“All of God’s people are ordinary people who have been made extraordinary by the purpose He has given them.” Oswald Chambers
The journey that led Dr. Dean Prentice back to ORU began as an ordinary quest. It
has been transformed into a passionate pilgrimage and devotion to facilitate nurses
and healthcare leaders to discover their potential, passion and place in the healthcare
industry.
Dr. Prentice returned to ORU in 2018 after 30 years of traveling the world. His professional
career was as an Officer in the United States Air Force Nurse Corps and retiring as
a Colonel. A graduate of the nursing program at ORU, Dr. Prentice understood his journey
in nursing would not be a traditional path. During his days at ORU, he learned that
our God is the God of possibilities and to trust the journey, even if you don’t know
where it is leading!
And so the journey began. Dr. Prentice started his journey as a clinical nurse on Medical Units, ICUs, Outpatient Clinics, and Emergency Departments. He also has over 1,000 hours in multiple aircrafts as an Aeromedical Flight Nurse. He was humbled and blessed to be the Team Leader of the first Aeromedical Evacuation Crew who evacuated Americans from Nairobi Kenya after the terrorist bombing at the US Embassy.
At the Executive level, Dr. Prentice has been led operations at three facilities which
included family practice and pediatrics, pharmacy, laboratory, outpatient records,
mental health, public health, bioenvironmental engineering, dental, OB, emergency
and surgical departments, ambulance services, and immunizations. He has also been
a Chief Nurse Executive and has served as the CEO of a large outpatient clinic. Dr.
Prentice completed a Fellowship at the Air Force Surgeon General’s Office in Medical
Planning and Organizational Development and was a four-year member of the Air Force
Nurse Corps Board of Directors. His final position in the Air Forces was as the Deputy
Command Surgeon for the Air Forces Central Command. He planned and executed the medical
care, force laydown, and preventive health care for the US and coalition nation forces
in the Middle East.
Dr. Prentice has been an in-demand speaker in nursing and healthcare on multiple topics
related to leadership development, professionalism, teamwork, workplace dynamics,
and clinical leadership. His approach has been one of helping leaders at all levels
to discover their purpose, pursuing their passion, and developing their leadership
to serve others. He has spoken both nationally and internationally on leadership principles
and development, patient safety, challenges in the work environment, professionalism,
and the impact of personal development on professional outcomes.
Finally, Dr. Prentice has placed his passion and purpose for leadership development into RN2Leader. As the founder and primary author of this leadership blog, Dr. Prentice has discovered the great need to speak ethical and moral principles into the world of leadership development. Dr. Prentice’s successful approach to translating leadership principles into simple, practical, and actionable steps has made his blog a resource for many leaders in the industry. He regularly engages with thought leaders in different industries to help bring benchmark ideas to healthcare.
Dean and his wife Melisa live in Tulsa and have 3 fantastical children.