Assignment 1: Professionalism

Radiation therapy is the use of high doses of radiation to kill cancer cells and shrink tumours. The radiation can come from a machine outside of the body, such as external beam radiation, or from a radioactive material placed inside of the body near cancer cells, such as brachytherapy (Mayo Clinic, 2018).

As a radiation therapist in Ontario, I am a member of the Canadian Association of Medical Radiation Technologists (CAMRT), the College of Medical Radiation Technologists of Ontario (CMRTO), and the Ontario Association of Medical Radiation Sciences (OAMRS). It is through these colleges that radiation therapists and other medical radiation technologists follow best practice guidelines, have guidance in continuing education, and are protected with professional liability insurance. It was really interesting reading the chapter on Professional Socialization of Health Care Professionals because it is true that I feel a place of belonging and professional identity by being a part of a larger governing college (Melrose, Park, & Perry, 2016). Having the standards of practice for radiation therapy provides a blueprint for which therapists model their behaviour and care. For example, members of the CMRTO are expected to take responsibility for their actions and always act in the best interest of the patients (CMRTO, 2018). This value of accountability is what drives therapist to make calculated clinical decisions when it comes to radiation as you can never take it back. I feel because my personal values of being caring, accountable, and competent align with the college’s values, it also provides a larger sense of professional identity.

During my final year in my program, it was spent in the hospital receiving hands-on experience and being treated as an entry-level therapist. It is in this time that I was able to see the therapists in action and determined how I identified with them as a profession. Similar to other healthcare professionals, collaboration is a prominent professional value in the field of radiation therapy. Day to day, radiation therapists interact with the radiation oncologists to identify any changes in the course of a patient’s treatment, such as gross changes in tumour size; radiation treatment plan approvals by the oncologists after the therapists have made the plan; and also during case reviews when all radiation plans are reviewed by all radiation doctors and therapists. As well, therapists work closely with the radiation oncology nurses to help patients with radiation side effects and symptom control, such as medication re-evaluation. Aside from working with people within the radiation department, there is also a larger group of people in the hospital that they work with to help with patients’ needs, such as dietitians, spiritual care advisors, social work, booking office, reception staff, and pharmacists. However, most importantly, the interaction that I witnessed frequently as a student was that with the patients and their families. I saw how the therapists were always calm, kind, and reassuring and were able to build a rapport with the patients. Even though the patients’ spirits were always strong, the radiation often took a toll on their bodies and because the patients trusted the therapists, they were able to be honest about their side effects and how it affected their day-to-day lives. It was through these relationships that I could see how other professions and people saw radiation therapists and this helped me to imagine myself in that position and felt the sense of belonging as a therapist.

References

College of Medical Radiation Technologists of Ontario. (2018). College of Medical Radiation

Technologists of Ontario. Retrieved September 12, 2018, from https://www.cmrto.org/

Mayo Clinic. (2018). Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research. Retrieved

September 12, 2018, from

https://www.mayoclinic.org/tests-procedures/radiation-therapy/about/pac-20385162

Melrose, S., Park, C. & Perry, B. (2016). Creative clinical teaching in the health professions.

Retrieved from http://epub-fhd.athabascau.ca/clinical-teaching/