 APRT Project(September 2004 - September 2006) “To critically assess the creation and pilot testing of 5 different Advanced Practice roles for radiation therapists in order to ascertain if the augmentation of their scope of practice can help to address and alleviate specific systemic pressures in the delivery of timely and effective radiation treatment.”
In fall 2004 the Ministry of Health and Long Term Care (MOHLTC) granted ORTAP funding for a pilot project to field test some advanced roles in Ontario. This project is called APRT and is overseen by Cancer Care Ontario (CCO). The APRT Project Oversight Committee (POC) consists of the original ORTAP group plus representation from the Canadian Association of Medical Radiation Technologists, the Ontario Association of Medical Radiation Technologists and the College of Medical Radiation Technologists of Ontario.
For the purposes of this project “advanced practice” is defined as: "an advanced professional role that requires post degree/diploma educational preparation in combination with clinical skills acquisition to fulfill the requirements of the job. Elements of the role may be outside the established scope of therapy practice and may overlap current areas of responsibility of another health care professional. These areas of responsibility may, or may not include controlled acts.”
This is in contrast to what we would traditionally consider to be an “expanded role” or “expert practitioner” which is basically: "the progression or growth of the radiation therapy role from that of entry-level (that are required for registration in the profession), falling within the boundaries of the education, theory and practice of the original scope of practice. This growth results from the strengthening of skills through continuous learning, training and on the job experience that accompanies increasing levels of mastery of therapy practice and continuous professional evolution.”
Following the application and selection process, the 5 sites selected to implement pilot roles will be provided funding to support approximately one 0.5 FTE role for one year. Because advanced roles are not intended to compromise core professional skills, it is preferred that the people filling these pilot roles will still maintain a certain level of clinical practice in radiation therapy. It is planned that the pilot roles will be positioned to begin in April of 2005 and will conclude in March of 2006. During this time, the pilot sites will be asked to compile portfolios of evidence and prepare reports in order that the project management will be able to track progress and collect necessary data for proper analysis of the success of the pilot roles. At the end of the project results will be analyzed and a summary report will be prepared for the MOHLTC that will make recommendations about the effectiveness of the various positions.
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