By Brithany St-Gelais (student in Natural Science)

Publié le 16 juin 2026

Imagine a very sick student from Collège d’Alma who arrives at the emergency room at 8 a.m. He sits all day to get antibiotics, sitting on an uncomfortable chair, and at 1 o'clock in the afternoon, he still hasn't seen the doctor.  

This is the daily reality in Quebec, where waiting times sometimes exceed five hours, for people who are sick but no longer have a family doctor and therefore have no other choice but to wait. In 2025, the median duration of a day at an emergency room in Quebec lasted 5 hours and 23 minutes, which is 10 minutes longer than the previous year, according to the press. 

The solution to reduce waiting time in ERs in Quebec would be to give more autonomy to clinical nurses so that they can treat minor cases. 

First, according to the OIIQ's brief on Bill 15, the best solution to help our healthcare system is to allow nurses to work within their full scope of practice. Even Minister Sonia Lebel wants to give more freedom to act to healthcare professionals. The goal is simple: Help overwhelmed doctors. A clinical nurse is trained to assess an ear infection. She can immediately see that the patient needs antibiotics, but the doctor's signature is mandatory. From an economic perspective, this is a waste of public funds. It costs much more to pay a specialist doctor for a simple task than a clinical nurse is already an expert in. It is illogical to pay a specialist doctor’s salary for a simple task that a clinical nurse is already qualified to do. Giving clinical nurses more autonomy would allow for immediate treatment of the patient and enable the doctor to focus on more serious cases.  

Second, I interviewed Myriam, a clinical nurse (and my mom!), who has 22 years of experience. Her observations are very clear: 40% to 50 % of the cases seen in the ER are minor. This includes wounds, urinary infections, or administrative needs for patients without a family doctor. According to her, the lack of autonomy in clinical nurses creates frustrating delays. “People are not just stressed, they become frustrated,” she says. She explains that a nurse can analyze laboratory results and identify infections just as doctors would. However, she is blocked by the law. “If we had collective prescriptions for the cases that we are trained for, like to assess if the patient needs to consult the respiratory therapist, it would allow patients to be treated immediately and they could leave,” she explains. Myriam emphasizes that giving more power to nurses is about multidisciplinary. In the past, nurses simply followed doctors and took notes, today they have the skills to act. By delegating minor tasks like “treating a simple wound,” doctors could focus on complex cases. When asked if more responsibilities would make her feel more valued, she answered that her motivation has always been the same: “You do this profession because you love taking care of people.” More autonomy is not for his ego. It is to reduce waiting times, helping those who have no choice but to wait several hours for basic care. 

Third, I can confirm that these facts are not exaggerated because I have been working in a hospital for two years now. Often on weekend, and as my mother says, we see the frustration in the eyes of the patients. It is illogical that professionals trained to treat minor cases are hampered by rigid protocols. What is encouraging is that even the Quebec College of Medicine now supports this approach. They agreed to delegate the clinical act to nurses under Bill 15. They claim this will improve the healthcare system. They also acknowledge that doctors can no longer practice alone and that teamwork has become essential.  

In conclusion, to resolve the emergency room crisis, nursing autonomy is essential. Let’s abandon outdated rules and trust the expertise of clinicians to improve access to care in Quebec. 

BIBLIOGRAPHY

Révision des ordres professionnels: plus de pouvoirs aux infirmières et pharmaciens , https://www.journaldequebec.com/2024/06/04/revision-des-ordres-professionnels--plus-de-pouvoirs-aux-infirmieres-et-pharmaciens, June 5 2024 

Summary : The Quebec government is making a new law to give more power to pharmacist and nurses so they can help patients faster and reduce the work for doctors.  

Urgences : les Québécois attendent plus longtemps que partout ailleurs au pays, https://www.journaldemontreal.com/2025/06/03/urgences--les-quebecois-attendent-plus-que-partout-ailleurs-au-pays, June 3 2025 

Summary : Quebec has the worst waiting times in ER in Canada, which proves that the system is failing and we need a new way to treat patients. 

Pour un meilleur accès - Un projet de loi pour garantir un accès à 100 % de la population , https://www.quebec.ca/nouvelles/actualites/details/pour-un-meilleur-acces-un-projet-de-loi-pour-garantir-un-acces-a-100-de-la-population-62723, May 8 2025

Summary: The government admits that the system is not working, it wants to force a change to give nurses and other professionals more responsibility.

Protecting the public by ensuring quality medical care, https://www.cmq.org/fr/allocution/pl-15 February 11 2026 

Summary: The College of Medicine supports the new law and wants other health professionals to have more power, because using everyone’s skills is the best way to help patients faster.  

Improving frontline services | An agreement between the FIQ and the MSSS clarifies the role of SNPs in an FMG, https://www.fiqsante.qc.ca/en/amelioration-de-la-premiere-ligne-une-entente-entre-la-fiq-et-le-msss-clarifie-le-role-des-ips-en-gmf/, March 20 2026 

Summary: The FIQ and the government made a deal to give nurses more autonomy, allowing them to have their own patients and work as equals with doctors to improve healthcare.  

Projet de loi n° 15 - Loi modifiant le Code des professions et d’autres dispositions principalement afin d’alléger les processus réglementaires du système professionnel et d’élargir certaines pratiques professionnelles dans le domaine de la santé et des services sociaux, https://www.oiiq.org/documents/20147/237836/memoire-pl15.pdf, February 5 2026 

Summary: Bill 15 aims to modernize the health and social services system in Quebec by simplifying regulatory processes and expanding professional practices, with a focus on public protection and access to care.