Written by Bernice Trick
Citizen staff
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Thursday, 05 November 2009 |
Medical program to train radiologists
A recent commitment by Northern Health to provide clinic training for future medical radiography students is a big step towards making the vital technology program a reality at College of New Caledonia.
The clinical placements, negotiated during a recent meeting of CNC, NH and provincial government ministries, ensure the program will start in 2011.
“We have committed to providing 16 clinical placements for CNC students within Northern Health,” said Suzanne Johnston, Northern Health’s vice-president Academic Affairs and chief nursing officer. “We will be able to accommodate all of the CNC student placements within our facilities.”
The partnership of CNC, NH, Northern Medical Society, BCIT and the province had hoped to begin the MRT program in 2010, but changes to the program curriculum as well as creation of clinical placements resulted in a delay.
“The province has provided the college with more than $245,000 for the planning and development of this program and additional capital and operating funding continues to be available for the Medical Radiography Technology program,” said Moira Stilwell, Minister of Advanced Education and Labour Market Development.
“Once the planning and co-ordination is finalized, the ministry will provide additional funding for this program to CNC, which will fulfill an important need.”
CNC president John Bowman said, “We are very happy to hear that Northern Health is guaranteeing to provide our students with clinical placements. This is a vital part of the program, as our students will learn a great deal from the professionals who are already working in the field."
The 16-space diploma program will teach students the basic work to be done under the direction of a medical radiologist in the field of imaging or X-rays of chests, broken fingers and such, which today are mainly computer-generated images. Medical radiographers work in clinics, medical centres and hospitals, emergency department, operating room, and at the patient’s bedside.
CNC intends to partner with BCIT in delivering the 32-month program that can lead to advanced training in fields like radiation therapy.
The program has been spurred by a severe shortage of radiography technologists in northern B.C., and across the province, and the belief the training will benefit the new BC Cancer Agency Centre for the North expected to be completed in Prince George in 2012.
CNC currently has 230 individuals on an interest list for the MRT program.
btrick@pgcitizen.ca
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Last Updated ( Thursday, 05 November 2009 )
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