Tilda Shalof: ICU Nurse and Bestselling Author
Welcome to my internet home. Here we can meet virtually, pull up imaginary chairs and talk about all things
Nursing has always been a hard path. Is it harder now, more than ever? I don’t know but to me the challenges have always been worth it.
My books are true stories from working as a critical care nurse in the Medical-Surgical ICU at Toronto General Hospital, of the University Health Network. I loved working there, the team and the many brilliant people I worked alongside. The privilege it was to get to do that work and be with people in some of their toughest – also joyful – times. was never lost on me.
To my nurse readers, I hope my books make you feel seen and supported. Perhaps they will pique your interest in writing your own nursing stories?
For readers who are not nurses, I hope my books open a window into our world so that you can better understand what nurses do and the responsibilities we carry.
My latest book, The Handover – A Nurse’s Last Shift, is about retiring from nursing and passing on the essential stories and enduring messages to the next generation of nurses.
Through my books, public speaking engagements, private conversations and correspondence, my mission is to support nurses in all ways that I can.
Now, I am ready to share what I know about writing, editing and publishing. I want to teach nurses who want to write – not scholarly articles or patient documentation – but creative writing where they can find their voice and express themselves freely.
Here’s a link to learn more about my upcoming course in creative writing.
Feel free to connect with me in anyway you choose.
Meet Tilda Shalof
Tilda Shalof RN, BScN, CNCC (C) has been a staff nurse in the Medical-Surgical Intensive Care Unit at Toronto General Hospital of the University Health Network, for the past twenty-four years. She is also the author of the bestseller, A Nurse’s Story and an outspoken patient advocate, passionate nurse leader, public speaker, and media commentator. She lives in Toronto with her husband, Ivan Lewis and their two sons, Harry and Max.
Meet Lisa Mochrie
Lisa Mochrie is a Registered Nurse, Team Lead, and Nursing Educator based in Burlington, Ontario. Mochrie has been recognized for her compassionate clinical practice by her Hospital’s Kindness Award (2024) and for her excellence in teaching and leadership. She was honoured by her students with the Most Valuable Professor Award (2025), a testament to the lasting impact she makes on learners and the community. At the bedside and in the classroom, Mochrie is dedicated to ensuring that people feel seen, supported, and valued.
News and Blog
What advice would you give a nurse in 2026?
Watch as Tilda Shalof and Lisa Mochrie give advice to nurses entering the profession in 2026.
Me, on one of the last days on the job, trying to figure out ”The Handover.”
Me, on one of the last days on the job, trying to figure out ”The Handover.” Here’s a short list: Artistry and awesomes; “bed, bath, and beyond”; cannibalism, details and dim sum; emojiis and eyeballs; [...]
What would Florence Nightingale do?
What would Florence Nightingale do? She was an icon and a visionary, but by all accounts, Nurse Flo’ was a bitter misanthrope, a rabid racist (and likely anti-semitic, too, as a woman of her day [...]
Why I Wear my King Charles III Medal to the Dog Park
Why I Wear my King Charles III Medal to the Dog Park. No, I don’t keep it in a velvet box or under glass. Instead, I wear my King Charles III award for “Excellence in [...]
Watch: Toronto nurse uses discarded medical packaging to make massive tribute mural
Tilda Shalof spent 28 years as an ICU nurse treating some of the sickest people in Toronto. Over the years she collected medicine caps and lids, IV tubes and syringe covers that she turned into [...]
What nurses want you to know: Tilda Shalof & Lisa Mochrie | TELUS Talks
Caring for patients is a responsibility that stays with you. Nurses see people at their most vulnerable and are often a steady presence through fear, illness and loss. After decades in healthcare, Tilda Shalof offers [...]
What’s a good death? A veteran nurse tells peers that ‘not every death is sad, and only a few are tragic’
Veteran Toronto nurse and author Tilda Shalof has long been a source of advice for younger entrants to her profession, such as Lisa Mochrie. Their new book “The Handover: A Nurse’s Last Shift” is a [...]
Book Review at Lawrence Bloomberg Faculty of Nursing
Read the review of The Handover from the Lawrence Bloomberg School of Nursing!
