Nurses' Voices

The global COVID-19 pandemic has been grabbing the spotlight for the past 18 months, but the struggles that vulnerable populations have with mental health continue to persist.

In this special episode hosts Gail Donner and Mary Wheeler have a stigma-breaking conversation with Bonita Fanzega and Catherine Flynn about mental health nursing amongst marginalized communities.

Bonita and Catherine speak openly and honestly about working with vulnerable populations in their home communities of Winnipeg and Vancouver, their daily challenges, how they support their clients, and how they take care of themselves while shining an important spotlight on the resilience of the individuals they work with. Listen to their stories now.

Nursing in Canada’s North involves overcoming many challenges every day, including staffing, access, equipment, transportation and weather, to name just a few. But there is an incredibly strong sense of community here, and residents who call the North home go to great lengths to overcome nature’s obstacles to keep one another safe.

In this episode, hosts Gail Donner and Mary Wheeler have an enlightening conversation with Dianne Iyago, Public Health Nurse in Baker Lake, Nunavut and Betty Strbac, Community Health Nurse in Fort McPherson, Northwest Territories.

Hear as Dianne and Betty discuss the trust that needs to be built as a nurse in the North, how they have dealt with COVID-19, and how nursing is both challenging and rewarding in two of Canada’s most remarkable places. Watch and listen to their stories now.

In this episode, hosts Gail Donner and Mary Wheeler have a thoughtful discussion about the importance of homecare in Canada with Michelle Williams and Paul Hickey. 

Michelle and Paul talk about why they pursued homecare as a career, why it is such a rewarding experience for them, and how homecare has changed during COVID-19.

Long-term care has been the focus of a lot of concern during the pandemic, but homecare has not received the attention it merits. Most Canadian seniors say that home is where they want to be, and we are thankful Michelle and Paul are helping make this a reality. Watch and listen to their stories now.

Listen as Gail Donner and Mary Wheeler have an incredibly honest and passionate conversation with Natalie Stake-Doucet and Roya Kazempour, nurses in Quebec’s long-term care system.

Natalie and Roya take us behind-the-scenes as they describe the devastating impact and tragic loss during the COVID-19 pandemic, and how structural issues within long-term care can leave residents vulnerable. Natalie and Roya are passionate and hopeful, yet calls for change are necessary to improve the quality and conditions in long-term care. You don’t want to miss these remarkable stories.

Join hosts Gail Donner and Mary Wheeler as we hear the inspiring voices of Bahar Karimi and Sarah McNally, both from long-term care facility Idlewyld Manor in Hamilton, Ontario.

Watch as Bahar and Sarah break the stigma of long-term care and how their nursing practice is full of passion, compassion, resilience and innovation, especially during the incredibly challenging COVID-19 pandemic. Watch and listen to Bahar and Sarah’s incredible stories now.

In our latest episode of Nurses’ Voices, hosts Gail Donner and Mary Wheeler chat with Critical Care Nurse Managers Adam Gagnon and Patricia Daley about how they have adapted during the difficult, tense, and ever-changing times of COVID-19.

In this episode you’ll see how Adam and Patricia have maintained a high level of support for nurses throughout the pandemic while ensuring continued compassion for patients. And although it has been a very challenging time, both Adam and Patricia have had rewarding experiences and we are fortunate to have them share with us. Watch and listen to Adam’s and Patricia’s stories now.

Listen to our latest episode of Nurses’ Voices as Gail Donner and Mary Wheeler get a personal, inside view into intensive care units during the COVID-19 pandemic from critical care nurses Lisi Aldaba and Miriam Biju.

In this episode you’ll see how Lisi and Miriam dealt with the devastating effects of the COVID-19 waves throughout the pandemic, including the immense stress on them and their families and how care was compromised in hospitals, yet how they continued to make connections with patients during this incredibly challenging time. COVID-19 has been exhausting and draining for nurses, but they continue to persevere and give the best care possible for patients.

Public Health has always been at the core of communities across Canada. However, for many years the perception of public health has flown under the radar – it does great work, but without the attention that acute care often receives. The pandemic has changed all of that, and Public Health and Public Health Nurses now take centre stage.

In this episode, you will meet Janice Loe and Jane Skinner, two late career Public Health Nurses helping to lead the vaccination charge at Manitoba’s Prairie Mountain Health Region in Brandon.

In this episode we hear from two early career community health nurses working with the homeless population at the COVID Assisted Self Isolation Site run by The Alex in Calgary, Alberta. Tegan Broadhurst and Alysha Samji have taken the initiative to learn and expand their knowledge in an area of nursing that they have grown to love.

Hear about what they do, the challenges they have faced, and how they equipped themselves with knowledge to become better nurses, and to help their clients in this challenging area.

In this episode, hosts Gail Donner and Mary Wheeler chat with Chantel Antone and Chantalle Clarkin. They discuss the importance of story telling and the criticality of nurses telling their own stories rather than having their stories told by others. Plus, they discuss the role storytelling plays in nursing eduction and practice.

As well, hear from Chantel and Chantalle on the importance of storytelling to build connections between nurses, nurses and other healthcare professionals, nurses and patients and nurses public. And finally, how storytelling can be used by nurses in these especially challenging times.