Linda Anne Silvestri

As a child, I always dreamed of becoming either a nurse or teacher. Initially, I chose to become a nurse because I wanted to help others, especially those who were ill. Then I realized that both of my dreams could come true: I could be both a nurse and a teacher. So I pursued my dreams. I received my diploma in nursing at Cooley Dickinson Hospital School of Nursing in Northampton, Massachusetts. Afterwards, I worked at Baystate Medical Center in Springfield, Massachusetts and cared for clients in acute medical-surgical units, the intensive care unit, the emergency department, pediatric units, and other acute care units. Later, I received an associate degree from Holyoke Community College in Holyoke, Massachusetts, my BSN from American International College in Springfield, Massachusetts, and my MSN from Anna Maria College, Paxton, Massachusetts, with a dual major in Nursing Management and Patient Education. I received my PhD candidacy status in Nursing at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas and I am doing research related to success on the NCLEX®. I am also a member of the Honor Society of Nursing, Sigma Theta Tau International, Phi Kappa Phi, Golden Key International Honour Society, the Western Institute of Nursing, and the Eastern Nursing Research Society. As a native of Springfield, Massachusetts, I began my teaching career as an instructor of medical-surgical nursing and leadership-management nursing at Baystate Medical Center School of Nursing in 1981. In 1989 I relocated to Rhode Island and began teaching medical-surgical nursing and psychiatric nursing to RN and LPN students at the Community College of Rhode Island. Later in 1994, I began teaching nursing at Salve Regina University in Newport, Rhode Island and remain there as an adjunct faculty member. My experiences as a student, nursing educator, and item writer for the NCLEX exams, aided me as I developed a comprehensive review course to prepare nursing students and graduates for the NCLEX examination. In 1991, I established Professional Nursing Seminars, Inc., and in 2000, I established Nursing Reviews, Inc. Both companies are dedicated to conducting review courses for the NCLEX-RN and the NCLEX-PN examinations and assisting nursing graduates to achieve their goals of becoming Registered Nurses and/or Licensed Practical/Vocational Nurses. Today, I conduct review courses for the NCLEX examinations throughout New England and am the author of numerous successful review products published by Elsevier. I hope that you will use these review products and join me with your journey to success in testing for nursing examinations and for the NCLEX® examination!