Expanding professionnal practices

Expanding the scope of professional practices is one of the pillars of the Legault government’s health care reform plan, the Plan santé. It is being presented as one of the main solutions for addressing the labour shortage, and extensive work is currently being done on this issue. This could result in a major transformation of the organization of work in your workplace.

Understanding the expansion of professional practices

What we are hoping for… and what we are watching for

Judging from the survey completed by over 4,000 APTS members across the province, expanding the scope of professional practices is raising hopes, along with many concerns. Expanding the scope of professional practices is a sensitive, complex manoeuvre and could have very different repercussions depending on the workplace and job title. This is why we need to carefully monitor the situation to ensure we reduce risks and maximize benefits.

To find out more about the concerns and hopes expressed by APTS members regarding expanding the scope of professional practices, consult our factsheet (coming soon)

The APTS position at a glance

The APTS is open to a process to expand the scope of professional practices, but under certain conditions:

• the involvement of workers: You are the ones with the skills, expertise and experience on the ground that must guide the ministerial action. This is why it is important that your voice – represented by the APTS – be heard, as soon as work gets under way.

• special attention to your conditions of practice: Depending on the approach taken, expanding the scope of professional practices could be beneficial for access to services, professional autonomy and interdisciplinary collaboration, or it could exacerbate workload, compromise the quality of services and devalue the professions concerned. An understanding of the different areas of expertise is essential, and improving your conditions of practice must be an ongoing concern.

• a serious workforce planning exercise: Expanding the scope of professional practices could be beneficial, but it is important to understand why. The needs of Quebecers, their evolution, the number of people available and required to meet them – these are facts that can’t just be made up. Blind reform is pointless, even dangerous.

Consult the full APTS position 

The lines are open!

• Have you witnessed changes in practices or directives that promote the expansion of professional practices?
• Have you been approached by your employer on this issue?
• Have you noticed practices on the ground that are akin to expanding the scope of professional practices and that seem to be in the process of being officially implemented?

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