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

The Gritty Nurse

Release Date: 07/30/2026

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What does modern healthcare actually cost when we look past balance sheets and measure it in human lives, moral injury, and front-line burnout? In this episode, New York Times bestselling author and Registered Nurse Theresa Brown joins the show to discuss her journey from English literature academic to bedside clinician and nationally recognized healthcare advocate. Drawing from her latest book, The Cost of Care, Theresa breaks down how profit motives and administrative overhead fragment the patient experience, the emotional weight of trauma and patient loss, and why nurses must claim their...

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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...

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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.

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