National Post (National Edition)
MRTs: At the Forefront of Canadian Health Care
Health care is a complicated and increasingly tech-driven field, and Canada’s medical radiation technologists are at the heart of its future.
The shift in modern health care from disease-focused treatments to patient-specific ones is progressing at an increasingly rapid rate. Central to this is the ability to identify a patient’s unique markers to create individualized interventions. Technology on its own is powerless. It takes specialized health care professionals to harness its full potential for the patient. Medical radiation technologists (MRTs) and the rapidly-evolving technology they use are essential to this process.
MRTs are the highly-educated professionals who operate CT and PET scanners, MRIs, X-rays, and other diagnostic imaging technologies, and who also provide lifesaving radiation therapy to patients with cancer. By definition, MRTs are front-line workers, both in terms of delivering quality care directly to patients and in leading technological innovation.
In total, there are more than 20,000 MRTs working across Canada. Their work is a cornerstone of our health care system. Drawing on their extensive expertise and knowledge, more than 30 million medical imaging exams are carried out each year, and millions of Canadians benefit from state-of-the-art radiation therapy for the treatment of cancer.
Leaders now, and into the future
The Canadian Association of Medical Radiation Technologists (CAMRT) is the national organization representing MRTs from across the country. “Canada’s MRTs practise at the intersection of technology and care, bringing compassion and care to high-tech interventions,” says Irving Gold, CEO of CAMRT. “As some of the most technologically-fluent professionals in health care, MRTs are also natural trailblazers. Always at the forefront of technological advances, MRTs are accustomed to leading and adapting to rapid change.”
With revolutionary innovations like artificial intelligence (AI) making their way into the mainstream, MRTs are uniquely equipped to lead and embrace its integration into the health care system. MRTs are pivotal to a system delivering efficient and high-quality patient care. In the coming decades, their role will become even more essential as AI and other new technologies explosively broaden our medical horizons.
The next time you’re thinking about the team of health care providers that keeps you and your loved ones healthy, remember MRTs. Not only are they absolutely essential to Canada’s high standard of care, their role will only increase in driving that standard higher in the years to come.