Keyword: practitioners

Providing Québec with specialized mental health nurse practitioners seems like an obvious choice!

In 2011, five universities within the Université du Québec network (UQ) introduced a master’s of nursing program in mental health and psychiatric care. Like the nurse practitioners specialized in primary care or other fields, the role of the nurse practitioner in mental health and psychiatry seems obvious. Unfortunately however, it does not seem so obvious to many in government and even less so among our psychiatrist colleagues. Many difficult questions have been raised about what type of nursing should be given priority; should a title be created for the specialized nurse practitioner rather than hoping that specialized mental health nurse practitioners will hold a place of their own, or will either ever see the light of day because of the confusion surrounding these employment categories?

The mental health nurse: Vital to accessibility, continuity, quality of care, and patient recovery

In her March 2013 editorial, OIIQ President Lucie Tremblay emphasized that Quebec’s 72 000 nurses are a force to be reckoned with, and asked them to combine their efforts in view of changing the health care system, adding, “as professionals, we must promote our expertise and make the most of it to ensure that the population has access to quality care.” There are over 4000 mental health and psychiatric nurses working at every level of the health system. By asserting their leadership, they can help better meet the increasingly complex needs of the population.