The nursing crisis is so critical that the normally neutral Quebec Order of Nurses is speaking out, concerned about the health and security of the public and its members.
The order said at a news conference that nurses are so overworked, stressed out and burnt out that they are thinking of filing their own complaints to their ethics committee about their inability to do their jobs properly.
The order said such complaints have gone up 7% over the past two years.
The order said they'd never seen so many concerns being expressed by both nurses and the public through social media, emails, phone calls and letters.
President Lucie Tremblay said part of the problem can be addressed by hiring more nurses with 1200 graduates ready to work.
But Tremblay said they need immediate action to make any available jobs more appealing and less stressful for candidates.
Tremblay said that for example, they can reassign certain tasks that nurses say they have no time for - such as administrative work.
Tremblay said more reinforcements could also reduce the amount of forced overtime.
The order is meeting with Quebec's health minister Thursday.