The success rate for the examination of the Order of Nurses of Quebec (OIIQ) held last March was 92% among recruits who were doing it for the first time. This is one of the highest since September 2018. Just over 1,700 aspiring nurses now obtain their practice license.
Nearly 95% of candidates for the practice of the nursing profession (CEPI) graduated in Quebec passed the test on their first attempt. Among those graduated outside of Canada, this percentage reaches 86.9%. CEPIs who retook the exam after failing it completed it successfully in 92% of cases.
These success rates contrast with those of recent years. Last September, 69% of future nurses passed the exam on their first attempt. A year earlier, almost half of CEPIs had failed the test (80.5% among graduates outside Canada). The OIIQ has since been under close surveillance.
In a publication on the social network “The efforts to improve this exam are bearing fruit, we need these qualified nurses in the network,” he wrote.
In the office of Minister Sonia LeBel, it is indicated that “efforts to improve the processes surrounding the examination of the Order of Nurses of Quebec are continuing.” “The OIIQ collaborates with Mme [Marie] Rinfret, appointed as governance controller last November. The objective is to ensure that all qualified nurses are integrated into the network. »
The Office des professions du Québec (OPQ) has mandated the former Ombudsman, Marie Rinfret, to support the OIIQ in revising its professional exam. In May 2023, the commissioner for admission to professions, André Gariépy, reported the “flaws and [les] fragilities” of the ordeal. In October, he ordered the OIIQ to correct the problems identified in the review.
The passing score for the March exam was 57%. It was determined by a committee of around twenty experts, itself supervised by a measurement and evaluation expert mandated by the OPQ.
In a press release, the OIIQ indicates that it is “in a good position to put an end to the relaxation measures” put in place in January 2023. It affirms that it will impose, as in the past, a “deadline” for the successful completion of the exam, as well as a maximum number of attempts, usually set at 3. The professional order specifies that CEPIs may, however, continue to benefit from support measures to prepare for the test.
Reactions
The National Federation of Teachers of Quebec (FNEEQ–CSN) is delighted with the success rate of 92%. “This is great proof that the qualifying DEC is of high quality,” says its vice-president, Yves de Repentigny, head of the CEGEP group. He adds that Marie Rinfret’s support “seems to have borne fruit”.
While he welcomes the maintenance of support measures, Yves de Repentigny questions the imposition of a maximum number of tests. “We understand the importance of safety and ensuring that we have nurses who are well trained and qualified and who, therefore, are able to do the work,” he says. At the same time, we are in a period of shortage. We wonder. Is this a good idea or a bad idea? »