In our newest episode of Nurses' Voices, Gail Donner and Mary Wheeler have a thoughtful discussion with Irene Andress, MN, VP, Programs and Services, Chief Nursing Executive at Holland Bloorview Kids Rehabilitation Hospital in Toronto, Ontario.

Irene discusses her current role in nursing leadership at Holland Bloorview Kids Rehabilitation Hospital and how she is able to influence change at the point of care. By being visible, accessible, creative, and innovative, Irene discusses how she is able to open doors and remove barriers in order to improve patient care and address the ongoing staffing crisis in nursing.

We wish to thank Pfizer Canada for their sponsorship of Season Two of Nurses' Voices, and to the Canadian Nurses Foundation and the Canadian Nurses Association for their ongoing support.

Join Gail Donner and Mary Wheeler in an engaging conversation with Karen Lake, RN, BN, Caregiving Consultant and Care Navigator in Fredericton, New Brunswick.

After a 25 year career as a Registered Nurse in in various roles including her last role as a manager in home health care, Karen launched her own caregiving consultancy focused on helping people navigate the complex issues of caring for aging loved ones. Karen tells us how she reinvented herself as a business owner and establish a second career after a challenging end to her management position. Karen shares insights about becoming a business owner and lessons she’s learned being an entrepreneur while embracing a more fulfilling career path for her.

We wish to thank Pfizer Canada for their sponsorship of Season Two of Nurses' Voices, and to the Canadian Nurses Foundation and the Canadian Nurses Association for their ongoing support.

In our latest episode of Nurses’ Voices, join hosts Gail Donner and Mary Wheeler for an enlightening discussion with Clinton Baretta NP BScN MSc (Bristol), Executive Director at Homeless Health Peel and Felicia Kontopidis RN BScN, Director of Care at Journey Home Hospice.

Clinton and Felicia are what we would call nurse innovators, nurses who find creative approaches to providing nursing care. They each have their own unique and compelling stories that have brought them to their current roles, caring and advocating for individuals who are homeless. They explain the nurse led services and programs at Homeless Health Peel and Journey Home Hospice and how they and their staff strive to support very vulnerable populations.

We wish to thank Pfizer Canada for their sponsorship of Season Two of Nurses' Voices, and to the Canadian Nurses Foundation and the Canadian Nurses Association for their ongoing support.

In our latest episode of Nurses’ Voices, join Gail Donner and Mary Wheeler as they have an honest and personal conversation with Leigh Chapman, RN, PhD, Adjunct Lecturer, Graduate Program at the Lawrence S. Bloomberg Faculty of Nursing at the University of Toronto.

Leigh shares the story of her brother Brad, who died of a drug overdose and homeless at the age of 43. After this, Leigh became an advocate for harm reduction amongst those experiencing homelessness, in order to reduce stigma and discrimination and increase care. Her journey has been challenging both personally and professionally, and sharing this story will hopefully encourage other nurses to help with meaningful causes that are important to them. 

We are extremely thankful for all that nurses do, this week and every week! We wish to thank Pfizer Canada for their sponsorship of Season Two of Nurses' Voices, and to the Canadian Nurses Foundation and the Canadian Nurses Association for their ongoing support.

Join hosts Gail Donner and Mary Wheeler for a lively conversation with Jane Kraut, RN, BN, BA, a Graduate Student at the College of Nursing at the University of Manitoba.

In this episode Jane discusses what brought her to the nursing profession as a second career, after working in the business world for a number of years. Jane opens up about what drove her to pursue nursing in her 30s, successfully juggling the responsibilities of parenthood with going back to school to head down a new career path.

We wish to thank Pfizer Canada for their sponsorship of Season Two of Nurses' Voices, and to the Canadian Nurses Foundation and the Canadian Nurses Association for their ongoing support.

In our newest episode of Nurses’ Voices, join hosts Gail Donner and Mary Wheeler for a conversation with Kenely Lamsen RN and Anne Marie Shin RN, MN, MSc (QIPS) about the challenges that Kenely and other Internationally Educated Nurses (IENs) face in becoming registered in Ontario.

Watch and listen as Kenely describes her journey to Canada and the steps she’s undertaken towards registration in Ontario, completing clinical hours through the Hamilton Health Sciences – IEN Integration Nursing Evidence of Practice Pilot project. Anne Marie Shin, Director of Professional Practice at the College of Nurses of Ontario, shares steps the College is taking towards improving the processes to assist IENs in their goal of becoming registered.

As an update, since the taping of this episode Kenely has become a Registered Nurse. Congratulations Kenely.

Resources:

Information on the College of Nurses of Ontario New Language Proficiency Policy and Program To Obtain Evidence Of Practice

Hamilton Health Sciences’ Internationally Educated Nurse Program

We wish to thank Pfizer Canada for their sponsorship of Season Two of Nurses' Voices, and to the Canadian Nurses Foundation and the Canadian Nurses Association for their ongoing support.

Join hosts Gail Donner and Mary Wheeler for an honest and candid discussion with Adigo Angela Achoba-Omajali, RN, BScN, MN and Janice John-Mitchell, RN, BA, MBA about racism in nursing and healthcare.

Watch and listen as Angela and Janice describe their own lived experiences facing racism in the healthcare system, and the impact of this racism on themselves and their families. Angela and Janice are active in addressing racism in healthcare, and share important insights on the systemic presence of racism, and the education and actions that need to be taken to overcome these significant challenges.

We wish to thank Pfizer Canada for their sponsorship of Season Two of Nurses' Voices, and to the Canadian Nurses Foundation and the Canadian Nurses Association for their ongoing support.

Join hosts Gail Donner and Mary Wheeler for a compelling conversation with Athanasius "Tanas" Sylliboy BScN, MN, NP, ENC©, of Eskasoni First Nation, is a Mi’kmaw Primary Care Nurse Practitioner in Millbrook, Nova Scotia.

Watch and listen as Tanas discusses his practice of Indigenous health and healing, and how racism persists in the healthcare system and stands in the way of equitable access to care amongst racialized communities. As Tanas so eloquently told us, “all individuals are worthy of care, yet there is still much work to be done to ensure access without discrimination. As such, we have a responsibility to bring more voices to the table in order to advocate for and achieve meaningful change."

Critical resources:

National Centre for Truth and Reconciliation: https://nctr.ca

Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada - Calls to Action: https://ehprnh2mwo3.exactdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/Calls_to_Action_English2.pdf

The Survivors Speak - A Report of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada: https://ehprnh2mwo3.exactdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/Survivors_Speak_English_Web.pdf

United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples: https://www.un.org/esa/socdev/unpfii/documents/DRIPS_en.pdf

We wish to thank Pfizer Canada for their sponsorship of Season Two of Nurses' Voices, and to the Canadian Nurses Foundation and the Canadian Nurses Association for their ongoing support.

Join hosts Gail Donner and Mary Wheeler for an inspiring conversation with Vicky Sharma-Vermani, RN, BScN, MScN, MHM, Patient Care Manager and Kristen Vila, RN, BN, Coordinating Nurse who both work at Trillium Health Partners, Credit Valley site, in Mississauga, Ontario.

Watch and listen as Vicky and Kristen describe their experiences on the ground at a very busy medical unit. Vicky and Kristen explain how throughout the challenging times of COVID-19, their unit continues to foster positive teamwork and support systems which allows for high quality nursing care, opportunities for growth and development for staff, and a positive and joyful work environment.

We wish to thank Pfizer Canada for their sponsorship of Season Two of Nurses' Voices, and to the Canadian Nurses Foundation and the Canadian Nurses Association for their ongoing support.

Join hosts Gail Donner and Mary Wheeler as they talk with Rani Srivastava, RN, PhD, FCAN, Dean, School of Nursing at Thompson Rivers University, Kamloops, B.C., Adjunct Professor School of Nursing at York University, Toronto, Ontario, and Adjunct Professor School of Nursing at Dalhousie University, Halifax, Nova Scotia.

Watch and listen as Rani discusses with Gail and Mary the state of nursing education in Canada and its potential for the future. The country needs nurses, and people want to become nurses, but challenges remain to provide well funded quality education , with qualified faculty and sufficient supports to students. Hear Rani’s thoughts on what needs to change to attract and maintain nursing students and nurses in practice through attention to diversity , inclusion and  innovation and her hopes for the future.

We wish to thank Pfizer Canada for their sponsorship of Season Two of Nurses' Voices, and to the Canadian Nurses Foundation and the Canadian Nurses Association for their ongoing support.