olsilva@nmsu.edu 

Professor Silva’s clinical nursing career began over 8 years ago on a pediatric med-surg floor and a NICU float. She quickly shifted specialties to psychiatric mental health nursing and found her passion. After 2 years, she spent the next 4 years in school nursing while still staying PRN on the psychiatric floor and beginning her post-graduate endeavor in nursing education. She has spent the last two years in nursing education specializing in pharmacology and mental health nursing. She is currently focusing her efforts on becoming a board certified psychiatric mental health nurse and a certified nurse educator. Her teaching philosophy is based on Swanson’s Theory of Caring with a strong belief if student’s feel cared for, it will directly be reflected on their outcomes. Having a very strong proclivity to narrative pedagogy, Professor Silva is passionate about learning and growing in her current position as an instructor.