For Cheryl Sylvia, RN, Manager, Century 4 at St. Luke’s Hospital, the one constant throughout every era of her 30-year career at St. Luke’s has been her fierce desire to learn.  

In fact, it was this thirst for knowledge that led her to pursue a career in healthcare. Previously, Cheryl had worked in insurance. When a complicated pregnancy and delivery resulted in a two-month hospital stay, she quickly realized that she needed to learn about her condition so she could advocate for herself. She left the hospital, got training, and in 1994 began working as a phlebotomist at St. Luke’s. 

From the start, Cheryl was certain of two things: she loved working in healthcare, and she wanted to continue to learn and grow in her career.  

After 10 years as a phlebotomist, Cheryl enrolled at the Brockton Hospital School of Nursing and took advantage of Southcoast Health’s ETP program, which helped pay for her education in exchange for a service commitment at St. Luke’s. It was a challenging time, as Cheryl was working full-time while in school, but upon graduating, she immediately got her first nursing position in the Progressive Care Unit.  

This transition led to even more advancement, as Cheryl pushed herself to continue learning and growing. She transitioned to the ICU, which challenged her but also provided even greater fulfillment when she was able to help patients with the most serious conditions and injuries. During this time, she also worked per diem as a Nursing Supervisor. Later, she transferred to Bed Placement, because she wanted a less physically demanding position, and remained in that role for four years. When she learned that Wilks and Century 5 were looking for a Team Leader, she applied for, and earned, that position. Cheryl enjoys leading her team but is happy to still care for patients. 

With each new role, Cheryl has relished learning more about the vast field of nursing and expanding her professional horizons.    

Eras Tour Q&A: 

Q: What has inspired you to stay at Southcoast Health all these years? 

A:  For me, St. Luke’s checks all the boxes. Most of all, the people are wonderful. I still keep in touch with people I worked with years ago in the lab and the PCU. It’s such a supportive community. It’s also really gratifying to work at such a high-caliber hospital; I’ve recommended St. Luke’s providers to dozens of friends and relatives over the years. Finally, it’s such a joy to run into patients I’ve cared for when I’m out and about. Seeing them healthy and happy makes me feel really good about what I do for a living.  

Q: If you could go back in time and give some advice to your 1994 self, what would it be? 

A: That’s easy. I would tell her to keep growing and learning. Don’t plateau. I tell my teams all the time, when you get too settled into one job, you aren’t tapping your full potential.