We’re one-on-one with a staple in the Boston nursing community and a true expert in trauma care, Dr. Sheila Silva. Dr. Silva has multiple decades of experience both practicing and teaching emergency medicine. ACLS Academy is truly lucky and proud to have Dr. Silva as part of our instructor organization teaching the very same courses she was instrumental in developing and refining over the years. We invite you to learn from a master in trauma care.
Medical Career Experience & Current Employment:
Current employer & role: Adjunct Assistant Professor of Nursing and Chairperson of the Master of Nursing program at Emmanuel College.
Past employers & roles: My 40 year plus background is in emergency nursing including Trauma Outreach Manager at Brigham and Women's, and other hospital roles in Norwood, Quincy and other South Shore communities. I’ve also taught at a number of New England colleges, including Northeastern, and through the Emergency Nurses Association (ENA) trauma and nursing courses.
Education:
Bachelor of Science in Nursing and Master of Science in Nursing from University of Massachusetts, Boston
Doctorate of Nursing Practice from Regis College
Industry Roles:
Past President of the Massachusetts Emergency Nurses Association, 2013- 2014
Current role: Trauma Chairperson since 2015 of the Massachusetts Emergency Nurses Association, a local chapter of the National Emergency Nurses Association. Each state has a chapter, though the chapter size varies. Mass ENA does a lot of education throughout the state and we recently held our annual conference on November 17, 2023 at Emmanuel College. As Trauma Chairperson, I oversee the TNCC course curriculum for the state, which I also instruct for ACLS Academy. I am also part of the National Committee for revisions to the course curriculum and participated in reviews of both the eighth and ninth editions.
You were quoted in a 2021 ENA article about how the “New ENA Delivered Model Brings Flagship Courses ‘Closer’ to Isolated Students”. Tell us more about how online training has benefited the nursing industry.
We were much more able to reach less populated geographies. Similar to what occurred across all educational institutions, the need to move online was as a result of COVID, when the ENA pivoted away from exclusively in person learning to remote learning as well. Initially in our local ENA chapter, the TNCC instructors themselves had to figure out how to facilitate the online instruction until the National ENA organization moved to formalize the online curriculum creating excellent materials and making the course more widely available to new participants and geographic areas. The ENA has been able to branch out and reach areas such as rural Wyoming, Montana, Alaska, the uppermost part of northern California, even Aruba. These were locations where nurses didn’t have access to in-person course instruction and thus were unable to learn additional skills taught by the ENA through their courses. The online availability of this course material is now permanent, which is really fantastic for the nursing community. The 9th edition course materials were published in July 2023 including the online version of the materials. Overall, the need to support online learning, I think, has resulted in the development of improved materials and processes and of course availability to all geographic regions requiring this expertise.
In addition to your work with the ENA, you also actively participate in the American College of Surgeons Stop the Bleed program and have taught the program to nurses, students, and laypersons. Tell us about the impact this program has made in the community since its inception after the Sandy Hook shooting.
I’ve actually been involved with the program since its inception in 2015. As you mentioned the program concept was spurred by the Sandy Hook shootings, and the training was developed by a group of surgeons, EMS and military trauma experts to teach the public essential skills necessary to address an emergency event where individuals have been wounded.
That same year in 2015, President Obama officially created the Stop The Bleed initiative. It is a course that's designed to teach lay people how to stop bleeding, basically. After I became aware of the program’s formation, I proposed to the Massachusetts ENA to fund the purchase of the necessary kits and we conducted the formal training throughout the state. And we still provide that training to the general public and at schools as well. ACLS Academy also has a Stop The Bleed course to provide this essential public training.
Personal Background:
I’ve spent the majority of my life living in Quincy, though I recently downsized and moved to Rockland on the South Shore. I love what I do and spent most of my career working multiple jobs simultaneously, so leisure time hasn’t been a focus, which is something I see in Shelley (ACLS Academy co-founder) and others in my profession. However, very recently I have downsized my work and am thrilled to be spending more time with my family, though they are a bit skeptical that this recent professional downshifting will be permanent. I have a house in New Hampshire which is a nice getaway for myself and family.
Teaching Background:
When did you join ACLS Academy?
Three years ago, or so, I joined ACLS Academy as an instructor, though I have been teaching TNCC and ENPC courses in hospitals throughout the state of Massachusetts since the mid-80s.
Favorite part of teaching?
It is definitely connecting with the class participants. I try to use the word participant as opposed to student, as I want the course and our time together to be an engagement with each class participant and myself and the co-instructor. It’s not us standing at the front of the room lecturing, but rather an interactive learning session.
Because of my history in developing the course curriculum, I am very passionate about the material and really love teaching both TNCC and ENPC courses. It’s so rewarding seeing participants absorb the information, comprehending the details and empowering them in their work. I think my passion does come across and strengthens the connection with the material being taught.
It is also so rewarding to receive an email or call from a nurse who has taken my course and hear firsthand how they were able to remember and use the skills and course information in a patient situation. I particularly recall teaching a group of ICU nurses at a hospital who typically were not trained in these protocols and somewhat resistant to the training. However as we moved through the material they immediately saw the benefits and embraced the training and content. It’s making a difference and conveying new information and skills that can save lives.
Why ACLS Academy?
First off, Shelly and Chad are wonderful. Shelley and I, we were part of similar professional circles and when a colleague connected us, we immediately hit it off. Secondly, ACLS Academy was based in Quincy and I lived quite close to their offices. In planning the next stage of my career outside of a hospital working environment, I thought ACLS Academy and working with Shelley and Chad would be a perfect fit for teaching my trauma courses especially since Shelley and I have very similar teaching styles and approaches. They are so helpful and easy to collaborate with. The facility is great and provides a convenient location to house all the equipment needed to teach the trauma courses. It really is a great collaboration.
Teaching Approach:
I like a hands-on teaching approach as we know when students have to do something themselves, the information is retained. When I collaborated on the eighth edition of ENA’s TNCC and ENPC course materials, we added a lot of hands-on elements to the training. Also utilization of practical scenarios using the equipment available in their clinical setting.
I think relating real life stories is effective but shouldn’t be overdone as the discussion can get off track. So I like to give my participants a glimpse into my experience with stories, but limit the sharing so as not to overwhelm them or make the learning all about me. The quest isn’t about my personal experiences but about the process.
I also strongly believe the best instructors are those who really know the course material. If an instructor isn’t comfortable with the material and is focused on reading notes or referring to slides, students can tell as the interactive discussion level drops.
Thoughts on the nursing profession, its challenges and advancements?
I’ve been teaching for the better part of 30 years, both in academic and clinical settings, and what has evolved is the manner in which instructors and student participants interact. Many of us recall the traditional learning setting in a large lecture call with 100 students, where the professor is ratting off information and the students sat there and listened. There wasn’t even a Powerpoint presentation utilized and everyone took notes. Education and learning has changed to a flipped classroom or blended learning concept where students complete reading and study at home and in the classroom, they work on live-problem solving and diving into the finer details during class time. The aim is to increase student engagement, where the student arrives with a certain level of knowledge, we have a discussion, answer questions, and exchange information, which I believe is more effective. It also puts some responsibility on the student and creates a more proactive learning approach.
We’ve also progressed learning far beyond lectures and textbooks and now advanced simulation labs are utilized; our mannequins even talk and breathe.
Any other last thoughts?
I would just emphasize the importance of the Stop the Bleed program which focuses on regular people being trained, prepared and willing to respond to emergencies. In fact there is a bill before the Massachusetts legislature, Senate Bill 1462, “The Massachusetts Trauma 2 Response Preparedness Act”, which would require trauma kits in public buildings. The “Trauma Kit”, would contain materials to help a general bystander provide first aid to another citizen suffering from a serious, life threatening bleed. At minimum kits must include an adequate tourniquet, gauze, gloves, and a proper training booklet as defined by the American College of Surgeons or an equivalent organization.