Nurses on Edge: Fear, Burnout, & Hope w/ Canadian Federation of Nurses Unions President Linda Silas

In this powerful episode of The Caregivers Podcast, Dr. Mark Ropeleski sits down with Linda Silas, President of the Canadian Federation of Nurses Unions (CFNU), to discuss the precarious state of nursing in 2026.

Far beyond simple "burnout," Linda describes a "moral injury" occurring across Canada—a systemic failure where nurses are forced into 30-hour shifts, face escalating workplace violence, and are unable to provide the level of care their patients deserve.

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Listen on Spotify and Apple Podcasts:
🔊 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/1fLSHPA...
🔊 Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast...


Chapters

00:00 Introduction: Burnout or Systemic Failure?
00:54 The Physical and Mental Toll on Nurses
02:01 Burnout vs. Moral Injury: Defining the Crisis
04:53 Can Nurses Be Forced to Stay? (Ethics vs. Safety)
09:01 The Disconnect: Ivory Towers vs. The 2 AM Nurse
14:55 The Data: 1 in 17 Patients Suffer Injury
18:24 The Escalating Crisis of Hospital Violence
25:00 The Patient Perspective: What Understaffing Feels Like
30:54 The Solution: Legislated Nurse-to-Patient Ratios
35:54 Sexual Assault and Harassment in Nursing
47:33 The Power of Mentorship for Retention
56:55 Innovation: Health Care vs. Illness Care
01:08:52 Final Message to Caregivers: Don’t Quit
01:12:12 Outro & Medical Disclaimer

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