For Assistant Professor Annie Chevrier, participating as an appointed university representative on a committee tasked with modernizing the CEGEP nursing program has been a humbling and gratifying experience. 鈥淔rom January to May 2024, we conducted focus groups with 160 nurses across Quebec and heard stories of remarkable resilience and adaptation,鈥� she reports.
In 2023, the Ministry of Higher Education announced the formation of this committee, whose work would inform a blueprint for the first modernization of the CEGEP nursing program in 25 years. This, in turn, will have implications for what is known as the DEC-BAC trajectory where approximately 60% of students who earn their three-year DEC (college diploma) in nursing then go on to complete their Bachelor of Nursing Integrated (BNI) at the university level. Given Prof. Chevrier鈥檚 stewardship of the Ingram School of Nursing鈥檚 unique online BNI stream and her wealth of experience in curriculum development for the DEC-BAC trajectory, it is no surprise that she was selected to participate in this important modernization project.
In addition to Prof. Chevrier, the committee is comprised of two CEGEP nursing instructors as well as representation from the Ministry of Higher Education, the Quebec Order of Nurses (OIIQ), and the Ministry of Health. As Prof. Chevrier explains, while all CEGEP programs undergo regular review, in terms of preparation, methodology, breadth and data collection, this review and analysis of the nursing profession has been exceptionally rigorous and exhaustive. The committee spoke to nurses practicing as far as Iqaluit, Nunavut, 脦les de la Madeleine, Sept-脦les, and the Gasp茅. 鈥淭he magnitude of this undertaking reflects recognition of the essential role of nurses in caring for people across the lifespan in a healthcare system undergoing profound transformation,鈥� says Prof. Chevrier.
Structured interviews were conducted with focus groups consisting of a statistically representative sample of nurses by education level (CEGEP diploma, DEC-BAC, BScN), specialty and region. Conversations centered around their scope of practice, challenges, and whether their educational preparation provided them with the foundational dimensions of competency such as critical thinking, judgement and clinical reasoning.
The testimonials of those caring for vulnerable populations in remote regions with limited access to specialists, modern infrastructure and basic technology such as high-speed Internet were especially poignant. 鈥淏ecause they鈥檙e not working in specialized centres, nurses in remote regions have to be much better prepared for patients aged 0-99 who present with conditions they may not routinely encounter,鈥� explains Prof. Chevrier. Another issue of grave concern is the impact of climate change on communities traumatized by disasters such as forest fires.
Added to the above, the shock waves created in the healthcare system by the pandemic continue to reverberate, making the modernization of the CEGEP nursing curriculum even more timely and necessary. 鈥淲hile the pandemic revealed a system that was not agile, the nurse themselves were resilient, agile and innovative. They met the moment.鈥�
In the next few months, CEGEP nursing faculty across the province will hold internal consultations to discuss and validate the , after which, a more detailed educational blueprint will be formulated and presented to the CEGEPS. The goal is to launch the modernized DEC nursing curriculum in the fall of 2028. The first wave of students educated under the revised program will enter the Ingram School of Nursing鈥檚 BNI program in the fall of 2031. In preparation, the School鈥檚 undergraduate faculty will make the requisite program changes that will build on the foundational knowledge acquired in CEGEP.
Deeply moved by the stories she heard from nurses during the focus group consultations, Prof. Chevrier believes that the modernization of the CEGEP program will validate their extraordinary efforts and dedication. 鈥淭his analysis of the profession is a gift to them because we promised them that their voices would be heard. It's also a gift to听the healthcare system, because as far as we know, there's never been a consultation and a focus group and an analysis of a report of this magnitude for nursing in Quebec or anywhere else,鈥� she concludes.
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