In this episode, Amie & Sara sit down to talk with Dr. Brian Goldman about his new book, "The Power of Teamwork". We discuss examples of high-functioning teams within other industries, why teamwork in healthcare is crucial and how better teams create better healthcare outcomes. We also touch on toxic environments and how individual behaviour can disrupt teams.

Dr. Brian Goldman is an emergency physician, author, public speaker, and radio personality. He practices in the Schwartz Reisman Emergency Centre at Mount Sinai Hospital in Toronto

He has been a regular medical columnist on CBC Radio One since 1999.

He also hosts an award-winning current affairs radio series, White Coat, Black Art, on CBC Radio One about the culture of modern medicine and various aspects of the Canadian healthcare system and has a concurrent original podcast, The Dose, which has a similar medical theme.

He has written several books including; The Night Shift: Real Life in the Heart of the ER, The Secret Language of Doctors, The Power of Kindness.

Why aren't Nurse Practitioners (NP) more utilized in Canada? Are NPs the answer to solving the primary care crisis? In this episode, Amie & Sara interview Stella Cruz, a nurse practitioner in Ontario. We discuss what an NP is, their scope of practice and how they might contribute to an overstretched healthcare system. 

Stella Cruz has been an RN since 2002 working in neuro critical care, the emergency department, and geriatric psych medicine. She completed her masters at the University of Toronto in 2008 with a focus on nursing and women and horizontal violence. She decided to become a nurse practitioner (NP) in 2014 graduating from U of T with acute care NP specializing in seniors health. Currently, Stella works on a 32 Alternate level of care (ALC) unit at a downtown hospital. Stella has taught undergrad nursing and NP students. She was born, raised, lives and works in Toronto. She is a mom and wife, with two kids ages 8 and 14 plus a big dog. She would love to complete a PHD someday, is passionate about nursing and nurses work and is a very strong advocate for nurses. 

Stella’s life motto:

“If you don't stand for something you will fall for anything." 

In this episode, Amie & Sara discuss 2 hot trending topics: Bill 124 has been deemed unconstitutional and the "taboo" subject of talking about pay equity. In nursing, there is a long history of saying that "we are called by god", well some nurses are called by the paper,- and that's just fine too. This thinking as well is PROBLEMATIC. We are not servants, we are not just caregivers, the church does not, nor should influence what we do. Nursing is a job- just like any other jobs, but the price of not bargaining what we are worth can have even steeper consequences.

https://www.theglobeandmail.com/canada/article-bill-124-ontario-public-sector-wage-increase/

https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/toronto/bill-124-ontario-public-sector-wages-1.6668186

Nurses are nurses' worst enemies. Our job is to ensure that patient safety and patient outcomes are our primary concerns. But what happens when self-interest or pride, or greed takes over and patients care is not important? This is exactly what happened in Carolyn Brost Strom's Story. There was no professional misconduct, only a nurse who was brave enough to speak out to protect her family which extended to protecting other patients and families. 

https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/saskatchewan/sask-nurse-carolyn-strom-wins-appeal-1.5752592

Could you imagine working in a climate where the government is not being transparent about how dire the healthcare crisis is? Or even worse, working in conditions that you know can cause patient harm and are NOT ALLOWED to speak up because of severe punishment? Yes- this is real. And it is happening right here in Canada, specifically in Saskatchewan. Nurses CAN NOT SPEAK OUT without fear or reprisal or intimidation from their employers--but Tracey Zambory and the Saskatchewan Nursing Union is bringing the fight to the government for patient safety and nursing rights!

Tracy Zambory is a Registered Nurse (RN) and President of the Saskatchewan Union of Nurses (SUN); the union representing Saskatchewan’s more than 11,000 Registered Nurses, Registered Psychiatric Nurses and Nurse Practitioners.

As a nursing leader, Tracy strives to use her voice and influence to advance the principles of Truth and Reconciliation in health care, while facilitating crucial conversations around race and gender within the nursing profession. Under Tracy’s stewardship, SUN has instigated and lead critical dialogue on numerous health and social issues from Saskatchewan’s HIV, youth mental health, and overdose crises to the future of seniors’ care and access to rural health in the province.

Tracy’s leadership throughout the COVID-19 pandemic has been a source of strength for nurses and frontline health workers facing extreme system demands, a touchstone for patients and families seeking advice in the face of the unknown, and a driver of government and health decision-maker accountability.

Tracy represents her members as the current Vice President of the Saskatchewan Federation of Labour (SFL) and as an Officer on the National Executive Board of the Canadian Federation of Nurses' Unions (CFNU).

Tracy lives in her hometown of Stoughton, Saskatchewan with her husband, Sam, and their dog, Danga. She’s known in town for her community service, and her love of gardening and baking.

In this podcast episode, Amie & Sara discuss the deaths of two nurses that happened less than weeks apart. On Oct 18, 2022 June Onkundi, a wife, mother, and psychiatric nurse practitioner was stabbed to death by one of her patients, James Gomes, while at work. On Oct 20th, 2022, Jacqueline Pokuaa (social worker), 45, and Katie Flowers (nurse), 63, were shot and killed by Nestor Hernandez, 30, who was on parole following an aggravated assault conviction. 

How does this continue to happen? Are nursing lives worth nothing? What is being done to stop this? Why aren't the hospitals doing more to protect healthcare staff? We are so angry and we all must call for stronger legislation and support to protect us from harm.

https://people.com/crime/n-c-nurse-allegedly-stabbed-to-death-at-work-by-psychiatric-patient-called-dedicated-compassionate-kind/

https://www.citizen.digital/news/american-man-charged-with-murdering-kenyan-nurse-june-onkundi-has-a-history-of-assaulting-women-n308036

https://abc11.com/raleigh-woman-stabbed-to-death-durham-family-mourns-june-onkundi/12348627/

https://www.wral.com/colleagues-come-together-to-honor-nurse-killed-in-durham/20541114/

https://www.dallasnews.com/news/crime/2022/10/26/what-we-know-about-the-nurse-case-worker-killed-in-the-dallas-hospital-shooting/

https://www.nursingworld.org/news/news-releases/2022-news-releases/statement-on-the-methodist-dallas-medical-center-shooting/

https://khn.org/morning-breakout/after-2-nurses-killed-in-dallas-hospital-worker-safety-again-in-spotlight/

https://www.chiefhealthcareexecutive.com/view/after-dallas-hospital-shooting-nurses-call-for-greater-protection

Have you seen our Haunted Hospitals Episode yet? This creepy podcast that we released in Oct 2020 is now on a TV show!! Amie & Sara are both featured Season 4 of Haunted Hospitals premieres within our Creep Week programming event on Wednesday, October 12 at 10pm ET/PT. Links attached!

Our podcast episode gets into Halloween spirit by discussing personal encounters with the paranormal! Spooky stories that happened in the hospital and at home. Listen to this one curled up in the comfort of your bed or couch :)

Sara talks about a spooky encounter on nights at the hospital and another as a student living off campus, and Amie explains a creepy story from her childhood home, and a haunted room at the hospital.  

The Gritty Nurses discuss favourite horror movies and what makes them scary- listen if you dare!

S04 E01 · Terror in the Sanitorium, The Break Room, Do Not Enter  (Amie Archibald-Varley Story)

Oct 15, 2022

A young medical assistant starting a new job in a former TB hospital discovers she's not alone in the building. A rookie nurse goes through an initiation when she's assigned to take her break in a room rumoured to be haunted. A procedural nurse recounts her experiences with a hostile entity within the walls of an old hospital.

https://www.sky.com/watch/title/series/35fadbd9-d5fb-42c8-bb13-15d49af2240d/haunted-hospitals-35fadbd9-d5fb-42c8-bb13-15d49af2240d/episodes/season-4/episode-1 https://www.tandetv.com/shows/haunted-hospitals/

S04 E05 · Connection, Ghost Interrupted, Terror in the Tunnel (Sara Fung Story)

Nov 9, 2022

New

A nurse assistant observes uncanny coincidences that emerge in connection with a long term care resident. A teenager at a psychiatric facility detects spirits in an abandoned building. While transporting a baby a nurse senses a disturbing presence.

Creep Week: https://creepweek.tandetv.com/?utm_source=press_release&utm_medium=press_release&utm_campaign=creep_week

October is pregnancy & infant loss awareness month. Thousands of families are devastated each year by the death of their baby. But the grief of these families and the value of their babies’ lives are very rarely acknowledged.  In this episode, Amie and Sara discuss Perinatal Mood Disorder and Pregnancy loss. We also discuss how we coped with loss in our professional and personal experiences and signs and symptoms of perinatal mood disorders. It's ok to not be ok. Mental health matters.

https://pailnetwork.sunnybrook.ca/about-us/awareness/pregnancy-and-infant-loss-awareness-day/

https://starlegacyfoundation.org/awareness-month/

It's OCTOBERWEEN! Your Gritty Nurses are at it again! In this light hearted episode, we discuss nursing/ healthcare ghost stories? Are they real? Are they fake? Is it just fun? We also have a para-skeptical guest, Jordan Varley, joining us to give us his take on our experiences. We also discuss our experineces recording Haunted Hospitals, Season 4 premieres October 12 at 10 p.m. ET/PT on T+E. Creep Week programming starts Oct 10- 15th! See the Creep Week hub here for more info. 

Amie's Episode: Haunted Hospitals, Season 4, Episode 1 (The world premiere episode of Season 4 on October 12 at 10 p.m. ET/PT) Story #2

Haunted Hospitals, Season 4, Episode 5 (this episode will air on Wednesday, November 9 at 10pm ET/PT) Last story in the series. 

We finally did it. We have a lawyer who talks about Strike action of Nurses. Some good news, some not so great news. But as we have always said...LAWS CAN CHANGE. Listen. Learn. Reflect. There is still hope!

John has been litigation counsel for innumerable clients for over a decade. John has experience before private arbitrators, the Ontario Courts, the British Columbia Courts, the Federal Courts, federal and provincial agencies, and the Supreme Court of Canada.

John has worked for law firms and clients big and small and has helped clients ranging from individuals to international corporations and prides himself on giving timely and efficient service to clients of all stripes.

John Reiterorski is a Canadian lawyer practicing in Toronto. Since his call to the Bars of New York State in 2012 and Ontario in 2013, John has brought his discipline, drive, and determination to being litigation counsel for innumerable clients. John has experience before private arbitrators, the Ontario Superior Court of Justice, Divisional Court, and Court of Appeal, the British Columbia Supreme Court, and the Canadian International Trade Tribunal, Canada Border Services Agency, Federal Court of Appeal and Supreme Court of Canada.

John has worked for law firms and clients big and small and has helped clients ranging from individuals to international corporations.