One regional healthcare worker says they have been left off the list of approved health professionals released by the province.
A Medical Radiation Technologist at Quinte Health Care Belleville reached out to Bay of Quinte MPP Todd Smith to say an entire group of healthcare workers was excluded from the list and says they are also on the front lines.
The staff member who wished to remain anonymous says MRTs and DMSs provide x-rays, ultrasounds, nuclear scans, CTs, MRIs, interventional and radiation therapy procedures to thousands of Ontarians every day.
This MRT has been in their career for over 20 years and says it is not about the $4 an hour, it’s more about the recognition.
“When you are recognizing a group of people and you leave someone out, intentional or not, it hurts,” they told Quinte News. “Maybe it’s a little bit of oversight but if you are going implement something like this, do some research into who is exactly front line so you aren’t leaving anyone out.”
The staff member said there is a whole team that works with these patients, whether it be TB patients, cancer patients, COVID patients or someone with a broken arm, it’s not just a surgeon or a nurse. They say it is a huge group effort and sometimes people get forgotten about in the background but it isn’t just doctors and nurses who are front line staff.
The person said they are in a close setting with patients, without the ability to isolate patients and no negative pressure rooms. This means procedures on any known or suspected COVID patients need to be performed after regular hours when there is no risk to other patients (we are mainly seeing cancer patients currently during regular hours).
“We are therefore working longer hours, often staying at the last minute without a second thought.”
They told Quinte News this has created a divide in the health care team as it is like saying “you’re more important than I am”.
Prior to this, the MRT stated morale was up at work as everyone was working together for this common goal and they are all in it together to work through this and provide for their community, but that has now changed.
This healthcare worker hopes their letter will bring out the change needed to make sure all healthcare workers in this fight against COVID-19 are recognized.
The letter to MPP Smith can be found in full below.
Todd Smith:
I am a Medical Radiation Technologist specializing in Nuclear Medicine (known as an MRT(N) ) on the frontlines at Quinte Healthcare, Belleville General Hospital site. Medical Radiation Technologists (MRTs) and Diagnostic Medical Sonographers (DMSs) were not included on the list of approved health professionals in the pandemic pay announcement released by the Ontario government. According to communications the Ontario Association of Medical Radiation Sciences received from the MEOC, the temporary Pandemic Pay is “aimed at frontline staff who are experiencing severe challenges and are at heightened risk during the COVID-19 outbreak”. MRTs and DMSs are frontline in the fight against COVID-19. We wear personal protective equipment all day, and by the nature of the close physical contact required to perform the diagnostic testing we provide, risk our lives everyday going in to work. I am requesting you recognize MRTs and DMSs as frontline workforce and include us in the temporary pandemic pay.
My colleagues and I provide vital diagnostic services such as x-rays, ultrasounds, nuclear scans, CTs, MRIs, interventional and radiation therapy procedures to thousands of Ontarian’s every day. Along with my colleagues, I personally have had to perform procedures on multiple suspected and a handful of confirmed COVID patients. Some of these patients were on ventilators. To perform a lung scan, which is a 45-60 minute procedure (used to diagnose life threatening pulmonary embolism which is a concern for COVID patients), the ventilator hose has to be disconnected at the patients mouth and connected to our machine for forcing radioactive gas into the patient’s lungs. This is a very risky procedure as the gas being forced into the lungs becomes an aerosol that can become airborne if the connection fails. All nuclear procedures at Belleville General have to be performed in the department as we do not have a mobile imaging unit. Our department is a fairly open concept with no ability to isolate patients. We have no negative pressure rooms within the department in which to work with these patients (as they do in ICU, Emergency and on the medical floors) Because of this, procedures on any known or suspected COVID patients need to be performed after regular hours when there is no risk to other patients (we are mainly seeing cancer patients currently during regular hours). We are therefore working longer hours, often staying at the last minute without a second thought, despite knowing that our family is waiting at home for us. We are wearing the same PPE as the nurses and doctors working in other areas of the hospital but keeping our PPE for longer periods of time(one mask, gown and shield per shift) because we are allotted a great deal less. We are many times wearing heavy (15lb) lead aprons underneath our PPE. We are not allowed breaks any more. We have to keep all of our PPE on until lunch and then again until we leave to go home. That means working for hours without a sip of water while often sweating profusely under all of the PPE and lead protection. I often feel lightheaded, dehydrated and nauseas throughout my shifts. But I continue to do the job I love in the best interest of the public. This particular procedure that I have described and countless other imaging procedures performed by MRT’s and DMS’s are used to diagnose, monitor and treat COVID-19 infected patients. Our amount of direct contact with suspected or infected patients on a daily basis is similar or higher than most of the other professionals listed, so we are very confused and demoralized at how it is possible that we are not recognized. I continue, despite not being recognized, to go into work proudly each day and put myself and my family’s lives at risk in the interest of serving the community that I have called home for 46 years.
I am hoping it is an oversight to not list MRT’s and DMS’s but it is causing tension in my work setting to be working alongside my other health provider colleagues that have been recognized. I feel undervalued, discouraged and insulted. I am asking you please recognize this error and fix this as soon as possible.
Thanking you in advance,
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