THE HISTORY OF HEALTHCARE IN QUEBEC
Before the twentieth century, there was no organized healthcare system in Quebec. It was not established until the turn of the century, as in the rest of Canada. Until then, most diseases were considered fatal, which meant that treatment was rudimentary and did not require much in the way of facilities or infrastructure. It was not until the second half of the twentieth century that people actually began to think about hygiene, vaccination, and diagnostis. Once bacteria were discovered and people began to study bacteriology, public health campaigns were carried out against infectious diseases. At that time, campaigns were conducted against the spread of venereal diseases, tuberculosis and childhood diseases which still claimed many lives in the era preceding vaccinations. To carry out these campaigns, an organized infrastructure, trained staff and the funds to finance such endeavours were required. To that end, the Federal Ministry of Health was created in 1919. In Québec, the Public Assistance Service was set up in 1921, followed by the Provincial Hygiene Service a year later. Not long after, both institutions would eventually become a proper ministry of health.

JOB PROSPECTS IN HEALTHCARE
The healthcare sector has been designated as a priority by the Québec government. Following a federal-provincial agreement on health in 2004, major investments have been made, with more to come in the near future, which, by 2009, will generate more new jobs in healthcare and social assistance. According to a study conducted by Emploi-Québec, 61,000 jobs will be created in this sector, accounting for at least one quarter of all new jobs. The aging population will, in large part, be responsible for growth in this sector, not only because of increasing needs in nursing homes and extended care facilities, but also because of the growing number of baby boomers destined for retirement. In addition, more than half of all healthcare workers currently employed in the industry will soon be retiring as well, thus making more jobs available. Jobs in social services will also experience an increase, although not quite as high as those in health. In fact, the need for more daycare facilities has greatly contributed to the growth of this sub-sector. The number of jobs in childcare has increased by 70% since 1998. Until there are enough places in daycare centres, there will no doubt continue to be a demand for childcare workers.

TRADES THAT ARE IN DEMAND
From 2004 until 2009, prospects are good for three quarters of the jobs in healthcare and social assistance. For example, job prospects for medical laboratory technicians, practical nurses, as well as nursing aides, orderlies and patient service associates will experience very favourable hiring conditions, which makes this sector one of the privileged few that are rarely affected by unemployment.

A FEW EMPLOYMENT FIGURES IN HEALTHCARE IN QUÉBEC:

Healthcare and social assistance is the second most important employment sector in Quebec, just after the retail industry, employing 443,000 people and comprising 12% of all jobs in Quebec and 16% of all service jobs in the province.

One out of five people employed in healthcare or social assistance is a public service employee; 70% of the jobs are in health while the other 30% are in social assistance.

Women are well represented in these fields and account for nearly 80% of the healthcare workforce and in the sub-sector of social assistance, the number reaches 86%.

Hospitals are not the only places where healthcare workers can find employment. In the past ten years, home care services, private clinics, nursing homes and social services have grown. For example, the percentage of healthcare related jobs in which people were actually employed in hospitals decreased from 53% in 1987 to 36% in 2004.

NURSING
Nursing represents almost one third of all healthcare and social assistance jobs. However, there is a lot more to nursing than taking care of the sick and helping the least fortunate. In fact, the field of nursing is vast and there are thousands of different jobs and just as many levels of responsibilities. Different study programs lead to varied employment such as registered nurses, nursing aides, practical nurses, extended care workers and orderlies. Depending on your education level, your job opportunities increase, along with your autonomy. Nurses are not committed to working only in a hospital setting; they can also work at a local community health centre (CLSC), a nursing home, an extended-care clinic (CHSLD) or a doctor’s office. Some people enjoy working in a more autonomous fashion by providing home care, working in a pharmaceutical company or working abroad in a developing country for a humanitarian organization. Nurses are more than just care givers; they can choose to teach, do research or even go into management. Finally, nurses can decide who they would like to work with. They may decide to offer their services to seniors, children, disadvantaged groups or to people in need of emergency medical care.