Article(s) 30 May 2013

In her March 2013 editorial, OIIQ President Lucie Tremblay emphasized that Quebec’s 72 000 nurses are a force to be reckoned with, and asked them to combine their efforts in view of changing the health care system, adding, “as professionals, we must promote our expertise and make the most of it to ensure that the population has access to quality care.” There are over 4000 mental health and psychiatric nurses working at every level of the health system. By asserting their leadership, they can help better meet the increasingly complex needs of the population.

Pessamit, 1973. This story begins 40 years ago, after a routine medical exam given at the dispensary of an Innu community in the beautiful Côte-Nord region. The news was unexpected and devastating: like the weighted blade of a guillotine, falling at lightning speed between its wooden pillars, unimpeded by any obstacle in its path, not even my head. That’s when the doctor told us, in a language I didn’t understand, that I would soon have to leave my family, friends and community for a very long time. I felt the guillotine’s effects once again, except that this time, it wasn’t only my head that was severed from my body, it was my very soul that would be severed from the family unit. That seemed more horrible to me than losing my head.