Candidate for Ontario CAET Regional Director Position

Allison Da Silva (Kirke), RN, BScN, CETN (C)

Mississauga, Ontario

My name is Allison Da Silva (Kirke) and I have been a nurse specialized in wound, ostomy and continence since 2014, starting my journey into this specialization in 2013 focusing on wound care at Trillium Health Partners (THP). Prior to enrolling in Cleveland Clinic’s Wound, Ostomy and Continence program in 2013, I completed the RNAO Advanced Clinical Practice Fellowship focusing on Pressure Ulcer Prevention to hone my skills and develop experience in education and policy development. I became a certified Enterostomal therapy nurse through the CNA in 2016.

During my 5 years as a Clinician at THP, I have not only focused on policy development and delivering quality patient care in the wound and ostomy specialization, I have participated in many different educational methodologies, including educating staff at THP, educating as a preceptor for the CAET and Cleveland Clinic, mentoring medical clerks, providing content for patient and family education materials, and providing sessions for CNA exam prep for Gerontology certification. Education is an ongoing passion of mine and I continue to learn and grow as a leader in the Nurse Clinician role.

My ongoing love of learning and desire to impact clinical practice on a larger scale has led me to increase my scope of practice and work on projects that combine our 3 specialties, as well as working with various disciplines to improve patient care.

I have participated in a working groups with the Nurse Continence Advisor and Ergonomics Occupational Therapist on a project called “Inappropriate Linen and Incontinence Product Use in an Acute Care Hospital: Are we causing harm to our patients?” And with a multidisciplinary team on “Interprofessional Collaboration in Developing Best Practices for Bariatric Patient Care” which were both poster presentations at multiple conferences. This work has successfully decreased pressure injuries, new onset incontinence, and patient and staff musculoskeletal injuries associated with layers and positioning patients, as well as improved standards of care for patients living with obesity, and increased support and equipment required for safe patient care in our organization. This work has continued and was presented at the CAET conference in 2017 with our ongoing revisions, audits and practice changes.

I truly believe it is important for us to work to our full scope of practice and explore our specialization creatively, which was reflected in my application that was chosen for a new logo to represent Nurses Specialized in Wound, Ostomy and Continence Canada. This name change represents the specialized work we do, how the three specialties can be practiced in different ways, and our strong unified voice to make positive change for patients and our practice. Ontario has such a strong and diverse group of nurses specialized in wound, ostomy and continence, and I aim to represent this group with appreciation and pride as we move into the future. My vision for the CAET is to respect the strength and tradition we already have as an organization, and to continue to grow and explore the scope of nurses specialized in wound, ostomy and continence.

I am honoured to communicate with clinical experts and nursing leaders through the CAET, who set an example for all on what it means to be a nurse specialized in wound, ostomy and continence. I bring strong creative, professional, and leadership skills to the CAET. I would like to contribute to this organization by sustaining and nurturing our strong leadership presence. I am a determined, confident advocate for nursing and patient related matters, and I seek to explore my scope even further though the position as Ontario Regional Director of the CAET.

Thank you for your consideration,

Allison Da Silva RN, BScN,CETN(C).