By Canadian Press

Commissioner recommends delaying Quebec nurse exam amid concerns over high fail rate

Jan 18, 2023 | 1:25 PM

MONTREAL — A preliminary investigation into why more than half of candidates failed Quebec’s nurse licensing exam last fall has found “concerning elements” surrounding both the exam and student preparation.

André Gariépy, the commissioner who oversees access to professional orders, is recommending that the next date to write the exam be pushed back while the probe continues.

The interim report released today found that just 45.4 per cent of nursing students passed the Sept. 26 licensing exam, compared to a pass rate of between 63 and 96 per cent in previous sittings.

Gariépy says nursing students have largely blamed a flawed exam, while the province’s order of nurses has suggested student preparation could have been affected by the COVID-19 pandemic.

The commissioner says that while it’s too soon to say whether the exam or the training caused the high failure rate, it’s clear students have been harmed.

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In addition to pushing back the next exam scheduled for March, he is recommending that candidates who were barred from the profession after failing for a third time in September should be allowed to try again.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Jan. 18, 2023.

The Canadian Press