Mental health is now more important than ever, and it is vital that we reflect on our own emotional well-being, and that of our colleagues, friends, and families. This pandemic has created conditions that only a year ago, would have been thought to be unimaginable. Healthcare workers have faced unsurmountable stress, acuity, and workload, and […]
Throughout this pandemic, we have heard from all different healthcare sectors about how ready, willing and able RTs are to step up and do what needs to be done. Student RTs worked as aides while their educational programs were shut down in the spring and summer. Long-standing RTs came out of a well-deserved retirement to […]
“Why did you sign up for this?” is probably a question that others asked of you during the early, frightening days of the pandemic. It might even have been a question you asked of yourself. But then you undoubtedly shook any uncertainty off, wrapped your stethoscope around your neck, and headed off to see the […]
We are once again finding ourselves in the midst of a dual epidemic – one created by a Novel Coronavirus and the other generated by increasingly common panic. I am always amazed that despite the availability of considerable credible evidence that people still would rather believe their next-door neighbor’s cousin’s ex-wife (who just happens to […]
RT practice has evolved tremendously over the years, and it still has lots of room to grow. Sometimes things hold us back, such as restrictions placed on us by our employers, and often there isn’t anything we can do about that. But sometimes, we hold ourselves back by not knowing what we are authorized to […]
In late July of this year, the inquiry report in response to the Wettlaufer case was made public (Public Inquiry into the Safety and Security of Residents in the Long-Term Care Homes System). The recommendations contained within the report are intended to address the factors that contributed to this tragedy, and although its focus is […]
There certainly has been a lot in the news and on social media lately regarding the “great vaccination debate”. Everyone has an opinion on whether vaccines are the best or the worst thing to happen to medicine since the invention of the blanket warmer (my personal favourite). I have an opinion about vaccinations, too. However, […]
On the two year anniversary of the enacting of federal legislation on Medical Assistance in Dying (M.A.I.D), Health Canada published its third interim report(1). This report provides insight into how many medically-assisted deaths have taken place, the settings in which they occurred, the individual’s age and gender, as well as the most common underlying medical […]
Academic integrity – or lack thereof – appears to have become a very serious issue for colleges and universities throughout North America. In 2015, Dartmouth College (a private Ivy League in New Hampshire) suspended 64 students for cheating – in an ethics class!(1) (I have included a reference here for fear of being accused of […]
Elizabeth Wettlaufer, former registered nurse, is back in the news again this week with the opening of the Long-Term Care Homes Public Inquiry. Ms. Wettlaufer – in case you have forgotten – pled guilty to eight counts of 1st degree murder, four counts of attempted murder and two counts of aggravated assault back in June […]
