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Canadian Nurse blogs

How an Alberta emergency department shifted its educational approach to boost staff retention and morale

posted 4 days ago
https://www.infirmiere-canadienne.com/blogs/ic-contenu/2025/10/14/service-durgence-lalberta-ameliorer-maintien-poste Clinical nurse educators took unit-focused approach to improve practice and support workplace culture By Erin Acorn & Lyndsay Russell October 14, 2025 istockphoto.com/SDI Productions With the current expectations, demands, and organizational issues placed on nursing, staff retention is a key priority for emergency departments nationwide. Ongoing professional education enhances knowledge, improves nursing practices, and leads to better patient outcomes. For our emergency department (ED), which is located in Alberta, 2023-2024 ...

A little kindness: internationally educated nurse leader urges mentorship, empathy

posted 12 days ago
Phoebe Chometa finds joy and inspiration by ‘empowering new nurses’ By Laura Eggertson October 6, 2025 Courtesy of Phoebe Chometa Phoebe Chometa initially struggled when she came to Canada, but she focused on her dream of becoming a better nurse, visualizing her goal of becoming a nurse leader. And she vowed to put her experiences to use. “I said, ‘One day, if I get through this challenge, I will make sure to help the next new nurse. No nurse should be scared to start a career’,” she says. When Phoebe Chometa sees the internationally educated nurses that she has mentored and guided succeed, she knows her difficult transition into the Canadian health-care ...

Weight-related stigma in the health care system: findings and possible solutions

posted 19 days ago
https://www.infirmiere-canadienne.com/blogs/ic-contenu/2025/09/29/stigmatisation-lire-poids-dans-systeme-sante How health professionals can address a person’s weight with compassion By Jenny Lambert, Maude Plouffe, & Anne-Marie Leclerc September 29, 2025 istockphoto.com/andreswd Nursing staff must offer and promote care free from weight-related stigma. Doing so will help ensure that nurses are better equipped to intervene with clients and promote healthy lifestyles rather than focus exclusively on weight reduction. Takeaway messages There are different forms of weight-related stigma. Although the intentions are often well-meaning and ...

Answering ‘the call’: why I feel it’s still my duty to care, even after retirement

posted 26 days ago
https://www.infirmiere-canadienne.com/blogs/ic-contenu/2025/09/22/repondre-a-lappel Nursing will always be in my blood, and I want to support the next generation By Terry Webber September 22, 2025 istockphoto.com/FatCamera Families need emotional support, information and guidance in anticipation of the events that are about to unfold to ensure their own comfort and peace is realized and to prevent undue suffering. This also promotes healing during and after the death of their loved one. “What makes you want to continue nursing after so many years?” That is the question a neighbour asked me after I told her that I was thinking about going ...

Canadian nurses could learn a thing or two from the Global South

posted 09-15-2025
https://www.infirmiere-canadienne.com/blogs/ic-contenu/2025/09/15/pays-du-sud ‘Much purer’ practice relies heavily on ‘instincts, knowledge, clinical presentations, epidemiological patterns, and physical assessment skills’ By Ashley Holloway September 15, 2025 Courtesy of Ashley Holloway Ashley Holloway concludes her article by saying, “I cannot help but think that perhaps those health-care workers practising their craft in the Global South have so much to offer us — and are perhaps farther ahead than we are — in many aspects.” Above: a blood clinic at Assosa General Hospital in Assosa, Ethiopia. The hammering of the nails into the coffin could ...

Mental health researcher’s work helps expand delivery of therapy for depression and anxiety

posted 09-08-2025
https://www.infirmiere-canadienne.com/blogs/ic-contenu/2025/09/08/questions-et-reponses-avec-daisy-singla Q&A with Daisy Singla on an approach that shows ‘great promise in addressing the growing need for mental health support’ By Daisy Singla September 8, 2025 istockphoto.com/ljubaphoto “As a senior scientist, my research focuses on improving access to evidence-based talk therapies, such as interpersonal therapy and behavioural activation. These brief interventions are recommended in clinical guidelines worldwide, yet they remain largely inaccessible to most individuals who need them,” Daisy Singla says. Editor’s note: the Canadian Nurse ...

Introduction to RN prescribing in Ontario: lessons learned from Georgian College

posted 09-02-2025
https://www.infirmiere-canadienne.com/blogs/ic-contenu/2025/09/02/introduction-pouvoir-prescription-ontario Article and framework aim to support other jurisdictions as they navigate the complexities of expanding RN scope of practice By Treva Job, Jessica Milligan, & Sara Lankshear September 2, 2025 istockphoto.com/mixetto Learning to diagnose and prescribe medications within the RN’s scope of practice is a steep learning curve. For anyone who finds themselves pioneering a new role, it means there will be kinks and bumps along the way, some unanticipated and therefore requiring further exploration and integration. Although recently introduced ...

From Canada to Kenya and back again: a quest for change that led to a desire for further education

posted 08-25-2025
https://www.infirmiere-canadienne.com/blogs/ic-contenu/2025/08/25/canada-au-kenya-et-vice-versa ‘It is my hope that I can use what I have learned to make a difference’ By Mallory Browne August 25, 2025 Courtesy of Mallory Browne Eager to experience the world, Mallory Browne has travelled to Kenya numerous times. She’s witnessed much hardship but also beauty, such as views of Mount Kilimanjaro, which is located in northeastern Tanzania, near the Kenya border. It is said that real education begins after obligatory learning ends. As younger generations do not expect to keep jobs for decades like our predecessors, this statement has never held more ...

Climate-resilient nursing: how a Red River College nursing student is taking climate action

posted 08-18-2025
https://www.infirmiere-canadienne.com/blogs/ic-contenu/2025/08/18/resiliente-au-changement-climatique An ‘inspirational’ perspective on nursing education and planetary health By Sophie R. Walker August 18, 2025 istockphoto.com/Wand_Prapan Embracing the responsibility for planetary health aligns with the ethical responsibilities of nurses to reduce potential future risk and preventable harm to patients. Tell me about your interest in climate action. What got you interested in this topic? When I was a second-year nursing student, I was eager to dive into research and use my new-found skills to drive change in needed areas. Courtesy of Sophie ...

Hot (news) flash: the under-recognition of menopause as a nursing workforce issue

posted 08-11-2025
https://www.infirmiere-canadienne.com/blogs/ic-contenu/2025/08/11/menopause-probleme-de-main-doeuvre-infirmiere Problems facing health care today poised to become worse in the future By Ashley Holloway August 11, 2025 istockphoto.com/FrazaoStudio Within the context of a profession that is physically, emotionally and mentally demanding, the symptoms of menopause, combined with the stigma associated with discussing its challenges, presents a significant workforce issue within the nursing profession in Canada. There are four groups of regulated nursing professionals in Canada, the distribution of which varies across the provinces and territories. ...

What you can do to help change the narrative on harm reduction toward an evidence-based, respectful view

posted 08-05-2025
https://www.infirmiere-canadienne.com/blogs/ic-contenu/2025/08/05/changer-le-recit-sur-la-reduction-des-mefaits When confronted with a negative opinion, focus on the facts first By Dianne Dyer August 5, 2025 istockphoto.com/monstArrr_ Harm reduction is a vital step in the often-complex journey toward the choice of treatment and recovery. The goal is to keep people alive until they are willing and able to take the first step toward their choice of treatment. “Harm reduction promotes drug use!!” “Addicts make our communities unsafe and should be in jail!” “People can stop using drugs if they want to. It is just a matter of willpower!” ...

CNA president ensures diverse, representative nursing organization that advances the profession

posted 07-28-2025
https://www.infirmiere-canadienne.com/blogs/ic-contenu/2025/07/28/presidente-de-laiic-kimberly-leblanc Kimberly LeBlanc maintains practice as a specialist in wound, ostomy and continence care to help people ‘take control of their own lives again’ By Laura Eggertson July 28, 2025 Dr. Kimberly LeBlanc, president of the Canadian Nurses Association, says, “The bulk of our work right now is being done behind the scenes, to make sure we have an inclusive board that represents all categories of nursing, but is also skills-based, in order to move CNA forward.” Dr. Kimberly LeBlanc has a vision for the Canadian Nurses Association (CNA). As its president ...

Dismantling anti-Black racism in nursing: it’s time to confront our fears and examine our biases

posted 07-21-2025
https://www.infirmiere-canadienne.com/blogs/ic-contenu/2025/07/21/le-demantelement-du-racisme Difficult and uncomfortable conversations can no longer be avoided By Yvonne Sam July 21, 2025 envato.com/wavebreakmedia The persistent bias and discrimination that Black nurses and patients face in health-care settings are not isolated issues; they are systemic barriers that compromise the very core of nursing’s mission to provide quality care to all. “In a racist society, it is not enough to be non-racist; we must be anti-racist.” — Angela Y. Davis. The time has come for all Canadians to acknowledge that anti-Black racism is omnipresent in Canada. ...

Leading in health care is hard, but you don’t have to do it alone

posted 07-14-2025
https://www.infirmiere-canadienne.com/blogs/ic-contenu/2025/07/14/diriger-dans-domaine-soins-sante Practical advice for connecting with the right people who can help you succeed By Leah Wuitschik July 14, 2025 istockphoto.com/PeopleImages One of the most challenging aspects of leadership is the level of vulnerability that comes with it. Leaders who create the space for genuine vulnerability in themselves and others cultivate psychologically safe workplaces where people feel free to “show up” authentically and are able to do their best work. What you are doing is so important. It’s also really, really hard. I’ll bet no one told you how difficult ...

How a hospital in Montreal supported new nurses and recruits during the critical summer months

posted 07-07-2025
https://www.infirmiere-canadienne.com/blogs/ic-contenu/2025/07/07/hopital-de-montreal-projet-main MAIN project pairs novice staff with resources and experienced nurses By Jennifer Pierre & Sophie Alaurent July 7, 2025 istockphoto.com/miodrag ignjatovic Research suggests that, regardless of the type of support, it is important for health-care organizations to invest in transition assistance for newly graduated nurses. Takeaway messages In the summers of 2021 and 2022, the nursing department at the Centre hospitalier de l’Université de Montréal (known by its acronym, CHUM) set up a 24/7 clinical support project. The main objective of ...

Nurse, educator, researcher channels family tragedy into Nursing The Future

posted 06-23-2025
https://www.infirmiere-canadienne.com/blogs/ic-contenu/2025/06/20/judy-duchscher-preparer-lavenir-soins-infirmiers Judy Duchscher pursued initiative knowing she ‘might have a chance of saving someone else’s life down the road’ By Laura Eggertson June 23, 2025 In this video , filmed in 2004 by Patients for Patient Safety Canada (formerly the Canadian Patient Safety Institute), Nursing The Future founder and CEO Judy Duchscher shares her story about the treatment her father received while in hospital. “I remember standing over his bedside toward the end … I needed to tell his story and I needed to be able to change something about the system that ...

Too comfortable in your role? Craving challenge? Every change brings with it an opportunity for growth

posted 06-16-2025
https://www.infirmiere-canadienne.com/blogs/ic-contenu/2025/06/16/trop-a-laise-dans-votre-role What I’ve learned in my journey through the evolving landscape of nursing By Kayla Barriage June 16, 2025 istockphoto.com/Hiraman Your nursing career can be as dynamic and flexible as you want it to be. By embracing change, you open yourself up to a world of opportunities that can not only enhance your skills but also reignite your passion for the profession. “Are you bored yet?” It’s a question my family frequently asks during our gatherings. They know me well — I thrive on challenges and change. When I start to feel too comfortable in a workplace, ...

Finding the patient voice: understanding the application of electronic health records for improving mental health care

posted 06-09-2025
https://www.infirmiere-canadienne.com/blogs/ic-contenu/2025/06/09/trouver-la-voix-des-patients/ How online access to medical documents is an opportunity to add the patient’s perspective By Michelle Danda June 9, 2025 istockphoto.com/kate_sept2004 Advancements of technology offer transformative opportunities for clinical documentation, extending its reach from health-care settings to patients’ homes. Takeaway messages There are no consistent definitions of the patient voice. The patient voice is integral to capture in the electronic health record. Nurses play an integral role in conceptualizing the patient voice and translating ways ...

The Community Well: how a rural RN applied community-based solutions to solve systemic health-care challenges

posted 06-02-2025
https://www.infirmiere-canadienne.com/blogs/ic-contenu/2025/06/02/mieux-etre Nurses are ideally positioned to help combat chronic disease through novel approaches By Celise Hack June 2, 2025 istockphoto.com/SabrinaBracher Nurses’ roles as trusted health-care providers enable us to foster strong relationships within the community, empowering populations to take an active role in managing their health. Now more than ever, the complex needs of Canada’s rural and remote populations require the leadership and strength of nurses. The issues facing public health post pandemic remain complex. Although our current acute and reactive health-care system ...

Hypertension Canada releases a new guideline with a focus on treating patients in primary care settings

posted 05-26-2025
https://www.infirmiere-canadienne.com/blogs/ic-contenu/2025/05/26/hypertension-canada-nouvelles-lignes-directrices/ Patient support tool aimed at the public and other caregivers also available By Jill Bruneau May 26, 2025 istockphoto.com/BongkarnThanyakij Nurses have a vital role to play in preventing hypertension and improving its treatment through better assessment, management and control. Hypertension Canada has engaged nurses and other representatives to release a new hypertension guideline, Hypertension Canada Guideline for the Diagnosis and Treatment of Hypertension in Primary Care . This guideline encourages health professionals and ...