John Silver, Ph.D RN

After 24 years in healthcare, including 39 years as a Registered Nurse, John was drawn to two essential problems- Why couldn’t Nursing control it’s practice domains, and why was the healthcare system we had so dysfunctional in terms of Public Health outcomes? John soon realized that the problems were linked. If nursing could not ensure safe levels of practice and were not actively engaged at the decision tables as to where resources were allocated in the systems, how could Nursing ensure the maximum benefit for our patients would be realized? The answer lay in the political relationship of nurses to the facilities, and Nursing to the political process. He then embarked on a journey of research and discovery in his Public Intellectual Ph.D. in Comparative Studies. He has spoken at several international and national conferences, including the AANP, on healthcare system design. He also advised several nursing groups on political empowerment, including NP’s as they worked towards independent practice and prescriptive authority. Out of this work, he discovered a need for a clear mission and vision for nursing.