At the start of the pandemic, intensive care at Pierre-Le Gardeur hospital was designated as the receiving center for COVID-19 cases. “The entire Lanaudière region sent us cases. There were adjustments, instructions and procedures that changed every day. It had become extremely difficult and it required a lot of concentration, ”testified Emy Coutu, intensive care nurse for two years.
To compensate for the lack of personnel during the pandemic, employers were allowed to move nurses from one department to another. Emy Coutu’s department received nurses who had no training in intensive care. They could not therefore intervene in most situations. “The help the hospital was giving us was very limited,” she said.
Ministerial decrees, put in place during the pandemic, also empowered managers and employers to change nurses’ schedules as needed. Emy Coutu therefore alternated day, evening and night shifts. With compulsory overtime, she was working between 50 and 60 hours per week.
Despite my exhaustion, they forced me all these hours.
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Emy Coutu, intensive care nurse at Pierre-Le Gardeur hospital
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The nurse was however used to the intense schedules. “I had been working full time for years, and on a voluntary basis, I was doing overtime. ”
Change vessel
At the start of 2021, Emy Coutu fell into depression. Work was one of the main causes. “I was irritable. At work, I burst into tears. I only ate one meal a day. I was never hungry. I was always exhausted, ”she recalled.
Morale also decreases among all his colleagues. “The work-family balance was very difficult. Some of his colleagues, who used to work three or four days a week, were no longer allowed to do so. “With the ministerial decrees, we were obliged to work full time,” explained Mme Coutu.
In February 2021, Emy Coutu went on sick leave which lasted for seven months. This downtime allowed him to think. At the beginning of last August, she decided to leave her position in the public system and go to the private sector.
It wasn’t an easy decision to make, but looking back, I think it was the right choice I made.
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Emy Coutu, intensive care nurse at Pierre-Le Gardeur hospital
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One thing is certain: Mme Coutu will miss his intensive care department and his colleagues. “The last day was heartbreaking. I had promised myself not to cry, but I broke down as I read the congratulatory letters my colleagues wrote. She is leaving today with a heavy heart, but a light head.
Solutions and recognition
Mme Coutu hopes that the government will realize the extent of the problems in the health system. “The boat has been sinking for years,” she said. The government needs to listen to the nurses and get out there. “They are the best placed to explain the issues and propose solutions. ”
She also wants nurses to have better working conditions and to be recognized at their fair value. “We talk a lot about vocations and dedicated women, but we would like to be recognized for the work we do. ”
Finally, she wants Quebeckers to be able to continue to be proud of a free health care system. “If workers, employers and government worked hand in hand, it could perhaps improve our health system which is going from bad to worse. ”
On Facebook, his post announcing his departure from the public system has been shared more than 3,000 times. The Minister of Health and Social Services, Christian Dubé, also reacted to his testimony. “I salute Ms. Coutu’s courage in expressing herself in this way. It is a poignant testimony. After all, I thank her for working so hard to treat Quebecers, ”he said on Twitter.
Opening of the borders
As of Tuesday, fully vaccinated foreign nationals will be able to enter Canada for non-essential reasons, such as tourism. However, these persons must be fully vaccinated, have a valid negative result of the molecular test for COVID-19, be asymptomatic, submit their mandatory information by means ofArriveCAN and undergo a test on arrival, if chosen. These measures are already in effect for all travelers from the United States since August 9.
Alice Girard-Bossé, Press
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