Quebec has raised concerns about the planned introduction of the NCLEX-RN, an American exam, to replace that of the Order of Nurses of Quebec (OIIQ) from 2024.
“When we met the Order a few weeks ago, […] we said we had a lot of 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 nursing care.
The Order has recorded abnormally high failure rates in the last two editions of the exam. The commissioner for admission to professions, Mr.e André Gariépy, revealed in May that the Order’s exam has flaws and questioned the quality of the questions.
Agreeing that certain elements of the current exam needed to be improved, the OIIQ announced a few days later that it wanted to replace its admission exam with the NCLEX-RN exam, used in the other Canadian provinces and in the United States.
“There is nothing set in stone. The commissioner will have to decide. We are still a long way from having that exam, ”added the Minister of Higher Education, Pascale Déry.
This exam raises many concerns, especially about the language. The NCLEX-RN turned out to be a disaster for francophones in New Brunswick, so much so that the students demanded to be able to take the Quebec exam. “We also shared [à l’Ordre] those concerns,” said Minister Déry.
“College education is here to stay”
The two ministers emphasized that the college nursing program will continue to be one of the gateways to the profession and that significant efforts are being made to modernize training. “There is no training less relevant than another. All training is equivalent in importance,” assured Mr.me Dery.
“The college education is here to stay. There is no question of it being removed. In the current context, we need everyone, ”she added.
In Quebec, you can practice as a nurse after completing a college education or obtaining a bachelor’s degree at university. For years, the OIIQ has been asking that the baccalaureate be made compulsory.
During the OIIQ convention in Montreal last November, Minister Dubé announced that he wanted to resolve the issue “within the next two years”. On Monday, he confirmed that his final decision will come following the publication of the third commissioner’s report, which will examine, among other things, nursing education.
With The Canadian Press