Here in Canada, women are more than twice as likely to live with anxiety or depression than their male counterparts and up to 90 percent more likely to experience an eating disorder. Dr. Randi McCabe, Vice-President of Mental Health and Addictions, and her team of professionals here at St. Joe’s treats a broad spectrum of mental health concerns in youth and women ages 17 and up - and we’re committed to ensuring that care is compassionate, stigma-free, and personalized to every woman who comes through our doors. 🏥💙 But we can’t do it alone. Join our Community Champion Dr. Randi McCabe on Sunday, June 8, at the as we walk and run to raise funds for women's mental health and addictions care here Shoppers Drug Mart Run for Women at St. Joe's! 🏃‍♀️👟 To register or donate, visit: https://bit.ly/4cx5NHe (fb)

“We really wanted to move away from people having to extend orientation and feeling like they were failing,” says Brooke Cowell, executive vice president of clinical operations and chief nursing executive. “Instead, we now develop individualized plans in collaboration with the orientees that meet them where they’re at—so they are set up to be successful from the beginning.” At a time when nursing shortages are straining health care systems, St. Joe's is driving meaningful change with a redesigned orientation program that’s boosting new nurses’ confidence and reducing vacancy and turnover rates. St. Joe’s new intensive orientation program uses a layered learning approach focused on building knowledge, skill, judgement and confidence. It features structured weekly objectives, self-care integration and increased opportunities for mentorship. Since its launch in March 2024, 137 new nurses have participated in the redesigned orientation and there has been a marked decrease in turnover in areas where the new model has been implemented. Nursing vacancy rates have improved in many Canadian hospitals since the pandemic, but recruitment and retention remain key issues. In areas of St. Joe’s that are using the new orientation model, such as general internal medicine, turnover rates fell to just 17 in 2024/25, compared to 33 in 2023/24. Part of the orientation is a new mentorship program that has key participation from senior nursing staff. The mentorship program touches on topics of feedback, cultural humility, and in particular, recognizing how to support internationally educated nurses. The program includes pre- and post-surveys to assess readiness and self-efficacy, bi-monthly meetings with critical care educators for continuous improvement, and new mentorship initiatives focused on cultural humility and supporting internationally educated nurses. As we celebrate Nursing Week, we want to extend our deepest gratitude to every nurse and staff member at St. Joe’s. Your dedication, expertise and compassion are the heart of this organization. Whether it be holding the hand of a patient, recommending new models of care to best address patient needs or encouraging other nurses with education opportunities, our nurses are innovators, care givers, researchers, educators and leaders who are changing lives and shaping tomorrow. Pictured: Nurse Educator Susan Ritchie supervises a patient safety exercise as part of nursing orientation where new nurses are directed to identify patient safety issues. Click here to learn more: https://www.stjoes.ca/our-stories/news/~2597-New-St-Joe-s-nursing-orientation-model-reduces-turnover-rate-by-half-and-sets-new-benchmark-for-onboarding-in-health-care (fb)