This text is part of the special Nursing Profession notebook
For more than a hundred years, the Order of Nurses of Quebec (OIIQ) has protected the public by ensuring that citizens receive quality care provided by nurses whose essential role has continued to evolve . On the sidelines of the preparations for the 20e edition of the Florence awards, which recognize the excellence of the profession, meeting with Luc Mathieu, president of the OIIQ.
His second mandate, which will end at the end of next year, will have been marked by a most exceptional situation, a pandemic which weighed heavily on the shoulders of its members, but also by great progress for the profession. Luc Mathieu gives a positive assessment of these five years which, by his own admission, have passed very quickly: “A lot of things have changed in such a short time. As soon as I took office in 2018, we started working on a new strategic plan for the Order […] This great reflection led us to organize general meetings on the profession which were co-chaired by two independent commissioners: Robert Salois, former commissioner for health and well-being, and Francine Ducharme, professor, recently retired from the University of Montreal . » Following this revealing and mobilizing exercise for the profession, 24 associations and professional groups united to create the Alliance for the Future of Nursing, which allows nurses to speak with a single voice, distinct from the ‘Order or unions.
Luc Mathieu also emphasizes the importance of Bill 6 tabled during his mandate by Danielle McCann when she was Minister of Health: “This is another important achievement. You have to give it that, a project that now allows specialist nurse practitioners to diagnose. A few years ago, it would have been unthinkable for a professional other than a doctor to be able to diagnose. This is a major advancement, not only for the profession, but for the population who benefits from better access [à des soins]. »
A recognition that is a long time coming
Despite significant leaps in the profession, its areas of practice and its scope of practice, colossal work remains to be done to fully recognize nursing expertise. “We often hear that nurses are good, caring, and compassionate. In this speech, we do not talk about skills,” laments the president. Patients in vulnerable situations certainly need time, but they also need cutting-edge expertise.
Without accusing the government, he denounces the expression “we need arms” which has been repeated ad nauseam during the pandemic, press briefing after press briefing. “Yes, we lacked manpower,” agrees Luc Mathieu. When I talk to them [au premier ministre et au ministre Dubé], I tell them that we also need the heads. » Earlier this year, the OIIQ launched the campaign “Nurses: more than just arms” to remind us that they are autonomous professionals, endowed with clinical judgment and distinct expertise who contribute to improve the health system.
A public network and its challenges
The OIIQ is the largest professional order in the health field in Quebec. Of its 83,418 nurse members as of March 31, 2023, the vast majority work in the public health network, a reality that distinguishes the OIIQ from several other professional orders. “The issue with the public is that we don’t necessarily take good care of nurses, both in terms of working conditions and practice conditions. Depending on the work organization that has been put in place, we do not allow them to use their skills optimally,” notes Luc Mathieu. Inevitably, a link must be made with the private sector to which, he adds, many nurses turn. Remember that last year the Order revealed an increase in the number of nurses in the private sector since the start of the pandemic.
And while the government insists that Quebecers will one day all have access to a family doctor, Luc Mathieu suggests changing the vocabulary and instead talking about a family team to stick more closely to reality. Not hiding his skepticism about the idea of a family doctor for everyone, he speaks of a transition from the medical clinic to what he calls a community clinic which more accurately describes this place where the clinical nurse first assesses patients before redirecting them to the right resource: pharmacist, physiotherapist, occupational therapist, social worker, doctor, etc.
Cry from the heart to the next generation
With everything that is currently happening in the network, we perhaps do not realize what is going well, recognizes Luc Mathieu. He, who has just finished a tour of the regions of Quebec that began in September 2022, assures that he always comes out of these meetings in clinical environments refreshed: “Despite what we hear, there are still people who are dedicated, who have want to develop things, innovative projects. It’s not true it’s just slump […] There are extraordinary things being done in all regions. » Without however denying the current challenges of the network, facing the profession and the members of the OIIQ, he adds that even if “the health system is holding together with a spit, it is largely thanks to the contribution of nurses and nurses who carry this at arm’s length.”
The initiatives deployed by the OIIQ to raise awareness and promote the profession are numerous. Luc Mathieu wants young people to understand that with the right practice conditions, working conditions and environment, this can be a fantastic profession. Addressing the next generation, he ends the interview with an invitation: “You can do all kinds of things [dans une carrière en sciences infirmières]. Care, management, teaching, research, post-graduate studies at the master’s or doctoral level. You can go anywhere in the world with this job. Enjoy! »
An evolving profession
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