Presented to:National Forum on Changing Entry-To-Practice Requirements in Allied Health Professions

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Ensuring That the Public Receives Safe, Effective
and Ethical Care The Role of a Health
Regulatory College

• Presented to National Forum on Changing
  Entry-To-Practice Requirements in Allied Health
  Professions
• Presented by Sharon Saberton, M.R.T.(R.),
  M.A.(Ed.), RegistrarCollege of Medical Radiation
  Technologistsof Ontario
• Date April 4, 2003

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The Role of a Health Regulatory College

• Role of the College of Medical Radiation
  Technologists of Ontario (CMRTO) is to serve and
  protect the people of Ontario through
  self-regulation of the practice of medical
  radiation technology.
• The Regulated Health Professions Act, 1991 (RHPA)
  and the companion health professions Acts govern
  the practice of regulated health professions in
  Ontario.

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Under the RHPA, regulated health professionals
are expected to be

• Competent have the knowledge, skill and
  judgement to perform safely, effectively and
  ethically
• Accountable take responsibility for decisions
  and actions (independently or as part of the
  team)
• Collaborative work with the health team member
  to achieve best possible outcomes for the patient

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Scope of Practice Statement

• Under RHPA, each profession has a scope of
  practice statement which describes, in general
  terms, what the profession does.
• The scope of practice statement clarifies MRT
  practice and provides a window for the evolution
  of that practice.

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Controlled Acts

• Controlled acts are listed in RHPA and control
  the performance of 13 acts that pose risk of
  harm.
• Controlled acts are authorized for specific
  health professions.
• Procedures that are NOT controlled are in the
  public domain.

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Delegation

• Delegation is the transfer of authority from a
  member of a regulated health profession who is
  authorized by his or her health professions Act
  to perform a controlled act procedure, to someone
  who is not authorized to perform the controlled
  act.
• This can be to another regulated health
  professional or an unregulated person.

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Authorized Acts

• MRTs are authorized to perform four controlled
  acts
• taking blood samples from veins
• administering a substance by injection or
  inhalation
• administering contrast media through or into the
  rectum or an artificial opening into the body
• tattooing
• Under RHPA, a MRT could delegate those controlled
  acts to an unregulated person, such as a MRT
  assistant.

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Principle Expectations of Practice

• Refers to services and procedures that clearly
  fall within the scope of practice for MRTs. It
  includes those taught in MRT entry level programs
  where students are provided with the knowledge
  base and clinical practice to perform them
  competently (entry level).
• Expanded practice includes those procedures and
  services that graduate MRTs acquire through
  formal or informal education or on the job
  training (example CT).

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Beyond Principle Expectations of Practice

• Refers to services or procedures that MRTs
  perform that are at the outer limits of or
  outside the MRT scope of practice (delegated
  procedures).

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The Educational Challenge

• CMRTO Standards of Practice are generic and have
  been developed to describe the outcome of the
  various services and procedures that fall within
  the scope of practice for MRTs.
• CMRTO approves 10 educational programs in Ontario
  to ensure that the new graduate is competent to
  practice at the entry level without supervision.

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The Educational Challenge contd

• Changes in technology have identified a need for
  joint standards that take into account the
  competence required for all specialties of our
  profession (example CT).
• Educational programs need to prepare MRT
  graduates to be able to expand their practice
  through formal or informal education (example CT).

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The Educational Challenge contd

• Educational programs must prepare MRT graduates
  to be able to determine whether or not to provide
  services or procedures beyond principle
  expectations of practice.
• MRTs must know the limits of their practice.
  Determining limits of practice includes
• Examining the foundation for practice
• Ones basic educational preparation
• The extent to which ones knowledge, skills and
  judgement can support taking on additional
  services and procedures

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Conclusion

• As the regulatory body for the profession of
  medical radiation technology, the CMRTO has the
  responsibility of approving medical radiation
  technology educational programs offered in
  Ontario and of approving a certification
  examination.
• The College does not control either an
  educational institutions decision to introduce a
  degree program or the process related to a
  program being granted a degree status.