a legacy in nursing: carrying the torch for the next generation of nurses
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charissa cordon (third from right with southlake nurses) sees the profession moving toward nurse leadership in positive ways, with nurse-led clinics, roles to drive quality improvement and contribution to research.
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charissa cordon says her mom is her anchor, influencing her life and career in profound ways. she was a public health nurse in the philippines, but when the family immigrated to canada in the early 1990s, as an internationally educated nurse, her public health experience wasn’t recognized. they settled in cambridge, ont., and when she got her license to practice, the only organizations that would take her were long-term care homes, so that’s where she worked.
“four years after we immigrated to canada, my mom was diagnosed with uterine cancer, and that was a tough time for us. i think i was 15 at the time. and so that stuck with us as a family, and i wanted to go into a field that could really make a difference,” says cordon.
a career in nursing inspired by mom
inspired and advised by her mom to go into nursing for the growing opportunities to practice and teach, that’s exactly what she did. now with 22 years of experience across ontario’s academic and community hospital systems, cordon, 47, has joined southlake health based in newmarket, ont. she’s the hospital’s new vice president and chief nursing executive tasked with championing nursing excellence and patient care in one of the fastest-growing and aging communities in the province.
southlake recently announced a $10 million investment to redevelop the existing hospital and build a second acute care hospital in east gwillimbury to modernize and connect care with community-based services at advanced care centres.
“i’ve met leaders, i’ve met nurses, and i am so impressed and incredibly excited about what i’m seeing here at southlake. our teams, especially our nurses, are really committed to delivering leading-edge care, and it’s really inspiring,” cordon says, excited about the work ahead. she laughs, taking a breath: “i get passionate about stuff, so i talk fast and become really animated.”
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oncology nursing supports vulnerable patients and families
growing up, she was interested in the sciences, especially biology, and was accepted for nursing studies at the university of toronto. she wasn’t sure what field to specialize in because there’s a lot to choose from, likely something that most people don’t realize. she landed on oncology, thinking of her mom’s cancer and the widespread impact on families.
“i love it because it allows me to make a meaningful difference in the lives of patients and their families facing a disease that affects so many canadians, like 42 per cent of canadians will get a cancer diagnosis in their lifetime. everybody knows someone that’s been impacted by this.”
oncology nursing combines highly specialized knowledge with compassionate care and practice, adapting to changing treatments as science evolves, she explains. “so as a nurse, we have to learn all of that. we have to learn the different diseases, progressions, different treatment modalities, how to guide patients through the system, how to manage their symptoms, and be there to manage their side effects and be there when things are uncertain. we can really support them across their cancer journey.”
she still has a hand in the specialty as president-elect of the canadian association of nurses in oncology, an advocacy and leadership organization that supports education, research and practice.
“i’ve progressed in my role, and what’s kept me in the profession is really the combination of growth and the personal connection that comes with it. that’s evolved for me into leadership. so initially, it’s personal connection with patients and families, and now it’s personal connection with the leaders that are enabling point of care nurses that then impact patients and families. and i feel that i can now more influence nursing and care at scale.”
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challenges of a growing and aging population
yes, she agrees that shortages of nurses, along with doctors and other health-care providers, are a hurdle that comes with a growing and aging population that needs more complex care. but there has also been innovation to empower nurses in their work. she notes the changes in nursing to support their teams and open doors, along with programs for mentorship, staff retention and building a talent pipeline for internationally educated nurses.
“i think about when i graduated nursing in 2004 to where we’re at now in 2026. a few things come to mind—advances in technology, digital health and data science,” she says of building capacity for the profession. “most organizations now have electronic health records and they have computerized physician order entries that make our care delivery safer and more efficient workflows.”
for example, in 2004, she explains that nurses would get the physician order for patient treatment, write the order, fax it to pharmacy, and then mix and administer the medication to the patient, all done manually. in modern practice, a computerized physician order entry is now electronic and the medication administration record is automated. “when we administer medications, there’s a barcode on the medication that scans [so you know] it’s the right medication for the right patients. so it really decreases your risk for errors.”
as well, the role has expanded in both scope and opportunities. most notably, the nurse practitioner’s scope of practice has expanded over the past 10 years, allowing them to prescribe more diagnostic tests and controlled substances. more recently, registered nurses can prescribe and initiate treatments, cordon says, although training and requirements differ across canada.
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“while we can’t do some of these things in acute care hospitals and other settings, in long-term care and in rural and under-serviced settings, nurses can do this, which means that there’s better access to care and we can provide more efficient care to our patients.”
cordon sees the profession moving toward nurse leadership in positive ways, with nurse-led clinics, roles to drive quality improvement and contribution to research. “we also play a big role in system design and policy. so it’s also evolved to being recognized as a critical and highly skilled pillar of the entire healthcare system.”
her mom has watched cordon progress in her career and touch the lives of patients, nurses and other health-care educators and providers, which has meant a lot.
“my mom is so proud. not only that her daughter is in a chief nursing executive role, but that we’re filipino, we’re immigrants. and to be in an executive role and for her to say, ‘my daughter makes this difference.’”
national nursing week is may 11 to 17, 2026, with the theme the power of nurses to transform health.
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