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Title: Establishing radiation therapy advanced practice in New Zealand

Abstract

Introduction: Advanced practice (AP) is of increasing interest to many radiation therapists (RTs) both nationally and internationally. In New Zealand, initial research (2005–2008) showed strong support for the development of an AP role for medical radiation technologists (MRTs). Here, we report on a nationwide survey in which RTs validated and prioritised nine AP profiles for future development. Methods: All registered RTs in New Zealand (n = 260) were invited to take part in a survey in December 2011; 73 of whom returned a complete response. Results: RTs supported the implementation of AP roles in New Zealand and the requirement of a Master's degree qualification to underpin clinical knowledge. Most RTs endorsed the criteria attributed to each of the nine proposed AP profiles. The study identified that activities may qualify as either advanced practice or standard practice depending on the department. All participants agreed that an advanced practitioner should be a leader in the field, able to initiate and facilitate future developments within as well as outside this specific role. Acceptance of the AP roles by RTs and other health professionals as well as the availability of resources for successful implementation, were concerns expressed by some RTs. Conclusion: The authors recommendmore » (1) the development of one scope of practice titled ‘advanced practitioner’ with generic and specialist criteria for each profile as the future career pathway, (2) promotion and support for the AP pathway by the New Zealand Institute of Medical Radiation Technology and the New Zealand Medical Radiation Technologists Board.« less

Authors:
; ;  [1];  [2]
  1. Department of Radiation Therapy, University of Otago, Wellington (New Zealand)
  2. University of Auckland, Auckland (New Zealand)
Publication Date:
OSTI Identifier:
22402344
Resource Type:
Journal Article
Journal Name:
Journal of Medical Radiation Sciences (Print)
Additional Journal Information:
Journal Volume: 61; Journal Issue: 1; Other Information: PMCID: PMC4175832; PMID: 26229634; OAI: oai:pubmedcentral.nih.gov:4175832; Copyright (c) 2014 The Authors. Journal of Medical Radiation Sciences published by Wiley Publishing Asia Pty Ltd on behalf of Australian Institute of Radiography and New Zealand Institute of Medical Radiation Technology.; This is an open access article under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial License, which permits use, distribution and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited and is not used for commercial purposes.; Country of input: International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA); Journal ID: ISSN 2051-3895
Country of Publication:
Australia
Language:
English
Subject:
62 RADIOLOGY AND NUCLEAR MEDICINE; AUGMENTATION; IMPLEMENTATION; NEW ZEALAND; THERAPY

Citation Formats

Coleman, Karen, Jasperse, Marieke, Herst, Patries, Yielder, Jill, and Department of Radiation Therapy, University of Otago, Wellington. Establishing radiation therapy advanced practice in New Zealand. Australia: N. p., 2014. Web. doi:10.1002/JMRS.33.
Coleman, Karen, Jasperse, Marieke, Herst, Patries, Yielder, Jill, & Department of Radiation Therapy, University of Otago, Wellington. Establishing radiation therapy advanced practice in New Zealand. Australia. https://doi.org/10.1002/JMRS.33
Coleman, Karen, Jasperse, Marieke, Herst, Patries, Yielder, Jill, and Department of Radiation Therapy, University of Otago, Wellington. 2014. "Establishing radiation therapy advanced practice in New Zealand". Australia. https://doi.org/10.1002/JMRS.33.
@article{osti_22402344,
title = {Establishing radiation therapy advanced practice in New Zealand},
author = {Coleman, Karen and Jasperse, Marieke and Herst, Patries and Yielder, Jill and Department of Radiation Therapy, University of Otago, Wellington},
abstractNote = {Introduction: Advanced practice (AP) is of increasing interest to many radiation therapists (RTs) both nationally and internationally. In New Zealand, initial research (2005–2008) showed strong support for the development of an AP role for medical radiation technologists (MRTs). Here, we report on a nationwide survey in which RTs validated and prioritised nine AP profiles for future development. Methods: All registered RTs in New Zealand (n = 260) were invited to take part in a survey in December 2011; 73 of whom returned a complete response. Results: RTs supported the implementation of AP roles in New Zealand and the requirement of a Master's degree qualification to underpin clinical knowledge. Most RTs endorsed the criteria attributed to each of the nine proposed AP profiles. The study identified that activities may qualify as either advanced practice or standard practice depending on the department. All participants agreed that an advanced practitioner should be a leader in the field, able to initiate and facilitate future developments within as well as outside this specific role. Acceptance of the AP roles by RTs and other health professionals as well as the availability of resources for successful implementation, were concerns expressed by some RTs. Conclusion: The authors recommend (1) the development of one scope of practice titled ‘advanced practitioner’ with generic and specialist criteria for each profile as the future career pathway, (2) promotion and support for the AP pathway by the New Zealand Institute of Medical Radiation Technology and the New Zealand Medical Radiation Technologists Board.},
doi = {10.1002/JMRS.33},
url = {https://www.osti.gov/biblio/22402344}, journal = {Journal of Medical Radiation Sciences (Print)},
issn = {2051-3895},
number = 1,
volume = 61,
place = {Australia},
year = {Sat Feb 15 00:00:00 EST 2014},
month = {Sat Feb 15 00:00:00 EST 2014}
}