Angry because the situation in Quebec universities as a whole is fragile enough without another bolt from the blue. I am grateful to Minister Marois for her very prompt reply to my letter. They hadn't considered all the implications of this decision. The plan came as a surprise to university nurses, partly because on many other questions they share with the government a vision of the direction health services should take in the province. We need to be training thinkers, to invest our money in brain resources.
Nurses are the backbone of the whole health care system.
And at a time when budget cutbacks have meant layoffs for many nurses, there is no shortage of demand for university-trained nurses. Hospital administrators at last week's press conference concurred, insisting that changes in the health system mean hospitals will keep needing more nurses with bachelor's and master's degrees. But beyond the practical objections to the plan, nurses who spoke out last week said they are angry at what they perceive to be a devaluation of their profession.