Reform needed for Quebec licensing exam, nurse says

Thousands of would-be nurses are about to take their final exam on Sept. 18, which comes just days after the Order of Quebec Nurses says it won’t be implementing a new exam format until the spring 2024.

This, after flawed licensing exam led to almost half of nursing students failing last September in the province.

“We are so eager to go out onto the field and work and be a part of something that’s so beautiful,” said Kaya Achkar, a registered nurse who failed the Quebec nurse licensing exam the first time. “I love what I do, and it’s just unfortunate that it’s taking so many people so long and having to resort to other methods to have their license.”

Achkar is calling for an exam reform.

“My graduating class, there were… three people who passed out of a graduating class of 40. So that was for the first time. The second time we passed, I think like the big majority of us passed, but I still know a few people who are taking it now,” said Achkar. “I think it was just questions that whether you know them or you don’t know them, it doesn’t change the difference of if you’re going to be a good nurse or not.

“There’s so many elements that are not evaluated in the exam that count so much in the nursing field: passion, bedside manner, so many different things that you can pass the exam and still be a really bad nurse, or you could fail the exam and be such a good nurse also. There’s just a lot of things that aren’t taken into consideration with a written paper exam.”

There were talks of possibly changing the current licensing exam to the American exam known by the acronym NCLEX-RN.

But according to The Canadian Press, chances that the Order of Quebec Nurses (OIIQ) will adopt a new nursing exam by next spring are slim. The Office des professions du Québec (OPQ) is far from enthusiastic about the idea of adopting it.

In a press release published Tuesday, the Order of Quebec Nurses said “pending a response from the Office des professions du Québec to the request for regulatory change for the introduction of the NCLEX-RN […] the September examination remains unchanged in form and content.”

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Achkar says she knows people who have failed Quebec’s test repeatedly but passed the NCLEX-RN on their first try, many arguing the evaluation is more based on real-life situations. She also plans to take the exam to receive her licensing in the United States.

Order of Quebec Nurses said in the press release, ahead of the exam set next week, that support measures were announced last June to help those taking the test.

“This cohort was given free access to exam preparation tools, in addition to benefiting from various exam preparation and knowledge consolidation activities, thanks to the collaboration of the Ministries of Higher Education and Health and Social Services, the nursing departments of healthcare establishments and the Direction nationale des soins et services infirmiers. In addition, the Cégep du Vieux Montréal, in collaboration with nurses who have followed a similar path, has developed a coaching program specifically for IDHCs.”

Achkar believes more needs to be done to ensure candidates have a real standing chance at passing the licensing exam. One of her complaints is that the NCLEX-RN exam can be taken more frequently than the Quebec one, which is only available twice a year.

“The exam, obviously I think it’s necessary,” said Achkar. “I think we can’t just throw everyone out into the hospitals. But just to tweak it a little bit to make it more manageable and less stressful for everybody.”

Correction: a previous version of this article stated Quebec only lets candidates take the test three times. The Order of Quebec Nurses says candidates can take the test as many times as needed.