Paul Magennis, RN & Kim Carlson, RN
Episode Date: Wednesday October 15, 2025
Medical Assistance in Dying (MAiD) continues to spark important discussions across Canada, within healthcare, policy circles, and among the public. In this episode, we sit down with Paul Magennis and Kim Carlson, two experienced Registered Nurses and educators from British Columbia, who have dedicated their careers to helping others navigate the realities and responsibilities surrounding MAiD. With nearly 20 years of combined experience in palliative care and more than seven years each supporting MAiD, Paul and Kim bring a thoughtful, balanced perspective to this often misunderstood topic.
Paul focuses his work on educating healthcare professionals about the legal, ethical, and practical aspects of MAiD, helping them understand what falls within their scope of practice. Kim draws on her deep background in palliative care to mentor nurses who support patients and families through end-of-life decisions, offering guidance on compassion, communication, and coping with moral distress.
Together, they co-author MAiD in Canada, a Substack newsletter dedicated to dispelling myths, sharing policy updates, and promoting evidence-based understanding of MAiD. Their collaborative approach bridges both the professional and human sides of end-of-life care, emphasizing empathy, clarity, and education.
In this episode, Paul and Kim discuss the complexities of MAiD in today’s healthcare landscape, providing insight into how nurses and other health professionals can engage in these conversations with confidence, compassion, and respect.
Resources:
Disrupting Death: Conversations about Medical Assistance in Dying
MAiD in Canada Substack: Main Page
MAiD in Canada Substack: The Goodbye My Training Couldn’t Fully Prepare Me For
Radical Nurse Talk 
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