diff --git a/packages/core/src/components/nav/nav-interface.ts b/packages/core/src/components/nav/nav-interface.ts
index 8e17df1081..a378b8a8b4 100644
--- a/packages/core/src/components/nav/nav-interface.ts
+++ b/packages/core/src/components/nav/nav-interface.ts
@@ -2,7 +2,7 @@
 /* it is very important to keep this interface in sync with ./nav */
 import { NavOptions, ViewController } from '../../index';
 
-export interface PublicNavController {
+export interface PublicNav {
   push(component: any, data?: any, opts?: NavOptions): Promise<any>;
   pop(opts?: NavOptions): Promise<any>;
   setRoot(component: any, data?: any, opts?: NavOptions): Promise<any>;
@@ -16,7 +16,9 @@ export interface PublicNavController {
 
   getActive?(): ViewController;
   getPrevious?(view?: ViewController): ViewController;
-  canGoBack?(nav: PublicNavController): boolean;
+  canGoBack?(nav: PublicNav): boolean;
   canSwipeBack?(): boolean;
   getFirstView?(): ViewController;
+
+  element?: HTMLElement;
 }
diff --git a/packages/core/src/components/nav/nav.tsx b/packages/core/src/components/nav/nav.tsx
index c448272f5f..608c79ce09 100644
--- a/packages/core/src/components/nav/nav.tsx
+++ b/packages/core/src/components/nav/nav.tsx
@@ -6,7 +6,7 @@ import {
   NavController,
   NavOptions,
   NavState,
-  PublicNavController,
+  PublicNav,
   RouterEntries,
   RouterEntry,
   ViewController
@@ -25,7 +25,7 @@ import { assert, isReady } from '../../utils/helpers';
 @Component({
   tag: 'ion-nav',
 })
-export class Nav implements PublicNavController {
+export class Nav implements PublicNav {
 
   @Element() element: HTMLElement;
   @Event() navInit: EventEmitter;
diff --git a/packages/core/src/index.d.ts b/packages/core/src/index.d.ts
index 5045c865b2..d99e8beafc 100644
--- a/packages/core/src/index.d.ts
+++ b/packages/core/src/index.d.ts
@@ -93,7 +93,7 @@ export {
 } from './components/modal/modal';
 export { ModalController } from './components/modal-controller/modal-controller';
 export { Nav } from './components/nav/nav';
-export { PublicNavController } from './components/nav/nav-interface';
+export { PublicNav } from './components/nav/nav-interface';
 export { NavController } from './components/nav-controller/nav-controller';
 export { Note } from './components/note/note';
 export { Page } from './components/page/page';
diff --git a/packages/core/src/navigation/nav-interfaces.ts b/packages/core/src/navigation/nav-interfaces.ts
index 53e74028dd..4ffb8fbd5a 100644
--- a/packages/core/src/navigation/nav-interfaces.ts
+++ b/packages/core/src/navigation/nav-interfaces.ts
@@ -86,3 +86,9 @@ export interface Transition extends Animation {
 export interface TransitionBuilder {
   (rootTransition: Transition, enteringView: ViewController, leavingView: ViewController, opts: AnimationOptions ): Transition;
 }
+
+export interface PublicViewController {
+  component?: any;
+  instance?: any;
+  element?: HTMLElement;
+}
diff --git a/packages/core/src/navigation/view-controller.ts b/packages/core/src/navigation/view-controller.ts
index b8d47c03b8..e0a27dbeb7 100644
--- a/packages/core/src/navigation/view-controller.ts
+++ b/packages/core/src/navigation/view-controller.ts
@@ -1,9 +1,9 @@
-import { FrameworkDelegate, Nav } from '../index';
+import { FrameworkDelegate, Nav, PublicViewController } from '../index';
 import { STATE_ATTACHED, STATE_DESTROYED, STATE_INITIALIZED, STATE_NEW } from './nav-utils';
 
 import { assert } from '../utils/helpers';
 
-export class ViewController {
+export class ViewController implements PublicViewController {
 
   id: string;
   data: any;