Quebec has raised concerns about the planned introduction of the NCLEX-RN, an American exam that is set to replace the Order of Nurses of Quebec (OIIQ) from 2024.
Posted yesterday at 4:40pm.
“When we met the Order a few weeks ago, […] We said we had many questions [avant de] Take this exam. “I want to tell you that absolutely nothing has been decided,” said Health Minister Christian Dubé on Monday during his visit to the Center hospitalier de l’Université de Montréal (CHUM) to meet trainees in medical care.
The Order has experienced unusually high failure rates in the last two editions of the exam. The Commissioner for Admissions to Professions, Me André Gariépy, revealed in May that the Order’s examination has flaws and questioned the quality of the questions.
Agreeing that certain elements of the current exam needed improvement, OIIQ announced a few days later that it would replace its licensure exam with the NCLEX-RN exam, which is used in the other provinces of Canada and in the United States .
“Nothing is set in stone. The commissioner has to decide. We are still a long way from this test,” added Higher Education Minister Pascale Déry.
This exam raises many concerns, especially regarding language. The NCLEX-RN proved a disaster for francophones in New Brunswick, so much so that students began demanding the Quebec exam. “We shared too [à l’Ordre] these concerns,” said Minister Déry.
“College education is here to stay”
The two ministers stressed that the college nursing program will continue to be one of the entry points into the profession and that significant efforts are being made to modernize education. “There is no training that is less relevant than the other. “All training is of equal importance,” assured Ms. Déry.
“College education is permanent. There is no question of a distance. In the current context, we need everyone,” she added.
In Quebec, you can practice nursing after completing college or a bachelor’s degree from university. The OIIQ has been calling for the Abitur to be made compulsory for years.
During the OIIQ Congress in Montreal last November, Minister Dubé announced that he wanted to solve the problem “within the next two years”. On Monday he confirmed that his final decision would come after the publication of the commissioner’s third report, which will deal, among other things, with nursing education.
Meeting with the trainees
PHOTO PATRICK SANFAÇON, THE PRESS
The students had the opportunity to express their questions and concerns, especially regarding the examination of the Order and the salary conditions of nurses.
On Monday morning, the ministers met with about a hundred nursing students from different regions of Quebec. The students had the opportunity to express their questions and concerns, especially regarding the examination of the Order and the salary conditions of nurses.
“Its relaxing. My colleagues could say what they thought. It’s a first step, but more is needed,” said candidate for the practice of nursing (CEPI), Anne-Christelle.
Union members of the CHUM-CSN also interrupted the arrival of the ministers. “We, in one voice,” they cried. The confrontation required the intervention of security forces. Union members wanted to remind the minister that they are in negotiations to renew their collective agreement.
PHOTO PATRICK SANFAÇON, THE PRESS
Union members wanted to remind the minister that they are in negotiations to renew their collective agreement.
With the Canadian Press