Hackathon, I was paired with 2 amazing software engineers, 1 product manager, and another clinician. For 3 days we took a pain point I experienced as a nurse, turned it into an idea, and built it into a full fledged demo with the guidance of industry experts (clinical, product, and engineering). At the end, we presented our project to a group of 150+ people, including to top VC partners specializing in the healthcare market.

We won 3rd place! 🏆

The truth is: hackathons are made for nurses. Especially those of us who’ve whispered, “there has to be a better way” while wrestling with the EHR, juggling tubes and timelines, or managing yet another pre-op checklist by hand.

This guide will walk you through exactly what a hackathon is, why nurses belong there, and how to confidently jump into your first one—even if you don’t code a single line (like me!).

1. So… what is a hackathon?

   A hackathon is a short, time-boxed event—usually 24 to 72 hours—where people come together to solve a problem using creativity, collaboration, and a mix of clinical and tech knowledge.

   Despite the name, it’s not about “hacking” in the hacking cough sense. It’s about hacking together a quick-and-dirty prototype of a solution. Something we nurses do all the time at work whent he system is not build for us in mind (which is often). Think MVP = “minimum viable product,” or the simplest version of a tool that can be tested, pitched, or demoed.

   Think of it like this:

   • Code blue for ideas. Fast-moving, high-pressure, team-based problem solving.

   • Mock code simulation meets Shark Tank. But with food. Lots of food.

   
   

2. Why do hackathons matter in healthcare?

   Because the people building the tools—engineers, designers, investors—often aren’t the ones using them. That’s how we get a dozen point solutions (tools that fix one small step) that don’t talk to each other or make bedside workflows even messier.

   Hackathons are one of the few spaces where clinical folks and tech folks come together and actually build something together.

   Plus, the National Institute of Health (NIH) found that hackathons:

   • Spark innovation outside traditional R&D departments

   • Provide quick feedback loops for prototyping

   • Encourage interdisciplinary collaboration

   • Help frontline clinicians “see themselves” as builders, not just users

   
   

3. What happens at a hackathon?

   My hackathon format was a little different but here’s a rough play-by-play:

   • Kickoff: People pitch ideas. You can share one or join a team.

   • Team Formation: Groups self-organize based on shared interest.

   • Build Time: You spend 1–2 days creating a solution—a demo, slide deck, or clickable prototype.

   • Mentorship: Experts float in to give feedback

   • Final Pitches: Teams present to judges. There are often prizes, partnerships, or even real-world pilots at stake.

   It’s part sprint, part bootcamp, part improv night.

   
   

4. What can you build?

   Honestly? Anything. Past hackathon projects include:

   • A platform for matching med students to volunteer sites during COVID

   • An AI tool for patient discharge planning

   • A mobile app that helps track wound photos securely for home health

   • A chatbot to support advance care planning in under-resourced clinic.

   The trick is to start by asking yourself, "How can we …." (e.g. "How can we reduce hospital readmissions for patients?" or "How can we make patient admissions take less time?")

   
   

5. Common myths that stop nurses from joining (and why they’re dumb)

   ❌ “I’m not technical enough.”
   Many hackathons require non-technical people to join. These days, AI tools like Replit or Cursor make it easy for non-technical people to vibe code and build software too. If you’re a nurse, here’s what you bring to the table:

   • Real-world problems worth solving

   • Workflow knowledge (aka: how care actually happens)

   • A patient-centered lens

   • Common sense and an ability to get stuff done under pressure

   In fact, a 2023 study in BMJ Innovations found that the most successful healthcare hackathon teams had clinical end users involved early. So your voice? It’s gold.

   ❌ “I don’t have an idea.”
   Then join a team! You’ll learn just by being in the room.

   ❌ “What if I embarrass myself?”
   The bar is low. The energy is high. And honestly, no one knows what they’re doing at 12am on day two anyway.

   
   

6. How hackathons fit into startup journeys

   Hackathons aren’t the end—they’re the spark. Some projects turn into full-blown companies. Others feed into incubators, grant applications, or internal innovation teams. Still, every nurse who participates walks away with:

   • New skills

   • New confidence

   • A new network

   • And a new lens on how healthcare solutions are born