Connor and Lana are about to begin working at a clinic. Connor is enrolled in a medical radiation technology program and is currently in the clinical practicum portion of his program. Lana has just graduated from a medical radiation technology program but has not yet passed the entry-to-practice examination.

What are the College-mandated conditions of their employment?

Students do not need to be registered with the College to complete their practicums. As a student, Connor is a “non-regulated worker.” A non-regulated worker is permitted to perform restricted activities referred to in the Medical Diagnostic and Therapeutic Technologists Profession Regulation (the Regulation), sections 14 to 18, as part of a clinical practicum with the consent of and under the supervision of a preceptor who holds general registration. Connor can verify the registration status of a proposed preceptor on the College’s Public Register.

The preceptor is required to provide direct supervision to Connor. Direct supervision means that the preceptor is required to remain within audible distance and available for immediate physical assistance while Connor is performing restricted activities. Availability by electronic devices is not acceptable.

Lana will also require supervision as a condition of her employment; however, she is subject to different requirements. Lana is required to hold a temporary practice permit with the College in order to work as a medical radiation technologist before writing the entry-to-practice exam. She should submit an application for temporary registration to the College as soon as she receives an offer of employment and cannot begin work until her application has been approved. Once the College has verified that Lana has successfully completed her education program and met all registration requirements, Lana will be issued a temporary practice permit. Any member of the public can look up Lana’s registration through the Public Register as soon as it is issued.

Lana will have access to the full scope of practice once she holds temporary registration; however, she must be under the supervision of another regulated member when performing restricted activities as a condition of her registration. Where an appropriate regulated member of this college is not available to supervise her, Lana may seek approval from the College to receive supervision by a regulated healthcare professional from another college who is authorized by their regulatory body to perform the restricted activity that is being supervised.

The supervising regulated healthcare professional is required to provide indirect supervision, which means they must remain readily available for physical assistance while Lana is performing restricted activities. Availability by electronic devices is not acceptable. While Connor must always be directly accompanied by his preceptor when performing restricted activities as a student, Lana may perform restricted activities on her own provided a regulated member is nearby and readily available if she requires assistance.

As with all regulated members, members with temporary practice permits must restrict themselves to performing only those restricted activities that they are competent to perform and that are appropriate to their areas of practice and the procedures being performed.

Regulated members of the College need to practice in compliance with legislation and other documents such as Standards of Practice and Code of Ethics. The following standards and statements apply to this scenario.

Standards of Practice

Standard 3.2 Leadership

To demonstrate this Standard, a regulated member will:

• a. Support and promote the profession (e.g., mentoring, interprofessional collaboration, team contribution, public education).
• b. Facilitate the sharing of professional knowledge with students, colleagues, patients and the public (e.g., preceptorships, presentations, journal clubs, public information sessions).
• d. Follow College requirements related to the supervision of students or any regulated members required to practice under supervision.

Code of Ethics

Principle 3 – Responsibility to oneself

• b. Accountability – A regulated member takes responsibility and is accountable for their professional activities.

There are many documents that help guide a regulated member’s practice. View these documents on our Resources page or use the Decision-Making Tool to work through a specific scenario.