loader from loading.io

The Power of The Pivot: Rediscovering Your Love For Nursing In Non-Traditional Nursing Careers

The Gritty Nurse

Release Date: 04/09/2026

Silence Isn't Safety, It's Strategy: Inside St. Joe's Fight Against Workplace Violence show art Silence Isn't Safety, It's Strategy: Inside St. Joe's Fight Against Workplace Violence

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...

info_outline A Battle Cry for Change: Postpartum Psychosis, Systemic Failure, and the Case of Lindsay Clancy show art A Battle Cry for Change: Postpartum Psychosis, Systemic Failure, and the Case of Lindsay Clancy

The Gritty Nurse

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...

info_outline Why Thousands of Nurses Are Walking Out Across North America? (And Who’s Replacing Them) show art Why Thousands of Nurses Are Walking Out Across North America? (And Who’s Replacing Them)

The Gritty Nurse

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...

info_outline The Handover: What a 40-Year Gap of Experience Can Teach the Nursing Profession show art The Handover: What a 40-Year Gap of Experience Can Teach the Nursing Profession

The Gritty Nurse

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...

info_outline 7 Years Ago, I Hid Under My Desk--And Seven Years Later, Almost to The Day... She Was Walked Out. show art 7 Years Ago, I Hid Under My Desk--And Seven Years Later, Almost to The Day... She Was Walked Out.

The Gritty Nurse

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...

info_outline Follow The Legislation, Fix The Insurance! Nurse Psychotherapy Supports Mental Health show art Follow The Legislation, Fix The Insurance! Nurse Psychotherapy Supports Mental Health

The Gritty Nurse

With a growing mental health crisis and a system bogged down by waitlists and rigid silos, a powerful paradigm shift is happening across Canada: the rise of nurse-led psychotherapy. In this educational episode, we sit down with Sheena Howard (BScN, MA, RYT, RN), award-winning Nurse Psychotherapist and the founder of Acceptance Psychotherapy. We dive deep into why Registered Nurses are uniquely positioned to transform mental healthcare. Grounded in a holistic nursing blueprint, nurse psychotherapists don't just treat symptoms in isolation; they integrate biological, psychological, and social...

info_outline From KOBO to Digital Health: Disrupting the Status Quo In Healthcare with Mike Serbinis show art From KOBO to Digital Health: Disrupting the Status Quo In Healthcare with Mike Serbinis

The Gritty Nurse

How do we move from a healthcare system that only reacts to illness, to one that actively empowers patients? In this episode of The Gritty Nurse Podcast, host Amie Archibald-Varley sits down with Mike Serbinis, the visionary CEO and founder of League, a leading digital health platform transforming the consumer healthcare experience. A seasoned tech innovator and entrepreneur, Mike has a storied history of disrupting industries—from working alongside Elon Musk on early jet propulsion designs to co-founding Kobo, which challenged the global e-reading market. Now, he’s turning his sights...

info_outline From the ICU to the Page: Nurse Author Tilda Shalof on Why Nurses Must Tell Their Stories show art From the ICU to the Page: Nurse Author Tilda Shalof on Why Nurses Must Tell Their Stories

The Gritty Nurse

What happens when a nurse picks up a pen and refuses to stay quiet? She becomes Tilda Shalof — ICU nurse, bestselling author, patient advocate, and one of Canada's most powerful voices for the nursing profession. In this episode of The Gritty Nurse Podcast, host Amie Archibald-Varley sits down with Tilda Shalof, RN, BScN, CNCC(C), a veteran nurse from Toronto General Hospital's Medical-Surgical ICU and the author of six books — including the acclaimed A Nurse's Story, The Making of a Nurse, Camp Nurse, Opening My Heart, Lives in the Balance, and Bringing It Home. Her work has been...

info_outline What Nurses Don't Know About the Law Could Cost Them Everything w/ Dr. Cambria Nwsou DNP, RN, LNC show art What Nurses Don't Know About the Law Could Cost Them Everything w/ Dr. Cambria Nwsou DNP, RN, LNC

The Gritty Nurse

Do you actually know your rights as a nurse? What does it take to go from the operating room to the courtroom — and why should every nurse care?   In this episode of The Gritty Nurse Podcast, host Amie Archibald-Varley sits down with the remarkable Dr. Cambria Nwosu, RN — a nurse whose career has taken her from high-stakes surgical suites to the frontlines of legal nursing consulting and healthcare policy advocacy. Cambria's story is a masterclass in what's possible when nurses refuse to stay in their lane.  Amie and Cambria dig into the real, often unspoken truth that nurses...

info_outline Let’s Talk About Birth, Disparities, and Shifting the System: With Mama Nurse Tina! show art Let’s Talk About Birth, Disparities, and Shifting the System: With Mama Nurse Tina!

The Gritty Nurse

Women’s health needs a ton of work, and it is a hill we are willing to die on. In this powerful episode of The Gritty Nurse Podcast, host Amie Archibald-Varley sits down with Tina Bitangcol—widely known as Mama Nurse Tina—for an urgent, unfiltered conversation about the realities of women’s healthcare, maternal mortality, and systemic disparities. From navigating birth trauma and postpartum complications to addressing the critical gaps in Indigenous health and cultural competence, Amie and Tina shed light on the untold stories of the healthcare system. Together, they discuss how we can...

info_outline
 
More Episodes

Nursing is not a destination; it is a foundation. For too long, we have been told that leaving the bedside is 'leaving nursing,' but the truth is the exact opposite. By stepping into nontraditional roles—in tech, policy, research, and entrepreneurship—we aren't abandoning our profession; we are expanding its power. The future of healthcare depends on nurses who are brave enough to redefine where their expertise belongs.

In this episode of the Gritty Nurse Podcast, Amie Archibald-Varley sits down with Ellie Kirkpatrick, RN, FNP, a seasoned Nurse Practitioner and the visionary creator behind The Nontraditional Nurse. With over a decade of clinical experience, Ellie has navigated the highs and lows of the profession—from the intense demands of the bedside to the liberating possibilities of specialized and remote roles.

Amie and Ellie dive deep into the evolving landscape of nursing, tackling the heavy reality of burnout and the psychological shift required to "want more" without feeling like you’re starting over. They explore:

  • Career Evolution: Ellie’s personal journey from RN to FNP and her transition into the nontraditional space.

  • The Bedside & Beyond: Why exploring roles in utilization management, informatics, and even "space nursing" is vital for professional longevity.

  • Technology & AI: How nurses can lead the charge in healthcare innovation and the critical need for the nursing voice in tech development.

  • Advocacy & Education: The urgent need for nursing curricula to adapt to a profession that is no longer confined to the four walls of a hospital.

Whether you are a new grad feeling the "thankless grind" or a veteran nurse looking to fill your cup again, this episode serves as a roadmap for finding a career path that respects your health, your growth, and your expertise.

Connect with Ellie Kirkpatrick

Keywords

nursing, non-traditional roles, burnout, career transition, nursing education, AI in healthcare, networking, mentorship, nursing podcast, diverse opportunities

Chapters

 

00:00 Introduction to Non-Traditional Nursing

01:50 Ellie's Nursing Journey and Experiences

04:52 The Impact of Burnout on Nurses

07:48 Transitioning to Non-Traditional Roles

10:33 Exploring Diverse Nursing Opportunities

13:30 The Role of Technology in Nursing

16:08 AI in Healthcare: Opportunities and Challenges

18:57 The Importance of Networking and Mentorship

21:42 The Non-Traditional Nurse Podcast

24:32 Advocating for Non-Traditional Clinical Rotations

27:30 The Future of Nursing Education

30:11 Final Thoughts on Non-Traditional Nursing

* 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:

Collaborations & Inquiries: For sponsorship opportunities or to book Amie for speaking engagements, visit: grittynurse.com/contact

Thank you to Hospital News for being a collaborative partner with the Gritty Nurse!

www.hospitalnews.com