Medical technologists and technicians feeling job pressure
The number of medical technologists and technicians isn’t keeping pace with increased demand — and that could compromise patient care, according to a report by the Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE).
CUPE represents 874 medical technologists — medical lab technologists, combined laboratory and X-ray technicians, radiation technologists, pharmacy technicians and MRI technologists in five health regions — Prince Albert Parkland, Prairie North, Regina Qu’Appelle, Sun Country and Sunrise.
An online survey of these professions conducted by CUPE in November and released Monday had a 22.4-per-cent response rate.
All pharmacy technicians and MRI technologists, as well as 92.2 per cent of medical laboratory technologists, reported an increased workload.
“Understaffing and crushing workloads is jeopardizing patient care and the government’s goal of Patient First,” said Holley Hermann, chair of the CUPE Medical Technologists and Technicians Committee and a medical laboratory technologist in the Sun Country Health Region. “When medical technologists are working long hours and under intense pressure, there is a greater chance of making mistakes.”
Many health-care providers have raised heavy workloads as a common concern, said NDP health critic Danielle Chartier.
“When you’re working shortstaffed and long hours and aren’t getting breaks, people are human — that’s when mistakes happen,” she said.
Hermann noted the province has seen a 44-per-cent increase in doctors over the past decade and they are requesting more diagnostic testing, yet there are fewer staff to perform the tests.
“Patient care and patient safety is uppermost on all of our minds,” said Duane Mombourquette, executive director of Partnerships and Workforce Planning with the Ministry of Health.
The ministry tracks the number of health-care workers in the province, their ages and when they’re expected to retire.
“We know there are challenges in some of these areas and (medical laboratory technicians) would be one of those areas,” Mombourquette said.
However, he noted the number of combined laboratory and X-ray technicians has increased.
Generally, the number of employees working for regional health authorities has increased — on average — about two per cent a year for the past number of years, Mombourquette said.
He acknowledged recruiting in rural and remote areas can be challenging and that positions go unfilled for a time.
To address that challenge, the ministry offers bursaries to those prepared to work in rural or remote Saskatchewan.
“Just this year, we also changed the priorities to include diagnostic professions,” Mombourquette said.
Additionally, training seats for medical laboratory technologists increased from 20 to 32 this past year.
According to CUPE, MRI technologists reported the highest rate of working through their breaks — all or most of the time.
Jan Besse, executive director of clinical support with the Regina Qu’Appelle Health Region, said managers will follow up on this as staff have been encouraged to take breaks.
“The region will look more closely at the results of this report to analyze the concerns identified and determine an appropriate response,” she stated in an email to the Leader-Post.
More than half of medical techs (51.9 per cent) reported their workload was having a significant effect on their personal health and safety at work; 71.4 per cent of MRI technologists and 68.9 per cent of medical radiation technologists gave the same rating.
“We believe the Ministry of Health should increase funding to regional health authorities to dedicate to hire additional medical technologists to address the workload and staffing requirement for safe and quality patient care,” Hermann said.
The increased workload is causing stress, anxiety, headaches, high blood pressure and muscle tension.
“It’s just burnout,” Hermann said.
It’s hard to find a work-life balance, she said.
When asked what would improve their workload, 65.8 per cent of survey respondents said replacement for vacation and sick leave; raise baseline staffing (56.1 per cent); improve scheduling (46.9 per cent) and increased worker input into decision-making at workplace (39.3 per cent).
Aside from hiring more staff, CUPE recommends the ministry and regional health authorities conduct a provincial audit of vacant positions and revise its human resources plan to address the existing and forecasted shortages in medical technologist and technician positions.