Type:
Educational Exhibit
Keywords:
Not applicable, Observational, Retrospective, Workforce, Occupational / Environmental hazards, Health policy and practice, Education, Conventional radiography, Radiographers, Professional issues, Management, Professional Issues
Authors:
M. Brydon1, J. L. Carey2, R. Gilbert3; 1Halifax, Nova Scotia/CA, 2Moncton/CA, 3Halifax/CA
DOI:
10.26044/ecr2020/C-05818
Background
Background:
Healthcare workers are one of the populations most affected by mental wellness issues. The Mental Health Commission of Canada reports healthcare workers are 1.5 times more likely to be off work than other sectors related to constant work with patients & families, helping others cope with illness, where shift-work, workplace violence, & rapidly changing practice environments are all occupational hazards.
MRT Experience:
MRT’s have a unique experience in that they engage with patients from diagnosis to treatment and we provide care in a variety of circumstances including:
- trauma cases in emergency rooms
- high volume of patients in acute care facilities
- sole MRT care provider in small, rural departments
- operating rooms and clinics
- oncology treatments for prolonged periods of time
- chronic illnesses imaging over multiple years
- forensic imaging
We bear the burden of knowledge, of being the first to witness disease pathology or condition evidenced by work, while maintaining a caring and compassionate, yet professional composure with our patients.
A recent national survey of MRTs in Canada found 57% feel moderate to high levels of emotional exhaustion at work, 15% reported high levels of depersonalization, and 55.4% reported having too much work to do everything well.
MRT Mental Health Conference:
Educational content and conferences often focus on technological aspects and advancements of our profession such as AI, Deep Learning or hybrid imaging, the technologist is often forgotten.
Responding to the need for MHW education for MRTs, an Atlantic MRT Conference (AMRTC) piloted a full-day comprehensive, interactive conference on MHW to address the gap in quality learning opportunities for mental health and wellness of technologists.
The conference included a range content including:
- Responding to Organizational Change
- Self-Care
- Technologist Mental Health storytelling panel
- Mindfulness-based stress reduction
- Various Mental Health Conditions (including PTSD)
The conference also explored the following subject area related to MRTs:
- Compassion Fatigue - a condition where carer feel both emotional and physical exhaustion as a direct result of caring for others, without sufficient time, or resources to recover or care for ones self.
- Vicarious Trauma - a condition where repeated exposure to first hand or secondary traumatic events alters ones perspective and expectations, feelings of apathy, difficulty with personal emotions, diminished feelings of joy and satisfaction, and or intrusive thoughts of patients' trauma.