2024-02-29 09:00:00
New requirements on continuing education imposed by the Order of Dental Hygienists of Quebec (ODHQ) are causing concern among its members. Some are thinking of leaving the profession at a time when it is facing a glaring labor shortage.
From April 1, dental hygienists will have to complete 10 hours of compulsory training every two years on various themes targeted by their professional order, including ethics.
The Order is also tightening the guidelines and reducing the number of hours recognized for training offered by external sources, that is to say other than another professional order, dental hygiene regulatory bodies, a dental hygiene establishment. education or ministries.
For example, of the 40 hours of continuing education that dental hygienists must complete over two years, a maximum of 10 hours will be counted for those completed from external sources, for example associations that offer distance learning.
We lose freedom
Open in full screen mode
There are more than 7,000 dental hygienists in Quebec.
Photo: iStock / Igor-Kardasov
Several hygienists who contacted us reject the Order’s new requirements outright.
Chantale-Édith Renald, who has been practicing this profession since 1995, says she has collected 2,800 signatures from members unhappy with these changes.
We are losing freedom of training. What is the point of doing 40 hours of orthodontic training in an association if only 10 hours are counted?
Ms. Renald adds that the training offered by the Order is expensive. The OHDQ counters that the cost of certain conferences can exceed $200 but that ethics training is offered by the Order at $25.
Mathieu Tremblay, dental hygienist since 2011, maintains, however, that with this new regulation, the esteem towards his Order has greatly diminished. He does not rule out reorienting himself.
For Linda, who does not wish to give her last name for fear of reprisals, the new rules will push her to leave the profession earlier than expected. She finds the Order’s demands more and more ridiculous.
They’ve never been this far. They must trust our good judgment! If someone comes to inspect me and ask me what training I should do, I retire and, with my four friends, we said to ourselves that we would do the same thing!
Irritants
The president of the Federation of Dental Hygienists of Quebec (FHDQ), Cynthia N. Wilcott, confirms that the new text causes irritants and a lot of reactions. She says she is working to ensure that hygienists do not leave the ship.
Dental hygienists in the regions, outside major centers, have less access to training activities and sometimes have to travel long distances to attend them. This, of course, increases the cost invested for training.
However, for Ms Wilcott, due to the autonomy of practice acquired since September 2020, this new regulation was inevitable. She maintains that these changes require adjustments, but should not discourage a professional engaged in their profession.
The Order facing shortages
Open in full screen mode
The president of the Order of Dental Hygienists of Quebec, Jean-François Lortie.
Photo: Radio-Canada / Véronique Duval
According to the Association of Dental Surgeons of Quebec, there is a shortage of at least 800 dental hygienists in the province.
On the ground, the effects are palpable: clinics sometimes no longer accept new clients for an entire year and certain dentists have to refuse patients due to a lack of hygienists or take care of the cleanings themselves.
Last January, the president of the OHDQ, Jean-François Lortie, did not hesitate to speak of a general shortage of personnel across the province.
Reached by telephone, he said he understood the reactions of his members to the new text and did not minimize their desire to leave.
These are not easy decisions to make, he maintains. But these new requirements are essential for the protection of the public, and that includes the question of supervision, professional inspections and mandatory continuing education.
The move from a policy that sets guidelines for the practice of the profession to more restrictive regulations was inevitable, according to him. He estimates that at one point, 65% of members were not complying with College policy.
We had reached the maximum of what a policy might allow us to do […]. We did not have the possibility of applying sanctions to those who did not comply with the policy, particularly regarding training.
Jean-François Lortie therefore says he understands the apprehension and stress of dental hygienists, but he assures that the Order will support them in this process.
1709213009
#Dental #hygienists #denounce #rules #imposed #Quebec #Order
