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Presentations on the collaboration between the College and the OAMRT
Alcohol & Drug Problem Hotline
Revising the Standards of Practice
Update on the Self-Regulation of Sonographers and MR Technologists
Discipline Panel Decision
Notice of Election of Members to Council
Suspended Members
Presentations on the collaboration between the College and the OAMRT
During the past summer, Sharon Saberton, College Registrar and Glynne Richard, Chair and President of the Ontario Association of Medical Radiation Technologists (OAMRT) made a joint presentation to the nine medical radiation technology educational programs in the province on the different roles of the CMRTO and OAMRT in protecting the public and advancing the interests of the profession.
During the late spring and early summer, Sharon and Glynne made this joint presentation to the OAMRT conference in May, the Ontario Hospital Association (OHA) and the CAMRT conference in June.
A particular focus of the sessions was the College’s education requirements for registration. The College approves the medical radiation technology programs of the province’s seven educational institutions.
These approvals are currently granted on the basis of the conjoint accreditation process undertaken in cooperation with the Canadian Medical Association.
The approved programs currently include:
- Cambrian College of Applied Arts and Technology, Sudbury
- Collège Boréal D’Arts Appliqués et de Technologie, Sudbury
- Confederation College of Applied Arts and Technology, Thunder Bay
- Eastern Ontario School of X-Ray Technology, Kingston
- Fanshawe College of Applied Arts and Technology, London
- The Michener Institute for Applied Health Sciences / University of Toronto, Faculty of Medicine Joint Degree / Diploma Program in Radiation Sciences, Toronto
- Mohawk College of Applied Arts and Technology, Hamilton>
The College also has statutory authority to approve or set a certification examination. In Ontario, the College has approved the Canadian Association of Medical Radiation Technologists (CAMRT) examination as the CMRTO’s approved examination.
The bulk of the presentation focused on the different roles of the OAMRT and the College in the professional lives of MRTs in Ontario. The OAMRT is a voluntary association that offers professional liability insurance and other benefits to its members. As a voluntary association whose goal is to advance the interests of its members, the association has more flexibility than the College in pursuing programs for members. The OAMRT’s stated mandate is to meet the needs and concerns of its members for their professional success.
The College, on the other hand, is required to work within the statutory framework provided by the Regulated Health Professions Act and the Medical Radiation Technology Act to meet its mandate of protecting the public interest.
Alcohol & Drug Problem Hotline
Although not often spoken of, alcoholism and substance abuse does exist among health professionals. MRTs may know of a colleague or even a family member who has a problem with what the Homewood Health Centre Inc. in Guelph calls “the world’s number one untreated treatable disease – addictions”.
To assist members who may need help with a substance abuse problem, the College signed an agreement with the Homewood Health Professionals Assistance Hotline to provide a toll-free telephone number to which MRTs can call 24 hours a day to discuss an alcohol or drug problem, including assessment and treatment approaches. The hotline is staffed by trained addiction specialists, usually a nurse or an addiction counsellor. An initial call to the hotline will be followed up within 24 hours by a physician qualified to provide addiction counselling.
Contact with the hotline is strictly private and confidential. The College offers access to this Homewood Health Centre program as a service to members. The College is not involved in any way with the program, or any follow-up assessment or treatment.
Homewood Health Professionals Assistance Hotline: 1-800-387-1748
Revising the Standards of Practice
In the Summer 2002 Insights, the College outlined a major project to revise the current Standards of Practice in order that they could reflect changes in the practice of our profession over the last ten years, and continue to be an effective benchmark for determining clinical competence. This is an indispensable project because it addresses how our competency as health care professionals is measured.
The need to re-think the College’s approach to its Standards of Practice arises from a number of factors, including changes in technology since the introduction of the Standards of Practice, changes in the practice of the three specialties, and the impending self-regulation of sonographers and MR technologists in conjunction with the College. These factors identified a need for joint standards that take into account the competencies required for all five specialties of our profession, including sonography and magnetic resonance. However, any revision of the Standards will be built on the foundation created by the current Standards of Practice and the Comprehensive Guidelines for acting in accordance with the Regulated Health Professions Act Scope of Practice/ Controlled Acts Model the “Practice Guidelines.”
To date, consultant Dr. R. Pike, in collaboration with Sharon Saberton, Registrar and Roseanne Pegler, Director of Professional Relations at the College, has proposed new essential competencies and a code of ethics. Various College committees will review and make recommendations on these proposed competencies and the code of ethics. Once these committee recommendations have been integrated into the draft competencies and code of ethics, all the elements will be tested by exemplary MRTs.
The College defines “exemplary MRTs” as MRTs who graduated more than three years ago and work as MRT managers or practising technologists or therapists. An exemplary MRT consistently produces high quality work, demonstrates outstanding interpersonal and problem solving skills, and is one in whom the profession and patients have full confidence. This same process was used in 1992 to develop the CMRTO’s present Standards of Practice.
Update on the Self-Regulation of Sonographers and MR Technologists
Although there does not appear to be a well-defined timetable for introducing the legislation and regulations required to bring about the self-regulation of sonographers and MR technologists in conjunction with the College, College representatives are continuing to meet with the Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care about the matter.
Representatives of sonographers and MR technologists have met with College representatives a number of times throughout the summer and fall. The College is committed to keeping members informed about this important initiative and will publish special updates as more information is known.
Discipline Panel Decision
On September 12, 2002, a Discipline Committee hearing was held to review allegations of professional misconduct brought against Mr. Umberto Pala. Mr. Pala was charged with:
- Falsifying records by entering into the hospital’s computerized payroll system, in his role as Charge Technologist, 20 shifts during the period from March 28, 2000 to June 7, 2001, that had not been worked;
- Engaging in conduct and performing an act in the course of practising the profession that, having regard to all the circumstances, would reasonably be regarded by members as disgraceful, dishonourable or unprofessional in that he credited another employee’s payroll records with 20 shifts that had not been worked during the period from March 28, 2000 to June 7, 2001; and
- In his professional capacity, issuing a document that he knew contained a false statement in that he credited an employee’s payroll records with 20 shifts that were not worked during the period from March 28, 2000 to June 7, 2001. Mr. Pala pleaded guilty to all three charges of professional misconduct and the panel accepted the member’s guilty plea. The panel ordered that Mr. Pala’s certificate of registration be suspended until December 31, 2003 and that a written reprimand be placed on the College’s register. In reaching its decision regarding the appropriate penalty, the panel took into account the fact that Mr. Pala had admitted his guilt when confronted and cooperated with his employer to provide restitution of the funds fraudulently obtained and the fact that he had already lost his job over the incidents.
Notice of Election of Members to Council
Electoral Districts 2, 5, and 6
District #2
(Eastern District, Radiography) is composed of the geographic area within the territorial boundaries of the District Municipality of Muskoka, the Districts of Parry Sound and Nipissing, the United Counties of Prescott and Russell, Stormont, Dundas and Glengarry, Leeds and Grenville, the Counties of Hastings, Renfrew, Lanark, Lennox & Addington and Prince Edward, the Frontenac Management Board and the City of Ottawa.
District #5
(Radiation Therapy) includes all of the Province of Ontario.
District #6
(Nuclear Medicine) includes all of the Province of Ontario.
| Date |
Friday, May 2, 2003 |
| Place: |
College of Medical Radiation
Technologists of Ontario
170 Bloor Street W., Suite 1001
Toronto, Ontario M5S 1T9 |
| Time: |
Ballots must be received at the College no later than 5:30 p.m. |
Suspended Members
The following are the people whose certificates of registration have been suspended effective November 2002, for failure to pay their fees in accordance with section 24 of the Health Professions Procedural Code. A person whose certificate of registration has been suspended is not a member of the College unless and until the suspension is removed:
| 10747 |
Eidan, Ali |
| 09777 |
Kappel, Suzanne |
| 11085 |
Ourfalian, Aram |
| 04383 |
Running, Judy L. |
| 11245 |
Samuel, Sunil |
| 01789 |
Stec, Helen |
| 06671 |
Tate, Gordon B. |
| 09943 |
White, Tracey A. |
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