Career Map: Medical Radiation Technologist

This document was updated in July 2010 in collaboration with the Labour Market Integration Unit, Ontario Ministry of Citizenship and Immigration. Requirements may have changed by the time you apply. Please contact the College of Medical Radiation Technologists of Ontario before completing your application.

Copyright in this career map is held jointly by the Queen's Printer for Ontario and the College of Medical Radiation Technologists of Ontario, © 2010. This career map may be used or reproduced by any third party for non-commercial, not-for-profit purposes, provided that no fee, payment or royalty of any kind shall be charged by the third party for any further use or reproduction of the career map by any person. Any proposed commercial or for-profit use or reproduction of this career map requires a written licence from the Queen's Printer for Ontario and the College of Medical Radiation Technologists of Ontario.

Overview

The College of Medical Radiation Technologists of Ontario (CMRTO/The College) regulates medical radiation technologists working in Ontario. The CMRTO is responsible for protecting the public by ensuring that all registered medical radiation technologists in Ontario are qualified to practise and are practising professionally.

To practise as a medical radiation technologist in Ontario, you must register with the CMRTO. You may not use the title “Medical Radiation Technologist” or the abbreviation “M.R.T.” without being a member of the College.

Medical radiation technologists work in health care facilities, including hospitals, clinics and cancer centres. There are four specialties for medical radiation technologists:

Radiography

Radiography is the use of x-rays to produce images of parts of the body for the diagnosis of disease, trauma and congenital abnormalities. Medical radiation technologists registered in radiography may perform general x-rays, fluoroscopic examinations, angiography, mammography and computed tomography.

Nuclear Medicine

Nuclear medicine is the use of radiopharmaceuticals to produce images of the body and treat disease. Medical radiation technologists registered in nuclear medicine use gamma cameras and computer systems to assess organ function and structure, and help in the diagnoses of numerous disorders. Nuclear medicine is used in the treatment of thyroid diseases, certain blood disorders, and bone metastases.

Radiation Therapy

Radiation therapy is the use of ionizing radiation to treat diseases such as cancer. Medical radiation technologists registered in radiation therapy work together with oncologists to plan treatment, administer treatment and educate the patient on how to cope with side effects.

Magnetic Resonance

Magnetic resonance is the use of electromagnetism (static magnetic fields and radio frequencies) to produce diagnostic images. Medical radiation technologists registered in magnetic resonance play a significant role in imaging the brain, spine, abdomen, pelvis and the musculoskeletal and cardiovascular systems.

A medical radiation technologist may not perform a radiographic, nuclear medicine or magnetic resonance examination or a radiation therapy treatment on a patient unless a member of the College of Physicians and Surgeons of Ontario orders the procedure.

Registration Requirements in Ontario (current as of July 2010)

To get a Certificate of Registration as a medical radiation technologist in Ontario you must meet the requirements as set out in the College’s registration regulation. The regulation requires you to:

• be fluent in English or French. See section on Language Assessment for more details.
• be a Canadian citizen, a permanent resident of Canada, or authorized under the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act to practise medical radiation technology in Canada.
• have not been convicted of a criminal offence or an offence related to the practice of medical radiation technology.
• have not been found guilty of, and not currently be the subject of a legal proceeding for professional misconduct, incompetence or incapacity in relation to medical radiation technology or any other health care profession, in Ontario or elsewhere.
• prove that you have completed a medical radiation technology program offered outside Ontario that is considered by the Registration Committee to be substantially similar, but not equivalent, to an approved Ontario program in medical radiation technology.
• prove that you are competent to practise as a medical radiation technologist.
• pass the examination approved by the College Council.
• show that you have practised as a medical radiation technologist, or completed a medical radiation technology program offered outside Ontario as described above, within the five years immediately preceding the application.
• pay the application fee and evaluation fee.
• pay the annual registration fee.

You must satisfy these requirements in the same specialty for which you apply. If you wish to apply to the CMRTO in more than one specialty, you must complete an application form, and submit the application and evaluation fee, for each specialty.

Application Process

Before You Immigrate to Canada

Before you come to Ontario, contact the CMRTO by telephone, fax, e-mail or mail and request an Application for Registration as a Medical Radiation Technologist for a person who has completed an educational program outside Canada. You may also access the application forms on-line at www.cmrto.org/registration/international.asp. You may print the application form for your specialty(s), complete the application and submit it with all supporting documents and fees to the CMRTO. The address is listed at the end of this career map.

You can apply for registration with the CMRTO before your immigration application is complete. The CMRTO may permit you to start meeting some of the requirements for registration as a medical radiation technologist before you immigrate to Canada.

When You Arrive in Ontario

Application Form

If you did not complete and send an application form to the CMRTO before you arrive in Ontario, you must file one when you arrive. Contact the CMRTO to request an Application for Registration as a Medical Radiation Technologist for a person who has completed an educational program outside Canada. The address is listed at the end of this career map.

Application Form

If you did not complete and send an application form to the CMRTO before you arrive in Ontario, you must file one when you arrive. Contact the CMRTO to request an Application for Registration as a Medical Radiation Technologist for a person who has completed an educational program outside Canada or print a copy of the application form at www.cmrto.org/registration/international.asp. The CMRTO address is listed at the end of this career map.

When filing an application for registration with the CMRTO, you must submit a completed application form, all the supporting documents, and the application fee and evaluation fee (($395.50 Canadian) to the CMRTO. The application for registration as a medical radiation technologist requires:

• proof that you have completed an educational program in medical radiation technology in your specialty. You must attach a notarized copy of your degree, certificate or diploma, or provide an original letter from your educational institution confirming successful completion of your program. You must also provide an original or notarized copy of your academic transcript of marks from your educational institution. If your documents are not in English or French, you must provide an official translation.
• detailed information about the educational program that you have completed and the practical/clinical training that you have had in medical radiation technology in your specialty. You must provide the official curriculum or course outline from your educational institution for your program at the time you were enrolled in the program. The curriculum or course outline should contain a detailed list of the courses and a description of the content of the courses completed during your training, including the amount of time spent in both the theoretical and clinical component in hours, days or weeks. The curriculum or course outline must be certified by the educational institution or your professional association. If your documents are not in English or French, you must provide an official translation.
• confirmation of your clinical competence in medical radiation technology in your specialty, including the list of procedures which you have performed, the date you last performed them, and signed confirmation from your supervisor.
• a letter from your present or previous employer confirming the last day of your employment as a medical radiation technologist in your specialty.
• proof of language fluency in English or French, if available.
• answers to questions certifying that you have not been found guilty of professional misconduct, incompetency or incapacity or a criminal offence.
• a copy of your certificate showing that you are a medical radiation technologist in your country.
• a copy of your landed immigrant papers, permanent resident card, or employment authorization (work visa), if available.

If you are not able to provide the original or notarized copy of your credential(s), or your academic transcript(s) of marks, or an official curriculum of your program(s), the Registration Committee of the CMRTO may accept other evidence, such as an original letter from your educational program, depending on the circumstances. Please contact the CMRTO if you are unable to provide the original or notarized copies of any of your documents. Keep a copy of the original documents because your documentation will not be returned to you.

When completing the application form, ensure that your direct clinical supervisor reads and signs the section on the application called Validation of Clinical Supervisor on the Clinical Competence Form. Your direct clinical supervisor should be either a medical radiation technologist, radiologist or radiation oncologist who has supervised your daily work in your most recent or current employment. His or her signature confirms that you are competent in the procedures you have completed for your specialty, which are listed on the application form.

The application fee of $113.00 ($100 fee and $13.00 HST) and the evaluation fee of $282.50 ($250 fee and $32.50 HST) are non-refundable, regardless of the outcome of the application process. Payment can be made in Canadian funds by cheque, money order or credit card. Make cheque or money order payable to the College of Medical Radiation Technologists of Ontario (CMRTO). If you are paying by credit card (Visa or MasterCard), please complete and submit the credit card payment form to the College. The credit card payment form is available on the College website (www.cmrto.org). The College does not accept payment in currencies other than Canadian Dollars.

You must ensure that both you and your most recent or current direct clinical supervisor have signed the application and that all the supporting documents have been attached to your application form. The College does not accept incomplete application forms. If your application is not complete, it will be returned to you with a list of items that are missing. The College does not keep any incomplete application forms.

Assessment Process

All applications from internationally educated medical radiation technologists must undergo an assessment process. This means that the CMRTO reviews the educational training and experience in medical radiation technology that you may have from another country to see if it meets the requirements for registration with the CMRTO.

The CMRTO reviews all application forms received to ensure that they are complete. If you completed your education in medical radiation technology outside of Canada, your application form will be sent to the Registration Committee for review and a decision regarding your application for registration. You will receive a letter notifying you that the Registration Committee will be reviewing your application and explaining the reasons for the review. If you have any new or additional information at that time, you will have 30 days to submit it to the Registration Committee.

The Registration Committee will review your application in detail. Each step of the assessment process is described in the next section. If you meet all the requirements of the College, you will be able to continue the registration process. If you do not meet the requirements of the College, the Registration Committee has the authority to refuse to issue you a Certificate of Registration.

Once the Registration Committee completes the review of your application for registration, you will receive a letter to inform you of the Registration Committee’s decision. This letter will clearly explain the reasons for the Registration Committee’s decision. You will also be informed of your right to contact the Health Professions Appeal and Review Board to appeal the decision of the Registration Committee if you do not agree with it.

It will take at least four months from the time that your application for registration is accepted as complete to the time that you receive the final decision of the Registration Committee.
If the Registration Committee approves your application, you can expect to have five years from the last date of your employment as a medical radiation technologist to complete all the requirements to become registered. For example, if you last worked in January 2007 as a medical radiation technologist you can expect that you will have to complete all registration requirements and be registered by January 2012.

Step 1 – Academic Credentials Assessment

In order to meet the academic requirement, you must show the CMRTO that you have completed a program in medical radiation technology in your specialty that the Registration Committee considers to be substantially similar to an approved Ontario program.

If you trained outside of Canada you must send a notarized copy of your degree, diploma or certificate, or provide an original letter from your educational institution confirming successful completion of the program. You must also provide an original or notarized copy of your academic transcript of marks and a detailed curriculum or course outline for your program, certified by the educational institution or professional association. Your curriculum or course outline should contain a detailed list of the courses and description of the content of the courses that you completed during your training and the amount of time spent in both the theoretical and clinical components (in hours, days or weeks).

If your program required you to first complete another post-secondary educational program or courses prior to entering the program in your specialty (e.g. a Bachelor of Science, a medical radiation technology program in another specialty, or pre-requisite college or university courses or credits) you must also attach a notarized copy of your certificate, diploma or degree, or an original or notarized copy of your academic transcript, or provide an original letter from your educational institution confirming that you obtained a certificate, diploma or degree in another specialty of medical radiation technology or other field of study. You must also provide a detailed curriculum or course outline for the pre-requisite program or courses, certified by the educational institution or professional association. You must also provide detailed information on the clinical training you completed as part of your educational program or internship. This information may be from your educational institution or training hospital. It should include such details as: the amount of time spent in clinical training, the qualification of your clinical supervisor(s), the types of hospital(s) or clinical setting(s), the types of procedures completed, and the types of equipment used during your clinical training.

If you are not able to provide the original or notarized copy of your credential(s), or your academic transcript(s) of marks, or an official curriculum of your program(s), the Registration Committee of the CMRTO may accept other evidence, such as an original letter from your educational program, depending on the circumstances. Please contact the CMRTO if you are unable to provide the original or notarized copies of any of your documents.

Based on the documents you provide with your application, the Registration Committee will review your educational program to determine if it is substantially similar, but not equivalent, to an approved Ontario medical radiation technology program in your specialty. In the past, the Registration Committee has considered the following in its assessment of educational programs:

1. The credential achieved: for example, a degree or diploma in radiography (radiological technology), radiation therapy, nuclear medicine or magnetic resonance
2. The level of the educational program: for example, at a post-secondary college or university
3. The nature and content of the theoretical training: for example, anatomy and physiology, radiation physics and safety, patient care, clinical oncology, image evaluation and optimization, imaging equipment theory and operation, etc. Further details specific to your specialty on the nature and content of theoretical training can be found in the application form for your particular specialty.
4. The nature and content of the clinical training: for example, the procedures an applicant was trained to perform, the qualification of his or her supervisor, the types of clinical settings, the types of equipment, etc.
5. The depth and breadth of the program: for example, the length of the program, the number of hours spent in theoretical training, the number of hours spent in clinical training

Step 2 — Clinical Competence Assessment

If you completed a program in medical radiation technology outside of Canada, the registration regulation requires you to demonstrate to the CMRTO that you are competent to practise in Ontario as a medical radiation technologist in your specialty. The CMRTO application form has a Clinical Competence Form which provides a detailed list of all the procedures for each specialty. You must list in detail on the application form all the types of procedures that you have performed during your most recent or current employment.

To confirm that you are competent in those procedures, and that your written certification is correct, your direct clinical supervisor in your most recent or current place of employment must read and sign the section called Validation of Clinical Supervisor. Your direct clinical supervisor must be either a medical radiation technologist, radiologist or radiation oncologist who supervised your daily procedures.

The Registration Committee will assess your competence to practise based on the details described in your application form. In the past, the Registration Committee has considered the following in its assessment of an applicant’s competence to practise:

• the list of procedures that an applicant has performed is similar to those performed by medical radiation technologists in his or her specialty in Ontario;
• an applicant’s direct clinical supervisor has confirmed that he or she has performed and is competent in the procedures listed; and
• an applicant has performed the procedures listed within five years prior to the date of registration by the College.

You must list all the procedures that you completed at your last or current place of employment for the purpose of the Registration Committee’s assessment of your competence to practise.

You must also provide proof that you have worked as a medical radiation technologist within the last five years. A letter from your last or current employer stating your last date of employment will be required in order to meet this requirement.

Step 3 — Language Proficiency Assessment

If your professional training was in English or French, send confirmation from your training institution that the language of instruction and assessment in your program was English or French and this will be acceptable as proof of language proficiency. The evidence from your training institution should state clearly that all theoretical and clinical training and the examinations were in English or French.

If your professional training was not in English or French, you must show other proof of language proficiency. The Registration Committee accepts the following:

• the internet-based (iBT) TOEFL (Test of English as a Foreign Language) with a minimum total score of 73, and a minimum score of 21 in speaking; or
• the paper-based TOEFL with a minimum score of 500, and TSE with a minimum score of 40; or
• the IELTS (International English Language Testing System) test – academic (AC) with a minimum overall score of 6 and a minimum score of 6 in speaking; or
• the IELTS (International English Language Testing System) test – general training (GT) with a minimum overall score of 6 and a minimum score of 6 in speaking; or
• the MELA (Michener English Language Assessment) test with a minimum score of 8 in each of reading, listening and speaking and a minimum score of 7 in writing.

Proof that you have passed either the iBT TOEFL, or the TOEFL and TSE, or the IELTS, or the MELA may be submitted with the application form or later on in the registration process. Contact information for TOEFL, IELTS and MELA are listed at the end of this career map.

Step 4 — Additional Training

As part of its assessment of whether an applicant is competent to practise in his or her specialty, in the past, the Registration Committee has also considered whether the applicant has reviewed the appropriate statutes, regulations, policies and guidelines dealing with the practice of medical radiation technology in Ontario and completed the CMRTO Legislation Learning Package.

Once the Registration Committee approves your application and upon your request, the CMRTO will send you the statutes, regulations, policies and guidelines dealing with the practice of medical radiation technology in Ontario and the CMRTO Legislation Learning Package. You will need to complete the CMRTO Legislation Learning Package and review the legislation in preparation for working in Ontario before you are approved to write the examination.

Step 5 — CAMRT National Exam

The examination approved by the CMRTO Council is the national examination of the Canadian Association of Medical Radiation Technologists (CAMRT). Once your application has been reviewed and approved, the CMRTO will notify you if you are eligible to write this examination.

The CMRTO will also notify the CAMRT when you are ready and approved to write the examination. You must register for the examination directly with the CAMRT in Ottawa following the CMRTO’s approval for you to write the examination. The examination application form and examination preparation information can be found on the CAMRT website at www.camrt.ca/certification/international/examapplicationformsforinternationallyeducatedcandidates/. You will need to review this information prior to writing the exam.

The CAMRT National Exam is a multiple-choice exam that will test your knowledge, skill and judgment (competencies) in one of the specialties of medical radiation technology (radiography, nuclear medicine, magnetic resonance or radiation therapy). This exam is one day long and is offered three times a year at various locations throughout Canada. Sample examination questions and a reading list are included in the CAMRT ’s Study Guide. The CMRTO will also provide you with a letter that will make it possible for you to join the library at The Michener Institute for Applied Health Sciences in Toronto. With that library card, you will be able to borrow the textbooks necessary to prepare for the examination.

You will have four chances, within a five year period based on the date you last practised medical radiation technology, to pass the exam, provided that it is within the time frame designated in the Registration Committee’s decision.

As of the date of publication of this document, the Access & Options Program at The Michener Institute for Applied Health Sciences is available to assist landed immigrants with skills training, clinical experiences, personal support and guidance needed to pass the certification examination and to help prepare landed immigrants to work in Canada. Admission to the Access and Options Program is available only to those applicants who have received a decision from the College’s Registration Committee that states you are eligible to sit the CAMRT examination. Detailed information regarding this program is available at www.michener.ca/access/. See the contact information at the end of this career map for information on how to contact the Access and Options Program.

Step 6 — Registration

Once you have completed the requirements of the Registration Committee, passed the CAMRT exam, submitted your annual fee, and completed any other requirements as directed by the Registration Committee, you will be issued a Certificate of Registration and a CMRTO number. You will then be able to work in Ontario as a medical radiation technologist in the specialty indicated on the Certificate of Registration. The Certificate of Registration is proof to the public and your employer that you are authorized to practise as a medical radiation technologist in Ontario. To continue practising as a medical radiation technologist in Ontario, you must pay the annual fee on or before your birthday every year.

Labour Market Information

Registration with the CMRTO is not a guarantee of employment as a medical radiation technologist in Ontario. The CMRTO does not have any information on specific employment opportunities for medical radiation technologists.

In Ontario there are approximately 6,500 registered medical radiation technologists employed in hospitals, private clinics, cancer centres, research laboratories, industry, education and administration. Hospitals and clinics employ medical radiation technologists in the specialties of magnetic resonance and radiography. Major clinics, cancer centres and hospitals in large urban centres employ medical radiation technologists in the specialties of radiation therapy and nuclear medicine. Very few medical radiation technologists are self-employed.

Many medical radiation technologists work full time, with a forty-hour workweek including weekend, evening and stand-by work. About 20% of all employed medical radiation technologists in Ontario work part-time. Since the mid-nineties there has been a growing number of part-time, casual and contract positions available. There is a growing need for medical radiation technologists in Ontario.

The average annual salary for a full time medical radiation technologist is approximately CAN $66,000. The hourly pay for medical radiation technologists ranges from CAN $27.06 to CAN $41.87. This is above the average income for all occupations in Ontario.

For information on jobs for medical radiation technologists in Ontario, see the OAMRT web site at www.oamrt.on.ca. For general information on working as a medical radiation technologist in Canada visit the CAMRT web site at www.camrt.ca. The mailing address and telephone numbers for these associations are listed at the end of this career map.

For more information on labour market conditions in Ontario see Ontario Job Futures at www.tcu.gov.on.ca/eng/ojf/index.html. In Ontario, labour market information is also available at public libraries in your community or at Employment Resource Centres.

Fees And Costs

(in Canadian dollars)

Make cheques, international money orders, or money orders for the application fee and evaluation fee payable to the College of Medical Radiation Technologists of Ontario (CMRTO). If you are paying by credit card, complete the College’s credit card payment form that is available on the College website at www.cmrto.org. Your payment for the application and evaluation fees will not be processed until your application is complete. The application and evaluation fees are non-refundable.

CMRTO Application and Evaluation Fees	$395.50 (includes $45.50 HST)
CMRTO Annual Registration Fee	$406.80 (includes $46.80 HST)
CAMRT Examination Fee (each exam)	$800.00 in 2010 $800.00 in 2011 $800.00 in 2012
IBT TOEFL	US $140.00
IELTS	CDN $265.00
MELA	CDN $249.00

For More Information

For more information on application requirements, examinations or fees, please contact:
College of Medical Radiation Technologists of
Ontario
170 Bloor Street West, Suite 1001
Toronto, Ontario
Canada
M5S 1T9
Telephone: (416) 975-4353
Toll Free: 1-800-563-5847
Fax: (416) 975-4355
E-mail: info@cmrto.org
Web site: www.cmrto.org

For more information on the Canadian Association of Medical Radiation Technologists, contact:
Canadian Association of Medical Radiation Technologists
85 Albert Street, 10 th floor
Ottawa, Ontario
Canada
K1P 6A4
Telephone: (613) 234-0012
Toll Free: 1-800-463-9729
Fax: (613) 234-1097
E-mail: info@camrt.ca
Web site: www.camrt.ca

For information on the provincial professional association for medical radiation technologists:
Ontario Association of Medical Radiation Technologists
P.O. Box 1054
Brantford, Ontario
Canada
N3T 5S7
Telephone: (519) 753-6037
Toll free: 1-800-387-4674
Fax: (519) 753-6408
E-mail: inquiries@oamrt.on.ca
Web site: www.oamrt.on.ca

For a government contact about accessing professions and trades in Ontario:

Government of Ontario
Ministry of Citizenship and Immigration
Global Experience Ontario
163 Queen St. E. 2nd Floor
Toronto, ON  M5A 1S1
Tel: (416) 327-9694 or 1-866-670-4094
TTY: 416-327-9710 or 1-866-388-2262
Fax:(416) 327-9711
E-mail: GEO@ontario.ca
Website: www.ontarioimmigration.ca/en/geo/index.htm

For information about accessing health-related professions in Ontario, contact

HealthForceOntario
Access Centre for Internationally
Educated Professionals
163 Queen Street East, 2nd Floor
Toronto, ON M5A 1S1
Tel. 416-862-2200 or 1-800-596-4046
TTY: 416-862-4817
Fax: 416-862-4818
Email: accesscentre@healthforceontario.ca
Website: www.healthforceontario.ca

For information on where and how to get help with settlement in Ontario, contact:
Ontario Council of Agencies Serving Immigrants, OCASI
110 Eglinton Avenue West, Suite 200
Toronto, Ontario
Canada
M4R 1A3
Telephone: (416) 322-4950
Fax: (416) 322-8084
E-mail: generalmail@ocasi.org
Website: www.settlement.org

For more information on English language proficiency testing, contact:
TOEFL
P.O. Box 6151
Princeton, New Jersey
USA
08547 6151
Telephone: (609) 771-7100
Toll Free: 1-877-863-3546 (within USA & Canada)
Fax: (609) 771-7500
TTY: (609) 734-9362
E-mail: toefl@ets.org
Web site: www.toefl.org

For information on the Access and Options Program, contact:
Office of Access and Options for International Health Professionals
The Michener Institute for Applied Health Sciences
222 St. Patrick Street
Toronto, Ontario
Canada
M5T 1V4
Telephone: (416) 596-3154
Fax: (416) 596-1207
E-mail: access@michener.ca
Web site: www.michener.ca/access/

MELA
The Michener Institute for Applied Health Sciences
222 St. Patrick Street
Toronto, Ontario M51 1V4
Telephone: 416-596-3101 ext. 3219
Website: www.michener.ca/mela

IELTS
For information regarding test centres,
please visit the website: www.ielts.org.

Copyright in this career map is held jointly by the Queen's Printer for Ontario and the College of Medical Radiation Technologists of Ontario, © 2010.