You’re offline. This is a read only version of the page.
The Standards of Practice have been developed by the College of Medical Radiation and Imaging Technologists of Ontario(1) (CMRITO or the "College") to describe the expectations for professional practice of registrants of the College. The Standards of Practice describe what each registrant is accountable and responsible for in practice. They represent performance criteria for registrants and can be used to interpret the scope of practice to the public and other health care professionals.
In the Standards of Practice, "registrants" refers to all registrants of the CMRITO; that is, registrants in all of the five specialties: radiography, radiation therapy, nuclear medicine, magnetic resonance and diagnostic medical sonography. In the Standards of Practice, "profession" refers to the profession of medical radiation and imaging technology, which includes all of the five specialties: radiography, radiation therapy, nuclear medicine, magnetic resonance and diagnostic medical sonography.
The Standards of Practice reflect the knowledge, skills, and judgement that members need in order to perform the services and procedures that fall within the scope of practice of the profession.
The Regulated Health Professions Act and the companion health profession Acts govern the practice of regulated health professions in Ontario. For this profession, the companion Act is the Medical Radiation and Imaging Technology Act (MRIT Act). The Medical Radiation and Imaging Technology Act sets out the scope of practice statement for the profession, as follows:
"The practice of medical radiation and imaging technology is the use of ionizing radiation, electromagnetism, soundwaves and other prescribed forms of energy for the purposes of diagnostic and therapeutic procedures, the evaluation of images and data relating to the procedures and the assessment of an individual before, during and after the procedures."
The Medical Radiation and Imaging Technology Act also sets out which of the controlled acts as set out in the Regulated Health Professions Act, members are authorized to perform. These are known as authorized acts. The Medical Radiation and Imaging Technology Act states:
"In the course of engaging in the practice of medical radiation and imaging technology, a member is authorized, subject to the terms, conditions and limitations imposed on their certificate of registration, to perform the following:
1. Administering substances by injection or inhalation.
2. Tracheal suctioning of a tracheostomy.
3. Administering contrast media, or putting an instrument, hand or finger,
4. Performing a procedure on tissue below the dermis.
5. Applying a prescribed form of energy."
The Standards of Practice are intended to be generic. The indicators that follow each Practice Standard indicate the application of the Practice Standard in a specific dimension of practice. Most indicators refer to tasks that are common to all registrants. Indicators that refer to tasks generally performed only by registrants in one of the specialties are listed under separate headings. The methods for implementing each task may be determined by departmental policies and procedures.
In the event that the Standards of Practice set a standard that is higher than departmental policy or procedure, the registrant must comply with the standard set by the Standards of Practice. In the Standards of Practice, the term "legislation" refers to both statutes and regulations.
Under the College’s Standards of Practice, registrants of the College are expected to be:
Competent: meaning to have the necessary knowledge, skills, and judgement to perform safely, effectively and ethically and to apply that knowledge, skill and judgement to ensure safe, effective and ethical patient outcomes. This means that registrants must maintain competence in their current area of practice, must refrain from acting if not competent, and must take appropriate action to address the situation.
Accountable: meaning to take responsibility for decisions and actions, including those undertaken independently and those undertaken as a member of a team. This means that registrants must accept the consequences of their decisions and actions and act on the basis of what they, in their clinical judgement, believe is in the best interests of the patient. Registrants must take appropriate action if they feel these interests are being unnecessarily and unacceptably compromised. This includes not implementing ordered procedures or treatment plans that, from their perspective, appear to be contraindicated. They must also take appropriate action to address the situation.
Collaborative: meaning to work with other members of the health care team to achieve the best possible outcomes for the patient. This, means registrants are responsible for communicating and coordinating care provision with other members of the healthcare team. They must take appropriate action to address gaps and differences in judgement about care provision.
(1) On January 1, 2020, the Medical Radiation and Imaging Technology Act, 2017 (MRIT Act) came into force. The MRIT Act changed the name of the College of Medical Radiation Technologists of Ontario to the College of Medical Radiation and Imaging Technologists of Ontario, and the name of the profession to the medical radiation and imaging technology profession.