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As we celebrate Nursing Week this May we find ourselves at a pivotal moment in healthcare, where traditional boundaries of the profession are rapidly expanding and the healthcare industry faces significant structural challenges and evolving patient needs. These complexities are simultaneously opening doors to unprecedented opportunities in nursing leadership, specialized clinical practice, and non-traditional roles. This session is designed to explore that dynamic landscape, honouring the resilience of the Nursing community while highlighting the challenges and the diverse pathways available to those ready to shape the future of modern Nursing.
Who Should Attend?:
• All Nurses in All Settings
• All Health Care Professional Colleagues are also welcome
Session 1: Vital Signs: The Health of our Health Care Organizations
Healthcare organizations are measured by their outcomes, which themselves, are the outcome of the quality of their leadership, the stability of their workforce, and the efficiency of their budgets. From the front lines of organizational consulting, our speaker identifies the friction points, from the chronic staffing crisis, to budget shortfalls and ineffective management that are currently testing the limits of the Canadian system. Please welcome organizational consultant Stacey Holloway, BScN as she discusses current vital signs of our healthcare organizations.
Objectives coming soon…
Stacey Holloway, BScN
As the Senior Consultant and Principal at Holloway Group, Stacey Holloway helps organizations and the people within them bring about and navigate change. She is a skilled interventionist in the fields of Human Relations and Organizational Development. Stacey focuses her talents and energy on organizational development – particularly, change education, change strategy consulting, and change leadership development. A graduate of UBC and Senior Trainer at the BC Justice Institute in the Centre for Conflict Resolution, she is an in-demand speaker. Stacey has conducted seminars for thousands across Canada and the United States. Her active, participatory seminars are charged with energy, humour, and creativity. Learn more at hollowaygroup.ca
Session 2: Nurses Stay Where They Feel Seen – How Every Nurse Can Help Build a Culture of Retention
This session will explore why meaningful connection is important in nurse retention, and how care, growth, and help can support nurses across career stages. Linda-Ann will draw from the 2023 AONL and Crucial Learning study, which found that nurses whose managers offered care, growth, and help were more than 80% more likely to intend to stay, while employee rounding alone did not have a measurable effect on intent to quit. While the study focuses on manager behaviours, the session will expand the conversation to the everyday actions of nurses in different roles, including staff nurses, charge nurses, preceptors, educators, mentors, and peers. The main message is that nurse leaders shape the conditions, but every nurse helps shape the experience of working on a unit. This session will offer insights into:
• How can we help nurses to feel genuinely seen?
• How do we nurture a nurses growth?
• How do we help remove barriers?
• How do different nurses experience retention? i.e new Grads, IEN’s students, experienced nurses and leaders?
• How much is retention influenced by leadership vs. the culture of the unit?
Linda-Ann Elobuike, MBA, BN, RN
Linda-Ann Elobuike is a clinical instructor, mentor, and healthcare leader based in Calgary, Alberta. Her work focuses on nursing mentorship, transition to practice, internationally educated nurse integration, nurse leadership, and practical workforce retention strategies that help nurses feel seen, supported, and developed. She currently works in acute oncology and palliative care, teaches nursing students, and contributes to nursing mentorship and health system advisory work in Alberta. Linda-Ann is the creator of the SAFE Preceptorship Framework, a published contributor with Canadian Nurse, and a member of the AHS Nursing Mentorship Network Advisory Committee. Through Fearless Strides, she supports internationally educated nurses and immigrant professionals as they navigate career transition, professional confidence, and meaningful integration into the Canadian healthcare system. Learn more at fearlessstrides.com
Session 3: Life support: View from the ER & Some Thoughts about “The Pitt”
In this session, we’ll explore the most multifaceted reality of modern emergency medicine through the discerning eye of Shazam Mithani, a practising ER physician, starting with the motivations that drove her choice to a high stakes clinical specialty. We will also:
• Examine the divergence between public perception and the clinical frontline by discussing how contemporary media including dramas like The Pitt portray the evolving healthcare landscape in Canada.
• Examine how Nurses and Physicians and their professional dynamics are portrayed in the media.
• Address the sobering rise of workplace violence within medical facilities, discuss discussing how these safety concerns impact provider well-being and the delivery of patient care in an increasingly strained system.
• Discuss advice and recommendations for professionals looking expand their influence by taking on media roles like influencers and podcasters.
Dr. Shazma Mithani, MD, FRCPC
Dr. Shazma Mithani is an emergency physician, health systems advocate, and trusted public voice on healthcare in Canada. Through powerful storytelling and evidence-based insight, she brings audiences inside the realities of the emergency room—where policy, leadership, and humanity intersect. Her talks blend front-line experience with systems-level perspective, helping organizations, healthcare professionals, and the public understand not only what’s wrong in healthcare, but how to make it better. Known for her clarity, warmth, and credibility, Dr. Mithani inspires audiences to move from awareness to action—whether that means leading change within institutions, building trust with patients, or navigating an increasingly complex information landscape. Learn more at drshazmamithani.com
Session 4: A Closer Look: Forensic Nursing – a Non-Traditional Career Choice
Forensic Nursing is a fascinating “bridge” specialty. It sits right at the intersection of healthcare and the justice system, requiring the nurse to be equal parts compassionate clinician and objective investigator. Forensic Nurses are also the glue between the hospital, the police department and the courtroom, where justice for victims is sought. In this session with Hannah Varto we’ll explore:
• How Forensic Nursing differs from all other Nursing specialties.
• The role of advocacy in Forensic Nursing and it’s implications for justice justice.
• How Forensic Nurses develop resilience and minimize secondary trauma.
• Identify the challenges and opportunities for Forensic nurses in Canada.
• How nurses interested in Forensic Nursing can pursue the specialty.
Hannah Varto MN, NP, SANE-A
Nurse Practitioner Hannah Varto brings a bold mix of expertise, curiosity, and spirit to the world of forensic medicine and sexual reproductive health care. She launched her career as a forensic nurse examiner and went on to become British Columbia’s first NP dedicated to forensic practice—a milestone that set the tone for everything that followed. In 2015, Hannah spearheaded the creation of Embrace Clinic, Canada’s first outpatient clinic for people who’ve recently experienced violence. Never one to slow down, she went on to establish a specialized Strangulation Clinic. Hannah is keenly involved in research, including a national study exploring blood-based diagnostics for violence‑related brain injuries. She also teaches with BCIT’s Forensic Health Sciences program, sharing her passion for evidence‑informed, survivor‑centred care with the next generation of practitioners. When she’s not teaching or innovating, she provides expert private medical‑legal consulting—bringing clarity, precision, and a steady hand to complex cases. Learn more at Hannah’s LinkedIn.
