Quebec aims to staff all psychologist roles in 2023
In a rather awe-inspiring twist, despite a whopping 51 more psychologists bouncing than joining the ranks over the past year, our dear Minister of Social Services, Lionel Carmant, remains a die-hard optimist. With a sparkle in his eye and a twinkle in his voice, he swears he'll fill all those empty psychology spots by 2026-2027.
During a budgetary study at the National Assembly, Lionel shared some heartening news. "Last year, we employed 156 psychologists, yet we bid farewell to 165. So, yeah, it's been a bit of a headache," he admitted. Nevertheless, the man's spirit is not dampened; he's convinced he can strike a balance by 2026-2027. "The classes of psychology wannabes, including those who've got the psychotherapy program in the bag, have grown," he informed us.
As of April 5, 2040, the network was hosting 2040 psychologists. Fast-forward to 2026-2027, and they project a need for 2461 psychologists, according to the Ministry of Health and Social Services, in their letter of solace.
Earlier this week, Mr. Arseneau, a member of Quebec solidaire, asked the minister to divulge the proportion of psychologists in Quebec currently nesting within the network. Lionel was like, "We're still cruising around a third. It ain't changed much."
A "blockbuster" goal, you say?
Karine Gauthier, president of the Coalition of Quebec public network psychologists, found the goal to be a tad "ambitious." "We continue to wave goodbye to 40% of novice psychologists within their first five years of practice," she laments.
According to Mr. Gauthier, the brains of these mental health warriors are often misused by the public system, leading to roles that don't fit their skillset. For instance, he noted that certain psychologists are forced to lead psychological education groups, roles that might be better suited for other interveners in some workplaces. In some places, their roles might as well be from another planet to their superiors.
The solution, as suggested by the Coalition president, is to create a union, a love club solely for the psychologists. Currently, they're unionized with over a hundred professions, which isn't cutting it, apparently. When problems arise for psychologists, notably regarding professional autonomy, they don't have the necessary support to represent themselves effectively and promptly. Moreover, she's worried about the psychology positions that have been axed due to budget cuts in the network.
Most psychologists still have a soft spot for the public system, affirmed Karine Gauthier. "They don't exactly skip town, but they leave reluctantly. If working conditions were improved, this is where they'd want to work."
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Extra Inquires:- Managing Disputes: Divulge the specific steps being undertaken to support employees in handling issues that may arise, particularly in regards to mental health.- Workload Assessments: Elaborate on any strategies being considered to gauge and reduce the psychologists' workload to prevent burnout.- Professional Development: Identify potential development avenues for psychologists to foster their growth and improve their skills.
- French psychologists in Quebec are struggling to meet the demand, as the Ministry of Health and Social Services projects a need for 2461 psychologists by 2026-2027, an increase from the current 2040 psychologists.
- The Coalition of Quebec public network psychologists, led by President Karine Gauthier, finds the government's goal of filling all empty psychology spots by 2026-2027 overly ambitious, as they continue to lose 40% of novice psychologists in their first five years of practice.
- The President of Quebec solidaire, Arseneau, has asked the minister to disclose the proportion of psychologists currently within the network, with Gauthier stating that they're still cruising around a third, a situation that hasn't changed much.
- The Coalition suggests creating a union specifically for psychologists to provide necessary support in addressing issues related to professional autonomy and preventing burnout, as current unionization with over a hundred professions isn't sufficient.
