Angry nurses: massive failure in professional exam

Nursing students are furious with their professional order after having failed in large numbers the exam to give them the right to practice, in the midst of a shortage of nurses.

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« I’m in shock, » says Loriane Gaul-Dorion, 23, a class leader who went through three years of college with an average of 85%.

She is part of the cohort of nurses to have taken the professional exam of the Order of Nurses of Quebec (OIIQ) at the end of September 2022. The success rate was starving, barely exceeding 51%.

Without passing this exam, they cannot practice as a nurse. These numerous failures also occur while Quebec is facing a huge shortage of personnel, forcing it to cut many services in hospitals.

« Unfair »

However, for three years, the success rate for this same exam has fluctuated from 96 to 71% for the previous cohorts. « It’s unfair and it’s not normal for one in two people to sink, » continues Ms. Gaul-Dorion.

« It does not reflect the reality of the floor, not what we learn at school », rages Josiane Georges, who bursts into tears talking about her failure.

The 40-year-old mother dedicated dozens of hours a day to studying for this exam, even paying for additional training and taking a break from her hospital job to maximize her chances of passing.

But she only got 52%…and it takes 55% to pass.

Petition

22-year-old Joëlle Girard launched an online petition following her failure to denounce the situation. First, she would like the pass mark to be lowered to 50%, because she knows a lot of colleagues who have failed with marks of 51 to 54%.

Already more than 1500 people have signed it.

The student from Sorel-Tracy explains that the Order’s exam uses “clinical judgment” with a choice of answers. She argues that several of the choices are « good », but only one is « best » according to the Order.

However, several nurses interviewed by Le Journal felt that the exam was disconnected from their reality on the ground.

« We are not dangerous, we know what we are doing, » continues Ms. Girard, adding that all candidates for the exam have passed their studies before and are already working in hospitals.

As of press time, the OIIQ had yet to comment. The Journal is to speak to them in the afternoon.

More details to come…