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CSRT Sustainability Project

The Clinical Specialist Radiation Therapist (CSRT) role has been successfully piloted across the province over the last few years and is shown to positively impact access to services, wait times, and the development of process improvements and innovations.

In March 2011, the Ministry of Health and Long Term (MOHLTC) provided funding for a three-year period for the CSRT Sustainability Project, which will facilitate the permanent integration of the CSRT role into the cancer care team (April 2010 to March 2013).

Key elements of the sustainability plan include:

• The transition of existing pilot positions into full-time CSRT positions.
• The creation of a centralized “integration team” to guide CSRT position development.
• Initial seed funding for departments implementing new positions to provide the support necessary to develop and integrate the CSRT into an existing team.
• The establishment of professional practice standards and mechanisms for assessing competence in the defined scope of practice.

Over the months of October and November, Nicole Harnett, CSRT Project Manager and Eric Gutierrez, Radiation treatment Program Manager, visited Ontario’s cancer centres to further discuss the CSRT Sustainability Project and the value of CSRTs, as high-performing members of the radiation treatment team.

We invite you to engage in this one-time opportunity to access support and resources for the implementation of this new health care provider role In Ontario.

Refer to the following for additional information on the CSRT Sustainability Project: