Medical Radiation Technologists play an intricate and crucial role in providing high quality, patient-centered care, while also striving to improve access for medical imaging and radiation therapy procedures. MRT’s have a desire to be seen as valued within health care and often struggle with how to master this feat, and in turn, see it as futile. MRT’s look to their National and Provincial Associations to develop and implement advocacy strategies which can help elevate their professional integrity amongst other health care providers, as well as improve visibility with governments and health care organizations. Nevertheless, it is within the core of the MRT themselves, which will generate the greatest change necessary to truly elevate the status of MRT’s and champion the profession.

Nicole’s lecture is her motivational journey of championing the essential role the MRT profession brings to health care, and the often life-changing impact they have on their patients. She will highlight her advocacy work with various health care organizations, health care professionals, and government, while also explaining the type of activism needed to illustrate the work MRT’s perform in health care. Her lecture will challenge the audience to reflect on the worth MRT’s play in health care, and will empower MRT’s to break free from their self-imposed barriers to believe in their capability and significance, proving they can be seen as integral to health care by their peers, colleagues, and most importantly, their patients.

• Describe RAD-AID International's general purpose and mission
• Summarize goals for the Muhimbili National Hospital visit
• Discussion volunteer opportunities for MRTs with Rad-Aid

• Discuss basic strategies for working with LGBTQ2S+ patients for MRTs .
• Review the CAMRT Identity Matters education modules

The audience will receive a refresher on radiation and be provided with information which can be relayed to other healthcare members and families when questions arise. Recent updates surrounding the use of gonadal protection following the recommendation from the American Association of Physicists in medicine will also be discussed.

Learning points include:

1. Review of radiation sources
2. Some background on background radiation
3. Figures
4. Facts
5. Scatter
6. Review of the AAPM recommendations with gonadal protection.

• Paediatric protocols 101: Exploring special protocols for paeds in order to minimize the radiation dose
• Immobilization station: Reviewing immobilization techniques and tools to help keep the little wigglers still and safe
• Let's think COVID-19: Learning how COVID-19 has effected the world of paediatrics and how to make it a little less scary

• Discuss the evolution of Image Guided Radiation Therapy
• Explain the strengths, challenges and future opportunities for the use of MRI in radiation therapy /li>
• Identify the knowledge and skills required to safely and effectively use and operate MRI in the radiation therapy context/li>
• Discuss and evaluate MRI as a tool in radiation therapy with clinical case studies for cancers of the brain and liver /li> Speakers to be confirmed

• Discuss the low penetration of artificial intelligence in medicine compared to other industries
• Understand the changing roles and responsibilities of healthcare professionals in the era of AI

• Discuss various challenges MRTs faced when adapting to the LTC work environment
• Discuss how MRTs ensured they had the right education, learning tools, and skills to navigate through their new roles at LTC and make informed decisions.
• Share experiences working with the vulnerable and complex geriatric population during Covid-19 outbreaks.
• Discuss interprofessional collaboration and conflict resolution.

During COVID-19, our interventional team needed to adapt workflow and collaborate with multiple groups to maintain safety for both patients and staff. The largest and most involved process was adjusting our Stat Stroke workflow as it required collaboration with the Emergency Department, CT, Interventional Radiology, Anesthesia/Recovery(when needed), and our Neurology team. Additionally, we needed to develop a workflow for cases needing to be done on-call and a process to notify the team. We implemented a designated COVID-19 room and Runner Call person for support on our Call Team. To limit the staff we contact, and promote physical distancing in our control rooms, we cohorted our team into 3 smaller teams.

Approved for Category A Credit
Live session: 1 credit*
On demand session : 1 credit
*you must be logged in for both sessions/topics in order to receive credit.

• Discuss the basics of artificial intelligence (AI), machine learning (ML) and deep learning (DL)
• Describe requirements for performing these methods
• Summarize how these approaches are improving nuclear medicine and medical imaging in general

• Discuss the evolution of Image Guided Radiation Therapy
• Explain the strengths, challenges and future opportunities for the use of MRI in radiation therapy /li>
• Identify the knowledge and skills required to safely and effectively use and operate MRI in the radiation therapy context/li>
• Discuss and evaluate MRI as a tool in radiation therapy with clinical case studies for cancers of the brain and liver /li> Speakers to be confirmed

• To understand the clinical indications for MR perfusion in patients with brain tumours
• To recognize pitfalls associated with various MR perfusion sequences

• Outline the utility of CT Perfusion in Acute Ischemic Stroke workup
• Demonstrate pitfalls in imaging acquisition
• Estimation of infarct core using CT Perfusion

• Assess how the pandemic has affected the remote and in-person delivery of a clinical course in a Radiation Therapy Program.
• Examine how involved institutions’ communication and language regarding student safety can be adapted and translated into the clinical setting.
• Share our survey results on students' perceptions of communication and learning during COVID-19 with continuous masking.
• Share clinical faculty’s perception of teaching and learning during COVID-19 with continuous masking.

• Discuss evidence-informed decision-making, including how to assess the quality, reliability, potential bias, etc., of various sources. Participants will be provided an overview on how to search for reliable evidence using various searching tools and techniques, and will practice literature searching skills during an opportunity for hands-on experience.
• Discuss the challenges using evidence for decision making in response to COVID-19
• Discuss how to leverage CADTH as a resource and summarize some of CADTH’s key COVID-19 imaging related support

• Explain which factors are assessed by the stroke team in the selection of patients for EVT procedure in the IR suite, post CT/CTA and CT Perfusion scans. Pay close attention to recent changes in practice with regards to the expansion of the EVT treatment window from 6 hours to 24 hours for certain patients, with an additional level of screening.
• Detail the EVT procedure in the IR suite from set-up to fulfillment, paying close attention to equipment used and the current procedures and practices in place.
• Shed light on the patient outcomes beyond EVT treatment

• Share details of a collaborative initiative between the Indigenous Cancer Program of the Toronto Regional Cancer Program and Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre aimed at improving the care of Indigenous patients, families and staff by building meaningful relationships through participation in cultural gatherings and learning opportunities
• Provide a broader understanding of what Indigenized Engagement is, and recommendations for incorporating this concept into the hospital system to facilitate creation of a safe space for the Indigenous community to receive care.

• Discuss the impact that artificial intelligence (AI) will have on the MRT professions
• Debate how the MRT profession needs to adapt and prepare for a future AI enhanced health care system

The COVID-19 pandemic has presented itself as a test of our abilities to adapt and evolve as cancer care facilities and as health care professionals. In April 2020, there was a provincial government mandate for increased COVID-19 testing as a promising strategy to better guide care and management of patients. As a result, our leadership team moved forward with a plan to test all patients who are on active treatment and who will begin active treatment for the management of their cancer.

Due to insufficient human resources, frontline Radiation Therapists (RT) had the opportunity to expand their clinical scope. Within the same week, three treatment delivery MRTT’s acknowledged the opportunity and underwent training. RT Clinical Practice Manager (CPM) and Systemic CPM (Registered Nurse) ensured MRTT testers demonstrated the knowledge, skill, and judgement to successfully perform nasopharyngeal swabs.

The key focus of this plan was to minimize the time spent by patients in the cancer center, the distance travelled by patients in the hospital environment, and minimizing patient flow. The MRTT Swab Team actively created and shaped the swabbing process for all oncoming and current radiation therapy patients through interprofessional collaborations with the WRCC leadership team. Medical directive for this controlled act for MRTT’s was issued in an expedited timeline.

The six month long swabbing process resulted in a coherent person-centered care. Consequently, the radiation therapy department was able to identify and take appropriate isolation and infection control measures during CT Sim and treatment delivery of those COVID-19 positive patients to effectively minimize COVID-19 spread. Thus, WRCC MRTT’s successfully adapted and evolved to utilize and expand their clinical skills to engage in the unique battle that we are fighting against COVID-19.

1Fatima Oshin MRT(T), 1,2Laura D’Alimonte MRT(T), MHSc
1Department of Radiation Therapy, Windsor Regional Cancer Centre (WRCC), Windsor, ON Canada
2Department of Radiation Oncology, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON Canada

Our cancer centre provides eye plaque brachytherapy (EPBT), prostate seeds implant (SI) BT in an operating room (OR); high-dose-rate (HDR) BT to prostate (magnetic resonance (MR)-guided & ultrasound (US)-guided), endometrial, cervical and vaginal recurrence (CAVR) cancers in a magnetic-resonance-guided radiotherapy (MRgRT) room. The impact of COVID-19 (March-December 2020) on BT patients & brachytherapists (MRTs) are presented.


Learning Objectives
• Describe the impact of COVID-19 on Brachytherapy Patients
• Describe the impact of COVID-19 on Brachytherapy Patients

• Describe some of the newer MRI sequences and how they work / what they do
• The audience will gain an appreciation for compressed sensing and machine learning in MRI data acquisition and reconstruction
• Advantages and disadvantages of novel acceleration schemes will be discussed

• To introduce some common biases that result in errors of missed breast cancer
• To review proper imaging technique
• To illustrate common and uncommon technical and operator pitfalls in mammography and ultrasound that result in missed cancers

• Discuss dose calibrator considerations with clients.
• Describe the important interdisciplinary communication involved in the Zevalin® treatment regime
• Describe basic safe handling considerations of Y-90 within a Nuclear Medicine laboratory
• Describe the basic steps in performing the radiolabeling procedure

• Identify the value(s) that inform what is important for you in terms of wellness
• Describe how stress and burnout can make it difficult to sustain self-care
• Discuss strategies to stay on track and modify your plan, particularly when life is demanding

In our communities and workplaces, the expectations continue to go up. We are always striving to do more and get better results. We can’t keep having the same people doing all of the work all of the time. The fast pace, workload, and resource challenges call for innovation, motivation, and collaboration. We need to balance people and priorities. We need to stop surviving and move up to thriving in challenging times. Building positive relationships has become the key to healthy, positive work-life balance.

In this workshop, you will add tools to your tool kit for achieving excellence in everything you do.

Join Brenda Robinson to explore ways to do this. And listen, laugh and learn while you do!