MONTREAL — Following the fiasco of the results of the Nursing Access Examination and the reports severely criticizing the rigor of the methodology used by the Ordre des Nurses du Québec (OIIQ), the main union is expressing concern and demanding responses.

At a press conference on Wednesday morning, the President of the Fédération interprofessionnelle de la santé du Québec (FIQ), Julie Bouchard, stated that “it cannot go on like this” and that she is very concerned about the very high failure rate in the last two sessions of the admission exam.

In September 2022, the pass rate of candidates who took the exam for the first time was 51.4%. A few months later, in March 2023, the success rate of new applicants rose slightly to 53.3% on the first try.

“This is very worrying for us because the failure rate, which is still very high, means we are behind,” Ms Bouchard said, saying she was seeing “a demobilization” of the candidates.

“It is of great concern to the profession,” added the President of FIQ, which represents around 80,000 members including nurses, nursing assistants, respiratory therapists and clinical perfusionists.

To get answers, the union requested a meeting with the OIIQ. This happened on Wednesday afternoon.

Beyond the disappointing test results, Ms. Bouchard is particularly interested in “the preparation that prospective nursing professionals are entitled to.” She worries that “these women didn’t have the support they needed to get to the exam and make that exam a success.”

The President of the FIQ does not believe the OIIQ’s arguments that the high default rates are due to the pandemic.

“There are many other types of jobs that have a job assignment, and we haven’t seen such a significant increase in the failure rate for the other job assignments,” she notes.

After the face-to-face meeting between the union and the Order, FIQ Vice-President Jérôme Rousseau told The Canadian Press that the meeting “allowed certain elements to be clarified”, without being able to say that the organization was reassured .

Mr Rousseau, in charge of the work organization and professional practice files, confirms that the FIQ is surprised at the OIIQ’s sudden decision to change its examination mode.

“It feels like a rush. It’s extremely fast,” he said. At the time of the first disastrous results, in September 2022, the Order was defending its exam, Jérôme Rousseau recalls. However, we already know that the OIIQ has been aware of significant flaws in its test methodology for several years.

Julie Bouchard thinks it’s normal for nurses to have a certain distrust of their professional code, which is there to protect the public, not healthcare professionals. However, she repeats that things cannot go on like this.

Regarding the OIIQ’s declared wish to raise the level of education for access to the profession by requiring the Abitur certificate, the FIQ states that it has not yet made a decision on this dossier. It is claimed that when discussing this issue, members are asked to make a decision.

–

The Canadian Press’s health content is funded through a partnership with the Canadian Medical Association. The Canadian Press is solely responsible for the editorial selection.