Nursing Student Narratives

When Charlotte Corbeil Coleman was 15, her mother died of cancer. Following her death, family friend Linda Griffiths became another mother to Charlotte. Two years ago, Linda too died from cancer. In "A Tale of Two Mothers", we hear about the emotional toll of false hope, how our inability to talk openly about death affects the caregiving experience, and how nurses might better support the ever increasing number of informal caregivers in this country.

In Episode 3 'Caregiving Part I: The Story of Marge,' the NNS team hears from radio journalist Alannah Campbell as she tells the story of caring for her dear friend and former coach in her final days. Through this story, we are introduced to an important dilemma in health care today: many people are taking on the role of informal caregiver because our healthcare system can't support the growing number of individuals requiring care. In our next episode, 'Caregiving Part II,' we further explore the emotional and physical costs that come along with this.

In Episode 2, "The Practice Political," we explore the political side of nursing practice. How are both health and nursing political? What do politics look like in our day to day practice? How can we make our voices heard to cause change? This episode, we hear from Vicki McKenna, the vice president of the Ontario Nurses' Association. We also have stories from a nursing student not afraid to speak her truth, a nurse who is a determined advocate for her patients, and a nurse practitioner who faces arrest when she fights for the rights of Toronto's most vulnerable.

In Episode 1, our inaugural episode, we hear from several nursing students who faced a mile high emergency, a gruesome car crash, an unexpected assessment in a family member's final hours, and more. This week's episode "Great Expectations" explores how registering in nursing school has inevitably changed what our families, friends and complete strangers expect from us. Nursing Student Narratives is a podcast about the stories that stick with us, long after the shift has ended. Executive producers Clare Sheasgreen and Hilary Smith are final year nursing students from the University of Toronto.