Quebec to set up two fast-track health-care training programs to combat labour shortage
Quebec is launching an intensive recruitment effort for nursing assistants and clinical services administrative officers in hopes of repeating the successes achieved in the recruitment of orderlies.
Health Minister Christian Dubé and Education Minister Jean-François Roberge announced Wednesday the creation of scholarships and the implementation of accelerated training programs aimed at attracting 3,000 administrative officers and 2,000 nursing assistants.
"To make the changes in health -- a change in culture, all we need to do -- one of the biggest rocks, one of the biggest important elements, is the workforce," Dubé said.
"With manpower, there's going to be more people, to have a work environment that's better for everyone who's there."
SCHOLARSHIPS UP TO $20,000
The scholarships are significant as those enrolling in the administrative officer training will receive a $4,000 scholarship, while applicants for the nursing assistant training will receive a $20,000 scholarship.
In the first case, the registered students will have to commit to work for at least one year while the second will have to commit to work for two years. The total amount of the bursaries represents an investment of $14 million for administrative officers and $48 million for nursing assistants.
Dubé said the $20,000 bursaries will be paid out in three instalments: at the beginning of training, mid-way through, and upon graduation.
The mission of the administrative officers in support of the clinical sectors will be to assume the administrative tasks of nurses, tasks that take up too much of their time, according to Minister Dubé.
This will free them up to spend more time on patient care. The administrative agent training, which usually represents 400 hours, will be compressed into 240 hours, or about two months, so Quebec plans to gradually integrate them into the health network by next summer.
Quebec's plan calls for the hiring of some 300 agents for emergencies, 600 for CHSLDs and home support, 800 for the mental health and youth sectors, and 1,300 in other hospital missions, depending on needs.
ACCELERATED TRAINING OF NURSING ASSISTANCE TO BEGIN IN 2022
On the nursing assistant side, accelerated training will begin next January. The 1,800-hour training requirement is unchanged, but rather than being obtained in 22 months, the Diploma of Professional Studies will be completed in 14 months and Quebec expects to have this cohort in place in the network by March 2023.
"The number of months will be reduced, but the number of hours will be concentrated," said Roberge. "They won't have fewer hours of training in the case of nursing assistants, but we're concentrating in fewer weeks, in fewer months."
The accelerated training programs and the related bursaries will be offered in all regions of Quebec.
NEGATIVE UNION REACTION
The Fédération interprofessionnelle de la santé du Québec (FIQ) reacted rather negatively to the announcement. The union, which represents the majority of nursing assistants, criticized Minister Dubé for acting "alone and in silo."
In a press release issued following the announcement, the FIQ said it believes that by not consulting the unions, the minister "deprived himself of an essential vision of the reality in the field and of proposals to definitively resolve the exodus and exhaustion of the health workforce ... In so doing, he avoided addressing the crucial issue of poor working conditions and the lack of valorization and recognition of the nursing assistant profession in the care teams."
Nathalie Lévesque, the interim president of the CNU, recognizes that "we cannot be against the government's desire to train 2,000 nursing assistants to come and lend a hand in the failing network," but she adds that the problem will remain "if we are not able to offer them the opportunity to fully exercise their field of practice."
The reaction from teachers was not much more enthusiastic. The Fédération des syndicats de l'enseignement (FSE-CSQ) is concerned about the acceleration of the training of nursing assistants, stating that "the current training is already too busy."
The union fears that reducing the time required for the same training by 40 per cent will "greatly increase the pressure on students, whose daily learning capacity for such complex content has its limits." It also argues that the increase in daily practicum hours "also increases the risk of errors."
The FSE-CSQ pointed out that the failure rate is already very high in the program when it is extended to its full duration It also deplored the fact that Quebec has acted without first discussing the issue with teachers.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published in French on Dec. 1, 2021. For CTV News' full report, watch the video above.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
BREAKING King Charles' cancer treatment progressing well, says Buckingham Palace
King Charles III’s doctors are 'sufficiently pleased' with his cancer treatment and he is expected to return to public-facing duties, Buckingham Palace announced on Friday.
BREAKING Orca calf that was trapped in B.C. lagoon for weeks swims free
An orca whale calf that has been stranded in a B.C. lagoon for weeks after her pregnant mother died swam out on her own early Friday morning.
'Unacceptable': Trudeau reacts after AFN chief says headdress taken from plane cabin
After the Assembly of First Nations' national chief said her headdress was taken from an airplane cabin this week, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau called the incident 'unacceptable' and a 'mistake' on the part of Air Canada.
DEVELOPING Bird flu outbreaks: WHO weighs in on public health risk
The current overall public health risk posed by the H5N1 bird flu virus is low, the World Health Organization said on Friday, but urged countries to stay alert for cases of animal-to-human transmission.
Sophie Gregoire Trudeau on navigating post-political life, co-parenting and freedom
Sophie Gregoire Trudeau says there is 'still so much love' between her and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, as they navigate their post-separation relationship co-parenting their three children.
Regina police officer injured after being accidentally shot by fellow officer's gun
An investigation is underway after a Regina police officer was accidentally shot by a fellow officer’s gun during the search of a house early Friday morning.
From faulty kids' cribs to flammable kids' bathrobes, here are the recalls of the week
Health Canada issued recalls for various items this week, including kids’ bathrobes, cribs and henna cones.
Taylor Swift dons Montreal designer's dress in 'Fortnight' video
A pair of Montreal designers' work has now been viewed over 41 million times. Taylor Swift dons a Victorian throwback black gown in her latest music video, 'Fortnight', designed by UNTTLD due Simon Belanger and Jose Manuel Saint-Jacques.
Island near Mull of Kintyre for sale for US$3.1 million
An idyllic 453-acre private island is up for sale off the west coast of Scotland and it comes with sandy beaches, puffins galore, seven houses, a pub, a helipad and a flock of black-faced sheep.