A groundbreaking day for Québec SNPs
On March 17, 2020, the Québec National Assembly passed Bill 43, giving new powers to specialty nurse practitioners (SNP). Once the OIIQ adopts the necessary regulations, the SNPs can diagnose illnesses, follow up pregnancies or place patients in confinement.
The passing of Bill 43 comes after several years of demands for the SNPs’ to use their full skill set. The FIQ thanks all the SNPs who collaborated with them over the last few years in bringing these demands to various levels, including the government.
Although the Federation would have liked Bill 43 to go further, it is happy with the path taken and that its main demands were heard: a broader diagnostic right for the SNP and possibility for the nursing profession to govern its advanced practice autonomously. The FIQ will now continue its interventions so the upcoming regulations allow the SNPs to have the practice that they and the patients deserve and the Québec SNP practice can achieve Canadian practice standards. This quick passing of Bill 43, right before the National Assembly’s work was suspended because of COVID-19, attests to the importance of the SNP role for the people of Québec. The SNPs are no doubt part of the solution in the current health crisis in Québec, but will also give