Several Quebec universities are recording a drop in the number of students enrolled in the first cycle of nursing studies this year. The government claims to be doing its utmost to attract more recruits, but the repercussions of the pandemic are still being felt in educational institutions.
At the University of Montreal, 840 students are enrolled in the initial baccalaureate training this year, compared to 943 in 2020. In the DEC-BAC program, they are currently 199 enrolled, a decrease of 21% compared to last year .
Declines in enrollment are also noted at other universities, particularly on the DEC-BAC program side.
President of the Order of Nurses of Quebec (OIIQ), Luc Mathieu believes that these decreases in university enrollment are “not alarming for the moment”. But the OIIQ will continue to monitor the situation closely. “In recent years, there has been an increase in admissions, especially at DEC-BAC. We think it’s more of a temporary effect of the pandemic, ”he said.
Impact of the pandemic
With the ministerial decrees adopted during the pandemic, several incentives were offered to nurses and students wishing to work full-time in the health network, explains Mr. Mathieu.
Vice-dean for undergraduate studies at the Faculty of Nursing at the University of Montreal, Marjolaine Héon explains that students with a DEC have “been under strong pressure to stay in the health network and work there full time. ” to help. Many of them therefore postponed their plans to pursue university education. A situation which may partly explain the drop of 55 female DEC-BAC students at the University of Montreal this year.
Mme Heon recognizes that at a time when the province is in dire need of nurses, it would be desirable for educational institutions to train more and more each year. But for her, the current decreases are not dramatic and are mainly explained by “the exceptional situation” of the pandemic.
At the baccalaureate, fewer candidates were admitted this year to the University of Montreal, because students from previous cohorts canceled courses or suspended their studies at the height of the pandemic before resuming their training this year.
Distance education is not for everyone. So we have a little fewer new students because some are making a comeback.
Marjolaine Héon, Vice-Dean for Undergraduate Studies at the Faculty of Nursing at the University of Montreal
For weeks, the University of Montreal has been working to “support the success” of nursing students in the baccalaureate “to be able to increase the reception capacities in the next cohorts”, explains Mme Heon.
“A retention problem”
The attraction for the baccalaureate in nursing sciences at the University of Montreal, as at other universities, was however important this year, rejoices Mr.me Heon. “We even had a waiting list. A first for several years, ”she notes.
Mme Heon finds it reassuring to see that the attraction for the profession has not been too affected by the pandemic. “The working conditions are often criticized. We wondered if we were going to be able to be so attractive. And we can see that it is, ”she said.
Has the pandemic come to seek the humanist side of the people? May be. It’s a job that changes lives.
Marjolaine Héon, Vice-Dean for Undergraduate Studies at the Faculty of Nursing at the University of Montreal
At Laval University, we are also delighted “to see that the nursing profession remains popular and that the quality of teaching is recognized and appreciated,” says spokesperson Jérôme Pelletier.
For Mr. Mathieu, the nursing shortage that currently affects Quebec is “linked to a retention problem rather than a problem of attraction”. Earlier this week, the OIIQ published its annual portrait of the nursing workforce and revealed that the province has 80,491 registered nurses, up 1.9% from last year.
At the Ministry of Health and Social Services (MSSS), it is said to “put in place working and practice conditions aimed at ensuring the attraction and retention of personnel, thanks to initiatives that will allow the pressure to be rapidly reduced. on work teams and rebalance the workload of staff ”. The MSSS is trying to “offer more stable work schedules, reduce overtime and promote work-life balance”.
The Interprofessional Health Federation of Quebec (FIQ) says it is “very concerned about the 10% drop in nursing registrations over the past 10 years”.
Vice-president responsible for the sector of work organization and professional practice at the FIQ, Isabelle Groulx affirms that “despite a recent increase in enrollments in certain CEGEPs in Montreal and Quebec, we are experiencing a significant loss in our regions” .
According to Mme Groulx, “it is obvious that the government must do more to attract future nurses and to counter this major trend, particularly in terms of promoting the profession in schools”. But “to succeed in convincing the next generation to choose this profession, the working conditions must still be attractive”, she maintains.
The different paths
In Quebec, various courses can be taken to become a nurse, in particular:
- 3-year college diploma (DEC) in nursing (nurse technician)
- 3-year DEC in nursing followed by a 2-year baccalaureate in nursing to become a nurse clinician (DEC-BAC)
- 2-year DEC in science followed by a three-year baccalaureate in nursing to become a nurse clinician (baccalaureate)
The College of Nurses and Systemic Racism
A position statement to “improve care for First Nations and Inuit by countering systemic racism” will be presented Monday to members of the Ordre des infirmières et infirmiers du Québec at their annual general meeting. “This statement puts forward courses of action and concrete recommendations to promote cultural security and optimal partnership relations with First Nations and Inuit”, we can read on the Order’s website. A proposal for the OIIQ to adopt the “Joyce principle” will also be discussed. As is another aimed at ensuring that the OIIQ “reminds that the obligation of loyalty to the employer in nursing services comes after the obligations of nurses to the public”.