A new research chair to support and develop Ontario's francophone nursing capacity and address workforce challenges

December 5, 2024

The University of Ottawa and Institut du Savoir Montfort Research Chair in Francophone Health in Ontario opens a new chapter with the appointment of Professor Michelle Lalonde for a five-year term.


This appointment will enable us to continue our work to provide evidence-based support for the development of quality healthcare services for francophone communities in Ontario and other Canadian provinces. Professor Lalonde's work as part of this Chair will help to ensure that the next generation of Francophone nurses has the skills to provide safe and ethical care in Ontario.

In a context where Ontario has the lowest ratio of nurses per capita in Canada, with a pressing need for 25,000 additional nurses, the situation for francophones is critical. The Chair's research program has several key objectives, including understanding the dynamics of preparation and transition to practice for the next generation of francophone nurses. This work will help identify concrete solutions to the challenges posed by the lack of French-language resources and language barriers, in particular by analyzing nurses' experience of professional examinations such as the NCLEX-RN, which are often ill-suited to Ontario's francophones.

 

“The research program will focus on barriers and facilitators to the transition to nursing practice for new francophone graduates. This initiative aims to overcome current challenges to ensure not only optimal integration, but also sustainable retention of nurses in francophone healthcare facilities in Ontario,” says the researcher.

A career in nursing science

Michelle Lalonde is Associate Professor at the School of Nursing, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Ottawa. She directs the “Francophonie et santé” research component of the Centre de recherche en santé et sciences infirmières. As a registered nurse, her clinical areas of expertise are emergency trauma and general surgery. She is a member of the National Emergency Nurses Association of Canada.

Michelle Lalonde's association with the Institut du Savoir Montfort dates back to 2017, when she became a researcher there. She was appointed Senior Affiliate Researcher in 2022. She was also scientific director of the 8th World Congress of Francophone Nurses, held at Hôpital Montfort in 2022 (SIDIIEF - Secrétariat international des infirmières et infirmiers de l'espace francophone). The event, whose theme was “Creating health: the power of nursing knowledge”, welcomed almost 1,500 healthcare professionals from some 30 French-speaking countries.

For several years, Professor Lalonde has been pursuing a research program focused on health services, and more specifically on preparation and transition to nursing practice. Like many other jurisdictions, Ontario is facing a significant shortage of French-speaking nurses. Its research program is therefore important not only for Ontario, but also for the rest of Canada and countries where French is a major language.

Its approach is one of knowledge translation, informed by advisory committees. The College of Nurses of Ontario and the Canadian Association of Schools of Nursing regularly call on its expertise. This joint chair is part of the Collège des chaires de recherche sur le monde francophone de l'Université d'Ottawa, which will lead to scientific collaborations with other chairholders, amplifying its influence and stimulating scientific life in French at the University of Ottawa.