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Self-Regulation of MR Technologists
Revising the Standards of Practice
Financial Review Process
Quality Assurance Update
Doreen Goruick Retiring
Suspended Members
Self-Regulation of MR Technologists
As reported in the last Self-Regulation Update sent to College members in February 2003, self-regulation of MR technologists is now on a fast-track. Although the number of MR technologists to be regulated is small – in fact, 154 of the anticipated 200 MR technologists who can register in this specialty are current members of the College – there is a great deal to do, and many important decisions to make, in order for self-regulation for MR technologists to become a reality.
The Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care (MOHLTC) and the College have begun an aggressive schedule to ensure timely regulation. Among the critical legal activities to be completed are the development of an amended Registration Regulation and a Fees By-Law amendment. The proposed amendment will see the application fee for registration in the specialty of magnetic resonance remain exactly the same as for the other specialties; that is, $50.00. The annual registration fee will be the same for all specialties.
Our decision processes include consultation with College members and affected stakeholders. College staff, legal counsel and Council will be working with the Magnetic Resonance Advisory Committee and MOHLTC to make self-regulation a reality.
Revising the Standards of Practice
In the summer 2002 edition of Insights, the College outlined a major project to revise the Standards of Practice to reflect changes in our profession in the last ten years, and to continue to be an effective benchmark for determining clinical competence.
Working in conjunction with Dr. Ruth Pike, the College has developed draft "Essential Competencies" and a "Code of Ethics" for the profession. The College is now ready to review these draft documents using the "Delphi" research methodology; that is, seeking comment and opinion from a selected group of exemplary MRT practitioners. The purpose of this research is to gather views as to whether the draft "Essential Competencies" and the "Code of Ethics" are sufficiently inclusive to serve all members and sufficiently comprehensive to cover all aspects of practice.
The exemplar MRTs are representative of front-line technologists, management, educators and other stakeholders of the profession, and include our soon-to-be four specialties of radiography, nuclear medicine, radiation therapy and magnetic resonance. To the extent possible, the participants have been stratified for district and gender, as well as occupational activity.
The research process is rigorous and thorough. The participants will receive a copy of the Standards of Practice (Essential Competencies), the Code of Ethics, and the first of three questionnaires. An external consultant will analyse their responses to the first questionnaire and prepare a report on the findings. This report will be sent out to each participant along with a modified questionnaire dealing with those issues for which there is not substantial agreement.
The second questionnaire will ask the participants to consider their previous responses to the disputed items, decide whether or not to alter their responses and to explain or justify their decisions. The third and final questionnaire follows the same steps as the second questionnaire. The final report prepared by the external consultant will be based on the results of the third round. The entire process should be completed within eight weeks of the beginning of the project.
Once all changes have been made to the Standards of Practice (Essential Competencies) and Code of Ethics, they will be sent to the project steering committee and other designated stakeholders for a final review. The final document will go to the Council for approval.
Financial Review Process
Over the past three years, and with the assistance of the consulting firm of KPMG, Council has reviewed the impact of the growth of the College – and the many projects that must be undertaken to ensure the protection of the public through self-regulation – on its financial and organizational infrastructure as it builds its internal capacity to manage all the changes underway in our profession.
In May 2001, the College identified in its strategic plan a series of challenges it would be facing in the future – including the need to prepare for the harmonization of professional standards for the profession’s four specialties (with the addition of MR technology) – and their impact on the College’s infrastructure, QA Program and Standards of Practice.
Since then, other challenges have arisen. The Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care has directed the College to regulate MR technologists – a complex and costly process that must be accomplished under tight time constraints. The number of international registrations has grown dramatically over the past two years, given the need to fill shortages in our professional ranks in Ontario. And the complexity of the complaints being brought by the public before the College has also increased significantly.
In this context, it is clear that a key challenge for the College is managing its fiscal responsibilities to current and future members, and the public. Although the College has some financial reserves, which had grown as a consequence of having to postpone key projects due to staffing limitations, it has been operating on a deficit budget for the last three years.
Based on a recommendation from KPMG, the College changed its ‘Investment Committee’ into the ‘Finance and Property Committee’ with a mandate to provide recommendations to Council on fiscal matters. This new integrated committee is responsible for reviewing the management of the College’s assets, exploring ways to expand the College’s revenue base, reviewing the College’s financial affairs and beginning fee reviews on an annual basis.
Since the College’s fees have remained at the same level for ten years, during a period when program, Ministry, member and public demands have grown exponentially, the committee will be looking closely at fees in the coming months.
Quality Assurance Update
As mentioned elsewhere in Insights, the College has undertaken a major project to revise the Standards of Practice (Essential Competencies). Because the standards are used as a reference tool in the QA Program, the program will also need to be revised. At the same time, the addition of MR technology as a specialty within the College means that the continuous-learning workbook will need to be amended to reflect the new Standards of Practice (Essential Competencies) for all four specialties – radiography, nuclear medicine, radiation therapy and magnetic resonance.
This project will be undertaken at the same time as the review of the Standards of Practice and will result in a QA continuous-learning workbook appropriate for all specialties. This review of the QA Program will also allow the QA Committee to update and revise the forms provided to members to document their continuous-learning activities.
Doreen Goruick Retiring
After nearly 12 years with the College – and its predecessor the Board of Radiological Technicians – our wonderful administrative assistant has announced her retirement effective the end of April 2003. Doreen joined College Registrar Sharon Saberton at the Board on August 27, 1990, and together they saw the Board’s transformation into the current College in 1993.
Until recently, Doreen managed the register of members, administered the College’s finances, and assured that monthly revenue and expense statements were prepared.
But most will know her as the cheerful voice on the other end of the phone for many years. As Doreen said in an article in Insights published two years ago, "I love talking to people on the phone and helping them. I really like it here; the environment and the people I work with makes my job enjoyable." On behalf of the College, and its more than 5,000 members, Sharon Saberton and President Sheila Robson wish Doreen all the best in the future... and encourage her to visit the College whenever she wishes.
Suspended Members
The following are the people whose certificates of registration have been suspended effective February 2003, 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:
| 09668 |
Conners Jr., Warren S. |
| 11510 |
Kiiskila, John P. |
| 11239 |
Lafleur, Jessica |
| 07910 |
McPhie, Christopher J. |
| 05717 |
Slavik, Patricia J. |
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