Nevada Nursing Summit Empowers Nurses to Lead and Shape Healthcare Future

Nevada’s nursing workforce, a sprawling network of more than 30,000 professionals ranging from rural critical access hospitals to high-volume urban trauma centers, converged in Reno on November 4 for a summit aimed at fundamentally shifting how the state’s healthcare decisions are made.

The 2026 Nevada Nursing Summit, hosted by the University of Nevada, Reno Orvis School of Nursing, served as a rallying point for nearly 200 nurses to transition from the bedside to the boardroom and the capitol.

The event, as reported by the Orvis School of Nursing, centered on a singular, urgent premise: the lived experience of nurses is the most underutilized asset in health policy.

While clinical expertise is often treated as a technical commodity, the summit organizers argued that it is, in fact, a leadership requirement. For the state’s healthcare system, which faces persistent challenges in workforce retention and legislative alignment, this shift in self-perception could prove consequential.

Turning Expertise Into Legislative Action

The push for systemic influence was anchored by the official launch of the Organization of Nevada Nurse Leaders (ONNL). With seed funding provided by the Nevada Hospital Association, Renown Health, and Carson Tahoe Health, this new body aims to formalize the role of nurses in administrative and policy-making spheres. Molly Kokenge, an associate dean at the Orvis School of Nursing, will lead the organization as its inaugural president.

The summit’s programming was designed to bridge the gap between clinical practice and policy advocacy. Breakout sessions led by experts like Vania Carter-Strauss focused on the mechanics of legislative engagement, while a dedicated panel featuring Assemblymember Heather Goulding and Dawn Evans of the Nevada Hospital Association provided a direct look at how nurses can influence state law.

According to event details shared by the Nevada Nurses Association, the goal is to create a sustained forum for policy-focused dialogue that extends far beyond a single day of meetings.

“Nurses do not need to wait for an invitation to lead,” said Charles Yingling, dean of the Orvis School of Nursing. “We already have the expertise, the trust and the lived experience of caring for people and communities. The challenge coming out of the Nevada Nursing Summit is to turn that expertise into action.”

Dismantling Hierarchies in Healthcare

A significant portion of the conversation focused on the cultural obstacles within medicine that historically relegate nurses to subordinate roles. Keynote speaker Sarah DiGregorio, author of Taking Care: The Story of Nursing and Its Power to Change Our World, challenged attendees to examine the false hierarchies that govern hospital and clinic structures.

Her presentation, “Who Gets to Be Called an Expert?” prompted a broader discussion on how nurses can assert their authority in public and professional spaces.

Photo: nvnurses.nursingnetwork.com

This theme of reclaiming the narrative was echoed by featured speaker James Q. Simmons, who advised attendees on how to leverage media and online platforms to communicate clinical expertise effectively.

For the nurses in attendance, the stakes are clear: when nursing perspectives are absent from public health debates, the resulting policies often fail to account for the realities of patient care. By positioning themselves as public educators, these professionals aim to fill a vacuum in the current healthcare conversation.

The Road Ahead for Nevada’s Workforce

As the summit concluded, the focus shifted to the practical application of these leadership tools. Caroline Samir, the event’s emcee and a lecturer at the Orvis School of Nursing, noted that the primary success of the gathering was the creation of a cross-state network. By bringing together professionals from education, research, and government, the summit established a blueprint for future collaboration.

Instagram

However, the transition from professional development to meaningful policy change remains an ongoing test. While the introduction of the ONNL provides a new structure for advocacy, the efficacy of this organization will be measured by its ability to secure a seat at the table when Nevada’s healthcare landscape undergoes its next major legislative overhaul.

The question of how effectively these 30,000 voices can be unified into a single, cohesive political force remains the defining challenge for the state’s healthcare future.