The Gritty Nurse

In this episode, the Gritty Nurses discuss a viral Instagram reel in which a nurse describes what she believes to be the hardest specialty in nursing. We discuss the pros and cons! Which is the hardest or most stressful? There are so many, how do we decide? Does it mean the hardest is the best? You be the judge! Thank you to our episode sponsor, healthcareproviders.ca ! Attention, hospital employe...

In this episode, the Gritty Nurses get an update from the Chief Nursing Officer of Canada, Dr. Leigh Chapman! In the most recent update of the Nursing Retention Toolkit, on March 1st, 2024, the Honourable Mark Holland, Minister of Health and Dr. Leigh Chapman, Chief Nursing Officer for Canada, held a news conference to announce an initiative to improve the well-being and retention of nurses across...

How can for 22 years in a row Nursing as a profession voted the most "trusted" profession but also the LEAST respected and LEAST valued? Nursing has been cited to be the least respected and most stressed, according to experts and national data. In this episode, Amie and Sara discuss this conundrum of a situation. We also discussed how other professions rank with the trust of the public. Thank you...

Trigger warning: the case discussed in this episode may be triggering for some In the true crime episode, the Gritty Nurses are back at it again with Bruce Sackman, Special Agent in Charge, U.S. Department of Veteran Affairs (VA), Office of Inspector General, Criminal Investigations Division.  They discuss the shocking case of serial killer Lucy Letby, a British former neonatal nurse who was convi...

In this episode, Amie and Sara discuss the Black Maternal Health Crisis in relation to the most concerning case/situation of Brittany Watts. We discuss the history of nurses who "police" their patients, obstetrical racism and the changes needed to prevent what happened to Brittany Watts from happening again. We stand in Solidarity with Brittany Watts against racial injustice.  Thank you to our epi...

This week on Quick and Gritty Takes, Amie & Sara discuss:  Ontario: Parents who waited 11 hours in Ontario ER with a child suffering allergic reaction focus their anger - "Not at the nurses, not at the doctors, not at SickKids, just at our government," Canada: Justin Trudeau adviser defends use of crude language in online exchange with right-wing group. International: Organs of dead Black incarcer...

"Cover your head or you'll get a cold"...." Close that window or you will catch a chill"...." Drink this tea...it will clear your sinuses".....Are you in the health field and you hear these remedies from your parents? How do you handle these conversations? Do you ignore your parents, or do you educate them? Or is there a bit of truth to what they say, their teachings or ways of knowing? Listen as...

Welcome to "Quick & Gritty Takes" our independent news network where we discuss hot topics in news provincially, nationally and internationally. We will take 4-5 news items and in under 20 minutes discuss our "gritty takes" on the subject matter.  We hope that this can be a forum where you take these topics and continue the conversation. We also will add a patient safety tip at the end for all lis...

Happy NEW YEAR 2024! What were the 3 most popular resolutions for 2024? Did you guess fitness, finances and weight loss? You guessed right! There has been A LOT of buzz around the medicine OZEMPIC. What is the "skinny" truth on Ozempic? We hear a lot about celebrities using it for weight loss, but what about the patients who need it? It's time to talk about our society's perceptions related to wei...

In this episode, Amie & Sara discuss their year-end and how much has changed over 2023. They also discuss the hottest topic this week in healthcare to close the year. Pre-Order our Upcoming Book, The Wisdom Of Nurses! https://www.harpercollins.ca/9781443468718/the-wisdom-of-nurses/ https://www.grittynurse.com/ YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@grittynursepodcast Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/...

Yes we have talked about nursing retention...and we have to keep talling about it... What will it take to actually retain nurses? Will CEO's and hospital executives listen and adhere to nurse-led interventions? The Gritty Nurses take a deeper dive into the results of Nursing retention toolkit: Improving the working lives of nurses in Canada, of which they were contributing members.  Which parts re...

Trigger warning: this episode discusses topics which may be triggering for some. In this episode, the Gritty Nurses discuss the recent case of a physician who has been suspended 3 times and convicted of sexual assault, but is allowed to continue to practice! Whatever happened to zero tolerance policies or the fact that he is a danger to the public as a REPEAT OFFENDER? They discuss this story and...

Trigger warning: this episode discusses topics which may be triggering for some. Our episode starts with the story of Emily Callahan, an American nurse activity manager with Doctors Without Borders, who shared her experience working with Palestinians in Gaza before returning to the US. 07:49 - Source: CNN In this episode, the Gritty Nurses discuss the role of nursing and war. They discuss nurses'...

The Annual Gritty Nurse Halloween episode is here! Sara, Amie, and Nurse Matt sit down and talk about what makes hospitals so scary! We share our insights, nursing ghost stories and what spooky shows we are watching now! We also discuss how we might make hospitals less scary! So turn down the lights, charge your defibrillators, grab your favourite nurse deadite--you don't miss this episode! New Bo...

In this powerful episode, the Gritty Nurses chat with Minaa B,  a licensed mental health professional and therapist specializing in treating depression, anxiety, and trauma. She is also the author of the book "Owning our own struggles- A Path to Healing and Finding Community in a Broken World" and sits on the Mental Health Advisory Committee for Wondermind, a mental fitness company co-founded by S...

Be warned--this episode is not for your kids, ok? We are MAD---annoyed in fact that we have to have this conversation---but here we are. In this episode, the Gritty Nurses discuss the current state of prviate vs. public healthcare in Canada. Is healthcare still universal, or are we sliding down a slippery slope?  They discuss what privatized healthcare looks like, whether we should be concerned, a...

In this episode, the Gritty Nurses sit down with another fellow nurse, podcaster and entrepreneur, Amanda Guarniere! Amanda is an Ivy-league educated Nurse Practitioner, Keynote Speaker and Career Mentor who helps nursing professionals find and land their dream job. She founded The Résumé Rx in 2018 and since then has grown the community to over 40,000 nursing students and professionals worldwide....

Thank you to HMA Benefits for sponsoring this episode! Picture this: a benefit plan designed for casual and part-time hospital employees and retirees in Ontario who aren't covered by their hospital's group health plan. Introducing Healthcare Providers Group Insurance Plan – a friendly partner dedicated to your health and wellbeing! With affordable plan premiums and an exceptional support team, Hea...

Thanks to the Healthcare Providers Group Insurance Plan for sponsoring this episode!  ! Picture this: a benefit plan designed for casual and part-time hospital employees and retirees in Ontario who aren't covered by their hospital's group health plan.  Introducing Healthcare Providers Group Insurance Plan – a friendly partner dedicated to your health and wellbeing! Enrolling is easy, and you'll ha...

In this episode, the Gritty Nurses discuss a recent arbitration decision that will increase wages of nurses part of the Ontario Nurses Association (ONA) by 11% over the next 2 years. They discuss their thoughts and opinions of this wage increase that was so badly needed and well-deserved by nurses! Although this win was historic for nurses in Ontario--not all nurses get this pay bump. Listen to he...

In this exciting episode, the Gritty Nurses interview the one and only Nurse Blake! If you haven't seen his hilarious, heartwarming and HONEST videos, you have been missing out! Blake Lynch (aka Nurse Blake) is a nurse, creator, internationally touring comedian, healthcare advocate, and keynote speaker. Earning viral video status via his light takes on his experience as a nurse, he now takes his c...

In this episode, Amie and Sara speak with Shelly-Ann Rampersad, the Managing Director of Florence in Canada, a global tech start-up on a mission to tackle the healthcare staffing gap. We discuss needed innovations in healthcare and tech, why this app was created and the pro's and cons of creating a healthcare app such as Florence.     Bio:   Shelly-Ann Rampersad is Managing Director of Florence in...

In this episode, Sara and Amie chat with Nurse Hadley, and what it's like looking after patients at the end of life. They caht about what drew her into hospice nursing, what kinds of things patients think about and what their biggest regrets are.  They talk about how her work has shaped her thoughts about her own end of life plans and her upcoming book called The In-Between! Hadley Vlahos, RN, is...

In this episode, Sara and Amie dicuss a hot topic! The controversial use of agency nurses and Internationally Educated Nurses. Using both were supposed to solve the problem of short staffing, but has it helped? They discuss price gouging, short staffing, costs to healthcare organizations, and holding agencies accountable.  Little public information about how much is being spent on agency staff, an...

In this eye-opening episode, Sara and Amie interview nurse, politician and Minister of Seniors of Canada, Kamal Khera.   They discuss the national standards for seniors, the top priorities for seniors, concerns related to oversight in long-term care, access to treatment and how nursing and others in healthcare be a part of the solution. The Honourable Kamal Khera was first elected as the Member of...