Transforming and Supporting Patient Care - Health Professions ...

156Chapter 6 – Scope of Practice of Medical Radiation TechnologyThe application of electromagnetism by MRTs is authorized in Quebec andAlberta, and common to MRT practice in Saskatchewan and New Brunswickthough not a controlled act.HPRAC agrees that there should be greater clarity in the legislation as tothe forms of energy used by MRTs. HPRAC notes that any legislativeframework must remain flexible to address the future evolution of thepractice of a profession and the technology or modalities used by healthprofessionals. It is therefore preferable to prescribe the forms of energy inthe regulations rather than in the legislation, to allow for futuredevelopments in the field.6. That MRTs be authorized to apply a prescribed form of energy.That the prescribed forms of energy be specified in the regulations.That section 3.1 of Ontario Regulation 107/96 under the RegulatedHealth Professions Act, 1991 be repealed.Scope of Practice StatementThe College and Association have requested that the scope of practicestatement for MRTs be amended to more accurately reflect the currentpractice of MRTs, as follows:The practice of medical radiation technology is the use of ionizingradiation, electromagnetism and other forms of energy prescribed undersubsection 12(2) for the purposes of diagnostic and therapeuticprocedures, the evaluation of images and data related to the proceduresand the assessment of the condition of an individual before, during andafter the procedure.First, the College and Association seek to add a reference to the use ofelectromagnetism to include MRTs who practise in magnetic resonanceimaging, for the reasons described in the discussion on the controlled actrequest.They also seek recognition in the scope of practice statement that radiationand energy are now being used by MRTs for both diagnostic andtherapeutic purposes. In other words, the evolution of the technology,patient needs and the profession itself has blurred the lines between theuse of radiation and energy for diagnostic purposes and for therapeuticpurposes. The College and Association have provided evidence that MRTsare participating in procedures that are both diagnostic and therapeutic,and hybrid technologies are being developed to facilitate interventions thatblend both purposes.Another significant departure from the current scope of practice statementis the assertion that MRTs evaluate more than just the technical sufficiencyof the images they produce, leading to the request for removal of the word“technical”. This proposal implies that MRTs can evaluate images and datato identify abnormalities, implement changes to the procedure, performHPRAC Critical Links January 2009