Nursing leadership and health policy: a dialogue with nurse leaders.

National public health policy influencing the entire population is particularly exciting when nurses serve as key players informing the process. The leaders in this dialogue participated in the process by sharing their disciplinary knowledge and experience. They were selected to work with bureaucrats to design healthcare for the future. This dialogue among two nurse leaders demonstrates a path to top leadership in the United States. Swider and Bigley here share their stories of how they moved beyond clinical practice to involvement in their communities and the nation. Through public health and policy initiatives, both nurse leaders have helped shape healthcare to provide better patient-centered care at all levels. This dialogue not only shares their successes, but also sets the stage for others in nursing to use policy to transform healthcare for the future.