CAMRT 2024: Early Engagement: The Role of MRT Student Externs in Mitigating HHR Shortages (2) Facing the Shortage: Recruitment and Retention, a New Grad Perspective

CAMRT 2024: Early Engagement: The Role of MRT Student Externs in Mitigating HHR Shortages (2) Facing the Shortage: Recruitment and Retention, a New Grad Perspective

No continuing education credits

1) Early Engagement: The Role of MRT Student Externs in Mitigating Health Human Resources Shortages

Presenter: Adam Magliozzi, Clinical MRT Student Extern Medical Imaging Technologist, UHN

Learning Objectives:
– Situate the potential value of an extern role in the context of a stressed health human resources (HHR) landscape
– Appreciate the various considerations in the safe and effective implementation of MRT extern roles in medical imaging

2) Facing the Shortage: Recruitment and Retention from a New Graduate Perspective

Presenter: Charlotte Sole, NMMIT 3rd Year Student, The Michener Institute of Health Sciences

With an increased demand for medical imaging and radiation therapy services and an inadequate growth in human resources, the Canadian healthcare system is facing a critical shortage of MRITs. An aging population, a retiring workforce, and the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic have contributed to this current shortage. The lack of sufficient MRIT staffing across the country compromises timely patient care, contributes to MRIT burnout, and has significant financial ramifications for the healthcare system. The purpose of this presentation is to explore the factors prioritized by MRIT graduates in Ontario when considering potential job opportunities. Equipped with insight to what is valued by this important segment of the health human resources pipeline, employers can leverage novel recruitment, retention, and broader staffing solutions to optimize medical imaging and radiation therapy care services.

Learning Objectives:
– Appreciate the nature of the current health human resources challenges facing both the broader healthcare system and medical imaging and radiation therapy professions in particular.
– Characterize the relative importance of factors such as location, organization type, financial incentives, shift type, workload, professional development opportunities in employment preferences amongst new MRIT graduates. – – – Leverage identified factors to optimize recruitment strategies across various settings and MRIT professions.