The Gritty Nurse

Would your hospital admit that staff get assaulted on the job — in public, with real numbers?
St. Joseph's Healthcare Hamilton just did. And it's exposing a crisis most hospitals would rather not talk about.
In this episode, I sit down with St. Joe's CEO Mike Heenan to unpack the numbers behind their decision to go public: at least 4 staff members verbally or physically assaulted every day — roughly 1,400 incidents a year, and that's just what gets reported. We dig into what it took to make transparency the policy, not the exception, and what other health systems are still avoiding.
We also look at what this means nationally, using the CFNU's 2025 National Nurses Survey:
9 in 10 Canadian nurses experienced verbal abuse from a patient in the past year
Workers' comp claims for violence against nurses have nearly tripled in Ontario since 2012
Healthcare workers are 5x more likely to be attacked on the job than workers in any other sector
Between 2006–2021, only 12 Canadian court cases involving a nurse victim resulted in a sentencing decision
Mike shares what it actually takes to build a safer hospital — leadership buy-in, community engagement, and the willingness to say "yes, this happens here." We also break down why I'm supporting Bill S-233, which would require courts to treat an assault against a healthcare worker as an aggravating factor at sentencing — meaning judges would have to weigh it as a more serious offence, not just business as usual.
If you're a nurse, a healthcare worker, or someone who's ever wondered why hospitals stay quiet about this — this episode is for you.
Fun fact I stumbled on while researching this: St. Joe's traces back to a group of Sisters of St. Joseph caring for cholera victims in railway sheds in the 1850s — that origin story alone would make a killer future episode.
About Mike Heenan
Dr. Mike Heenan is President and CEO of St. Joseph's Health System and President of St. Joseph's Healthcare Hamilton. He joined St. Joe's in November 2023 and was named permanent President and CEO of the health system in June 2025. Before St. Joe's, he served as Ontario's Assistant Deputy Minister, Hospitals and Capital, during the COVID-19 pandemic, and has held executive leadership roles across various hospital settings. He holds a PhD in Business Administration/Health Policy Management from McMaster University.
Connect with Mike: LinkedIn
Careers at St. Joe's
Interested in joining the team fighting for safer, more transparent healthcare workplaces? St. Joseph's Healthcare Hamilton is hiring. Browse open positions: joinstjoes.ca

In this new episode on The Gritty Nurse Podcast with Amie Archibald-Varley, we examine the case of Lindsay Clancy through the lens of postpartum psychosis and the catastrophic gaps in mental health care that allowed it to go unrecognized and untreated. I start with the question that should be asked before every postpartum antidepressant prescription: has this patient been screened for bipolar disorder? It's now considered the gold standard of care — and it only became standard practice because of this case. From there, we talk about what early screening should look like more broadly, what coordinated care between obstetric and psychiatric providers actually requires, and why compassion — not judgment — has to be the starting point if we want to prevent the next tragedy instead of just mourning it.
If you're here for sensationalism, this isn't the episode for you. These are real people, a real family, and real suffering. Our purpose is not to relitigate what happened, but to ask why it happened, and what needs to change so it doesn't happen again.
This is the conversation healthcare needs to be having — about postpartum psychosis, about the mothers falling through the cracks, and about the systemic changes required to catch them before it's too late.
keywords
 
postpartum psychosis, mental health, systemic failure, screening, care coordination, maternal health, psychiatric emergency, postpartum depression, bipolar disorder, healthcare gaps
 
 
 key  topics
 
Postpartum psychosis and its symptoms
System failures in mental health care and prescription practices
Importance of early screening for bipolar disorder and depression
Systematic gaps in postpartum care and follow-up
The Lindsay Clancy case and systemic accountability
Role of healthcare providers in recognizing red flags
Need for coordinated care among multiple prescribers
Impact of medication polypharmacy and withdrawal
Advocacy for improved postpartum mental health protocols
Community and systemic responsibility in preventing tragedies
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https://podcasts.apple.com/ca/podcast/the-gritty-nurse/id1493290782
* Watch on YouTube –  https://www.youtube.com/@thegrittynursepodcast
Stay Connected:
Website: grittynurse.com
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Collaborations & Inquiries: For sponsorship opportunities or to book Amie for speaking engagements, visit: grittynurse.com/contact

Frontline pressures have reached a boiling point. In this swapcast episode, nurses Erica and Amie tackle the wave of nursing strikes across Massachusetts (MNA) and British Columbia (BCNU), exploring what these recent labor actions reveal about the true state of healthcare.
Together, they dive into the harsh realities nurses are standing up against—from unsafe staffing ratios and lack of workplace respect to burnout and corporate greed. Erica and Amie also address the elephant in the room: "scab nurses." They break down the ethical, emotional, and financial strain traveling replacement nurses place on striking staff, how hospital systems use high-paid temporary labor to undercut union power, and the complex reality of nursing ethics vs. corporate greed.
More importantly, they share actionable insights on how nurses can build genuine solidarity, mobilize for patient safety, and use their collective voice to drive real structural change. Whether you're on the floor or on the picket line, this is a conversation about standing tall for the profession.
🔗 Connect with Nurse Erica:
Podcast: Nurses Uncorked on Apple Podcasts & Spotify

Instagram & TikTok: @the.nurse.erica

Web: nurseerica.com

Listen on Apple Podcasts – : The Gritty Nurse Podcast on Apple Apple Podcasts 
https://podcasts.apple.com/ca/podcast/the-gritty-nurse/id1493290782
* Watch on YouTube –  https://www.youtube.com/@thegrittynursepodcast
Stay Connected:
Website: grittynurse.com
Instagram: @grittynursepod
TikTok: @thegrittynursepodcast
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100064212216482
X (Twitter): @GrittyNurse
Collaborations & Inquiries: For sponsorship opportunities or to book Amie for speaking engagements, visit: grittynurse.com/contact

How do we reclaim the narrative of modern nursing across generations?
In this episode of The Gritty Nurse Podcast, host Amie Archibald-Varley sits down with extraordinary nurses, advocates, and authors Tilda Shalof and Lisa Mochrie to discuss their powerful new book, The Handover: A Nurse's Last Shift.
Separated by a 40-year career gap, Tilda Shalof and Lisa Mochrie share their inspiring personal journeys through nursing to show that despite a lifetime of different experiences, we have far more in common than what divides us. At its heart, this episode is about the vital importance of nurses sharing their own stories—because when we write our own narratives, we reclaim our power.
Together, they deliver a masterclass in perseverance, nurse mentorship, and finding your voice. They dive deep into why authentic storytelling is the ultimate tool for bridging generational divides, healing the healer, and driving systemic advocacy in healthcare.
What We Discuss in This Episode:
Why Nurses Must Share Their Stories: The critical importance of taking back our narrative, sharing our lived experiences, and refusing to let others define what it means to be a nurse.

Bridging the 40-Year Gap: How a veteran nurse and a newer generation nurse found common ground, proving that the core of the nursing experience transcends time.

The Power of Storytelling: Why sharing our raw, unfiltered experiences is crucial to changing the public perception of the nursing profession.

Navigating Systemic Challenges: Honest strategies for tackling burnout, staffing shortages, and institutional hurdles in healthcare today.

The Importance of Mentorship: How experienced chapters can uplift the next generation, and how new nurses can find the guidance they deserve.

The Handover Book: The inspiration behind their book and how it serves as a love letter—and a wake-up call—to the nursing world.

Career Longevity: Practical advice for protecting your mental health and thriving at every stage of your nursing career.

Meet the Guests:
Tilda Shalof was a staff nurse in the Medical-Surgical Intensive Care Unit at Toronto General Hospital for thirty years. She is the best-selling author of several memoirs, including A Nurse's Story, and was awarded the King Charles III Coronation Medal in 2025 for her profound contributions to nursing education.

Lisa Mochrie is a Registered Nurse, Team Lead, and Nursing Educator based in Burlington, Ontario.Recognized for her compassionate clinical practice and dedication to mentoring, she was honored by her students with the Most Valuable Professor Award in 2025.

Where to Find the Guests & Buy the Book:
Grab your copy of The Handover: A Nurse's Last Shift: Available now through University of Toronto Press or your favorite local bookstore!

Connect with Tilda Shalof: IG- @nurse.tilda

Connect with Lisa Mochrie: IG- @lisa_mochrie

Connect with The Gritty Nurse:
Website: www.grittynurse.com

Instagram: @GrittyNursePod

Twitter/X: @GrittyNurse

Facebook: The Gritty Nurse With Amie Archibald Varley
Support the Show: If you loved this episode, please leave us a 5-star review on Apple Podcasts—it helps other nurses find our community!

Content note: this episode discusses workplace violence, suicidal ideation and psychological harm in a clinical/workplace setting.
This week, almost seven years to the day since I walked out of a role where I once hid under my desk to escape a leader who ran her unit on fear, that same leader was walked out of hers.
This isn't a celebration episode. I don't take pleasure in anyone losing their income or their identity. But I can't stay quiet about what it means that it took seven years — seven years of turnover, burnout, and silence — for accountability to catch up.
In this solo episode, I break down five things we need to talk about: how healthcare culture protects powerful people who lead through fear, why "getting results" is not the same as good leadership, what real accountability structures should look like, and why we need to stop rewarding leaders who manage through intimidation instead of trust.
This one is personal. If you've ever made yourself small to survive a shift, this episode is for you.