Heart of Health: Nurse educator Kelly Silver supports Family Practice Nursing students to learn, grow and trust in their capabilities

With The Heart of Health series, we’re shining a light on the many dedicated employees, physicians, learners, and volunteers who make Nova Scotia Health such a remarkable place to work and receive care. Today we’re featuring Kelly Silver.

Kelly Silver is a nurse educator for the Family Practice Nursing Program at the Nova Scotia Health Learning Institute for Healthcare Providers. She said she’s happiest when she sees others learning and growing and trusting in their own capabilities. 

The Family Practice Nursing Program is a specialty program for registered nurses. “It gives RNs the knowledge and skills to work in a primary care setting,” Kelly explained. The program, which was 16 weeks, is being condensed to 12 weeks to allow nurses to practice in the primary care setting sooner, in response to the demand. Silver is one of three educators for the program.   

Kelly has been a nurse for 29 years and spent most of her career in acute care, primarily emergency and labour and delivery. Early in Kelly’s career, she learned from a young nurse role model.

“In my early years as a RN I was very focused on the nursing tasks that needed to be completed during my shift. I had my checklist and felt like I had provided great care by having everything checked off and charted before leaving work. I watched another colleague though, who would go into a patient’s room, and she’d open the curtains and spread her joy and she seemed to be able to pull stories from people about their lives. I realized we were completing the same tasks, but she was providing care in a different way. It was a transformational moment in my career when I realized the difference it makes to see patients as people, in the care you provide.”

Kelly adopted this same approach and is passionate about the difference small acts of kindness can make in a patient’s experience.

In 2015, Kelly left acute care to work full-time as a family practice nurse. In 2020, she became an educator of family practice nurses for Northern Zone, and in November 2023, she began teaching in the Family Practice Nursing Program. 
In the same way that Kelly learned early in her career the value in seeing the patient as a whole person, she applies the same philosophy to learners, being kind, caring and interested in their lives. “As a teacher, you’re the facilitator of the knowledge – you pull out the stories and the experiences of the adult learners so they can learn and grow from one another.”

In recalling her own time as a nursing student, Kelly said, “I was scared to ask questions because it was a fear-driven environment. I want to create a welcoming, psychologically safe environment for learners where they can be vulnerable. It’s important to be kind to be people who are learning and growing, and to show your own vulnerability too.”

During the pandemic, Kelly lent her skills as an educator in teaching immunization, including proper landmarking – the correct positioning of the needle in the muscle. “It was very rewarding for me – after the fact, nurses would send me pictures or tell me stories about being confident with landmarking,” said Kelly, who was recognized with a Queen Elizabeth II Platinum Jubilee medal for her efforts.
Kelly herself is a lifelong learner, currently pursuing her Master’s in Adult Education with a health focus.

Of her current role, she said, “I’ve always felt that teaching was within me, and I love nursing. It’s a really nice fit.” 

We want to learn and share your stories. What keeps you going, despite challenges? What does working in health and health care mean to you, both personally and professionally? Who is that colleague or teammate that makes going to work easier when things feel hard?

Whether you’ve had a defining moment that reaffirmed your purpose or want to recognize a colleague who embodies the heart of health, share your story with us. Let’s celebrate each other! E-mail: heartofhealth@nshealth.ca.