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Linda Gough–The College’s New Registrar
IT Upgrade/Replacement Project
Approval of CAMRT Competency Profiles
Reappointed Council Members
Multi-Source Feedback Implementation
Announcement: New Director of Professional Practice
Suspended Members
Volunteers Still Needed
Allied Health Professional Development Fund
Important Legislation–Bill 171
Redesign of Insights
Linda Gough –The College’s New Registrar
 As most members will know, Linda Gough is now Registrar of the College, effective March 2, 2007. Since Linda has been with the College since 1996, she likely needs little introduction. However, as a reminder for those who haven’t had the opportunity to meet or work with Linda, she was Deputy Registrar from 1996–2006, responsible for policy development and analysis, registration issues, information technology, and operational issues. Linda played a key role in integrating the specialty of magnetic resonance into the College.
Prior to joining the College in 1996, Linda worked at the Hospital for Sick Children in Toronto where she held a number of positions including technical director of the Diagnostic Imaging Department and front-line medical radiation technologist in radiography.
Linda obtained her diploma in radiography from the Michener Institute for Applied Health Sciences in Toronto and has her Advanced Certification in radiological technology from the Canadian Association of Medical Radiation Technologists. In addition, Linda holds a Bachelor of Science degree from the University of Waterloo and a Master’s Degree in Public Policy from Queen’s University in Kingston, Ontario.
“I look forward to working with members, Council and staff to carry on the work started by Sharon Saberton, the College’s first Registrar” said Linda. “We are recognized as a leading self-regulatory College, and it is my intention not only to continue that legacy but also to lead us in the new directions outlined in our three-year strategic plan and to work with members to meet the challenges faced by all health care professionals in Ontario today.”
IT Upgrade/Replacement Project
The timetable and budget for the College’s information technology upgrade was given the go-ahead by Council at its February meeting. The project involves upgrading the current CRM (customer relationship management) database for the College register. The upgrade will be undertaken in conjunction with a supplier of the College’s current system called Burntsand Inc.
When completed in April 2008, the College will have a new customized register on a Microsoft platform which will allow full integration with office software and online member services. This new platform will also allow the College to implement credit card fee payments, online registration renewal and allow members to check their registration status online.
Approval of CAMRT Competency Profiles
One of the responsibilities of the College is to approve medical radiation technology education programs that meet the entry to practice requirements of the profession. Because the accreditation process is national, the profession needs a national competency profile against which the educational programs can be assessed. This competency profile is set by the Canadian Association of Medical Radiation Technologists (CAMRT).
The CAMRT recently redrafted the competency profiles for the four medical radiation technology specialties. After thorough consultation and review, and a detailed comparison of the CAMRT competency profiles with the College’s own Essential Competencies, Council has approved acceptance of the CAMRT’s competency profiles for the four medical radiation technology specialties as the national entry-level competencies for the purposes of the Canadian Medical Association’s (CMA) conjoint accreditation process.
Reappointed Council Members
The College is pleased to announce that Patrice Burke and Elnora Magboo have been reappointed by the Lieutenant Governor-in-Council as members of the Council of the CMRTO, for a period of three years, commencing April 20, 2007 and May 25, 2007 respectively.
Multi-Source Feedback Implementation
The College is required by legislation to conduct a practice assessment of members of the College. Therefore, the College is proceeding with the implementation of the new QA multi-source feedback system. This new form of practice assessment involves evaluating how people in the profession actually perform their responsibilities or essential competencies in practice by comparing the MRT’s clinical performance to that of other MRTs.
There are five components to the system:
- A self-assessment questionnaire
- Questionnaires for 6 peers (other MRTs) who are selected by the MRT undergoing the assessment
- Questionnaires for 6 co-workers (for example, clerical staff, nurses, physicians) who are selected by the MRT undergoing the assessment
- Questionnaires for 25 patients who are selected by the MRT undergoing the assessment
- A performance assessment profile that goes to the MRT being assessed. The report will summarize the data of the assessed MRT, as well as the cumulative data of his or her peer group
The College will work with MRTs who have difficulty identifying peers, co-workers or patients to assist them in determining the appropriate numbers of peers, co-workers and patients to enable them to take part in the multi-source feedback system.
A document entitled Quality Assurance Practice Assessment–Workbook Part II for Medical Radiation Technology explaining the practice assessment will be mailed to all members in May 2007.
Announcement: New Director of Professional Practice
 Caroline Morris joined the College as the Director of Professional Practice on March 26, 2007. Caroline is registered with the College in the specialties of radiography and magnetic resonance and has more than 20 years experience in the profession. She completed her first program in radiography at the Port Elizabeth Technikon in South Africa, her Higher National Diploma in Post School Education (B. Ed. equivalent) at the same institution, and her Health Services Administration Diploma from the Canadian Hospital Association.
Caroline worked at The Scarborough Hospital from 1994 until joining the College. She managed and administered all aspects of the installation and opening of the regional MR for The Scarborough Hospital, including designing and developing an Access database to manage 4500 requisitions. From 2001, she was manager of diagnostic imaging, responsible for the areas of CT, MRI, diagnostic ultrasound, mammography, interventional and general radiography. Her responsibilities at the hospital included the development and maintenance of the departmental policies and procedures; the development and reporting of the budget; the recruitment, selection, competency evaluation and performance appraisals for 80 staff; the orientation and training of staff; development and maintenance of the quality assurance and quality control program; and assisting in the development and implementation of a Radiology Information System and Picture Archiving and Communication system for the department. Caroline was also very active on a number of committees including the Professional Practice Committee, the Scarborough Hospital’s Quality and Performance Improvement Committee and the MR Advisory Committee.
Suspended Members
The following are the people whose certificates of registration were suspended between January 13, 2007 and April 5, 2007 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.
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Wheeler, Frances J. |
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Volunteers Still Needed
As mentioned in the last edition of Insights, the College’s Council has authorized a project to revise the Comprehensive Guidelines to review how the impact of a number of significant developments since 2004 should be reflected in the guidelines. The College is asking MRTs to participate in focus groups to review existing practices. There are a number of new challenges which need to be captured in revised guidelines.
You are encouraged to contact College Registrar Linda Gough, at (416) 975-4353 or 1-800-563-5847, or lgough@cmrto.org, if you are interested in being part of the focus groups in 2007.
Allied Health Professional Development Fund
CMRTO members were informed in the Fall 2006 edition of Insights that the Ontario provincial government had set up an Allied Health Professional Development Fund (AHPDF) to reimburse fees (up to a maximum of $1500) for professional development activities which enhance the skill, knowledge, practice and service delivery of a variety of health professionals including MRTs. The College also sent each member an AHPDF application form and a letter from Joshua Tepper, Assistant Deputy Minister of the Ontario Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care, explaining the fund, its goals and the eligibility criteria.
The fund reimbursed eligible members for professional development fees for courses, workshops or conferences attended between April 1, 2006 and March 31, 2007.
The Steering Committee for the fund recently made the following announcement—“The HealthForceOntario Allied Health Professional Development Fund met with overwhelming success in its first year. The Steering Committee has been informed, and is pleased to share, that the fund will continue for a second year. Further details will follow.”
Members should direct any questions to the AHPDF help line at 905-602-6015 or toll-free at 1-866-992-6015, or by email to lsawaya@ahpdf.ca, or by the website www.ahpdf.ca.
Important Legislation – Bill 171
The introduction of Bill 171, Health System Improvements Act, has been of particular interest to the College in recent months.
The purpose of Schedule M of the Health System Improvements Act, 2006, which amends the Regulated Health Professions Act, 1991 (RHPA) and the Health Professions Procedural Code (Code), is to create a more efficient complaints and reports process, to improve public access to information, to improve public protection and to support the provincial government’s HealthForce Ontario human resources strategy.
Bill 171 has received second reading and is currently before the Standing Committee on Social Policy. The College has made a written submission to the Standing Committee, which comments on a number of areas of the bill. Bill 171, Health System Improvements Act, 2006 can be accessed on the provincial government website at http://www.ontla.on.ca/web/bills/bills_detail.do?locale=en&BillID=519.
Redesign of Insights
As will be self-evident to members reading this issue of Insights, the newsletter has been redesigned for the first time in ten years.
While our old format served us well, and received praise from many quarters, it is time to take advantage of new, cost-effective technologies in design and printing to refresh the look and feel of Insights. For very little incremental cost, the exciting innovative design will allow us to use new colours and feature photographs for the first time in the newsletter’s history.
We hope you agree that your new Insights reflects the skills, competence and character of MRTs as health professionals.
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