A Registered Nurse with 30 years’ experience in healthcare, Michelle has worked across the full spectrum of the profession, from the bedside to business unit development. Together with her partner, Beverley Silkstone, she co-founded OPTin Training.

Driven by her calling and her oath as a nurse, Michelle has developed distinctive teaching and learning methods that up-skill nurses and carers and reignite their sense of purpose.

Practical Training That Saves Lives

OPTin offers practical, critical-skills training, including:

• Basic Life Support
• Introduction to Basic Wound Care
• Intravenous Therapy
• Infection Prevention and Control
• Medication Review
• Pain Management
• The Recognition and Management of Early Warning Signs

These courses, among others, equip nurses and carers to provide the best possible comfort and care and to support patient recovery.

National Recognition and Growth

In 2025, OPTin Training received the SHINE and Swiss Re Social Entrepreneurship Award for its impact on the healthcare industry. With this recognition and mentorship from the SHINE network, Michelle has taken OPTin national. It now serves clients in every province of South Africa.

A Leader in the Profession

Michelle is the National Chairperson of the Society of Private Nurse Practitioners (SPNP), where she mentors practitioners and connects them with one another. She also consults on government health policy to strengthen South Africa’s health services, and serves as an expert witness in medical court cases, giving her opinion on standard nursing practice.

Building Bridges for the Next Generation

Michelle’s gift is seeing the potential for growth in every nurse and carer. While facilitating OPTin workshops, she noticed that many talented nurses couldn’t afford to up-skill. In response, she and Beverley founded Building Bridges in Healthcare Education (BBHE), a non-profit that sponsors nurses and carers to attend training and develop their careers.

Beyond the Ward

For fun, Michelle rides her 900cc motorcycle through the mountain passes of the Western Cape, side by side with her husband on his own bike.