2023-07-04 05:30:05
Medical imaging technologists at the CHU Sainte-Justine are at their wit’s end. With the lack of staff, overtime and departures during the summer season, they fear that the situation will become untenable.
Updated yesterday at 5:00 a.m.
What there is to know
Medical imaging technologists at the CHU Sainte-Justine are exhausted due to a heavy workload caused by the lack of personnel. The situation affects the quality of care provided to children, says a technologist. The lack of recognition and working conditions are detrimental to the retention of staff, argues a union.
Every day, these specialists use an array of technologies ranging from ultrasound to magnetic resonance imaging to find the cause of toddlers’ ailments.
This profession is “essential to the proper functioning of a hospital”, launches the vice-president of the Federation of professionals (FP-CSN), Jessica Goldschleger. “Without a diagnosis, we are not able to provide treatment. »
But in recent years, technologists have left the profession and the hospital is struggling to recruit new ones, observes the medical imaging technologist at CHU Sainte-Justine Audrey Simon.
We have a lot of difficulty recruiting technologists interested in coming to work in paediatrics, because we have to get the children to work together so that the exam goes well. It’s an extra workload.
Audrey Simon, medical imaging technologist at CHU Sainte-Justine
The schedules, which combine day, evening and night shifts, further complicate the situation, she notes.
So much so that since December, Sainte-Justine technologists have had to take turns working on night shifts, at least until next September. “No matter the seniority, the position you are assigned to or the specialty, everyone has to work nights,” says Ms. Simon.
Consequences for children
The exhaustion of medical teams affects the quality of care provided to children, says Audrey Simon. “We are running out of time given to patients, because we are doing as many exams as before, but with half the staff. »
The situation compromises the safety of young patients, she judges, because the staff is less available to ensure adequate monitoring. “We are really in crisis. This is the case for many other centers across the province. The amount of job offers I get to be a technologist elsewhere is amazing. It’s missing everywhere! she exclaims.
For its part, the CHU Sainte-Justine maintains that it “does everything to provide the best safe care to patients while ensuring the well-being of its employees”.
To attract new students in this field, Audrey Simon believes that it is essential to make the profession known.
We call ourselves nurses, we call ourselves doctors, we call ourselves all kinds of names except medical imaging technologist. People don’t know the profession.
Audrey Simon, medical imaging technologist at CHU Sainte-Justine
Without better visibility and knowledge of the profession, it is difficult to attract new technologists, adds Jessica Goldschleger. “Everyone knows the nursing profession, but we don’t see medical imaging technologists very much and we don’t see how essential they are. »
The CHU Sainte-Justine says it has implemented several initiatives to recruit staff, in particular by ensuring a presence at fairs and job markets, as well as by publishing promotional videos and posting jobs.
Better conditions
To avoid losing more technologists, to the benefit of the private sector in particular, the working conditions of employees must also be improved, judges the Federation of Professionals (FP-CSN).
When working in the public sector, it is inevitable to work evening and night shifts, says Jessica Goldschleger. “It’s normal, because we have an obligation to ensure the health and safety of the population. To retain staff, “however, the other conditions must be better than in the private sector,” she believes.
Several private radiology clinics have recently opened and are operational on weekdays only. “It becomes very attractive if not to go into the private sector and have a schedule from Monday to Friday and have weekends with your children,” she adds.
She wants the public sector to be more attractive. “At the moment, the private sector is particularly attractive with its conditions, so we have to be more competitive,” says Ms. Goldschleger. However, she regrets that the negotiations with the government “are not progressing very quickly”.
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