Expand Capacity to Train Combined Laboratory and X-Ray Technologists for Rural Alberta
IT IS THEREFORE RESOLVED THAT Alberta Municipalities advocate for the Government of Alberta to collaborate with post-secondary institutions to expand the number of seats available to train Combined Laboratory and X-Ray Technologist (CLXT) for rural Alberta by increasing the number of seats for CLXT training at NAIT by twenty seats and exploring means by which an additional twenty seat capacity (to a total of 80 students annually) can be created at NAIT or another Alberta post-secondary institution.
WHEREAS all disciplines of healthcare in Alberta are experiencing shortages of qualified professionals and rural areas are experiencing even greater shortages than urban sites;
WHEREAS rural healthcare facilities require staff with a wider, multi-disciplinary skill set, known as a Combined Laboratory and X-Ray Technologist (CLXT), than the staff that are required in conventional urban settings;
WHEREAS CLXT skill sets are mandatory for rural healthcare locations, and inadequate numbers of students are being trained at the Northern Alberta Institute of Technology (NAIT) to meet the need in rural Alberta;
WHEREAS NAIT is the only institution offering this training in Alberta, with a current class size of forty students per year. NAIT has indicated that they have the capacity within their infrastructure to increase their class size by an additional twenty students if they have the clinical sites to support student training and/or a viable option of simulation training that will allow for the increase in students;
WHEREAS NAIT has also advised that they are committed to exploring ways to increase their CLXT intake; and
WHEREAS the province’s Alberta 2030 vision is focused on the post-secondary system and being highly responsive to labour market needs.
The Alberta landscape is dotted with many small rural hospitals. Although small, they are mighty, and provide an essential service to many Albertans. Often remote, these facilities offer a buffer for the injured and sick from the chronically overcrowded big city emergency rooms. Many rural hospitals offer minor surgeries, obstetrics, pre- and post-operative care, and palliative and long-term care, which helps to take the pressure off the city hospitals. These hospitals also allow local citizens to receive quality health care close to home and family.
One discipline where staff shortages have become a particularly serious concern is the combined Lab and X-ray Laboratory and X-Ray Technologist (CLXT). This part of our hospital’s team is vital in assisting with efficient diagnosis and treatment and is essential to keeping a rural emergency room open. These combined skills are specific to, and mandatory for, rural hospitals, and staff shortages in this discipline are apparent across the Province. Rural hospitals are often limited in the number of staff they can hire by budgetary constraints and therefore in many cases cannot afford to hire both a position for lab and for x-ray as separate personnel. The combined CLXT provides a cost-effective way to fill both positions with a single staff member.
The Alberta Health Services website https://www.albertahealthservices.ca/careers/Page11693.aspx includes the following statement:
“Combined laboratory and x-ray technologists play a critically important role in the diagnosis, disease prevention and public health surveillance. They are responsible for collecting, preparing and analyzing patient samples, providing general patient care and taking blood. They conduct medical laboratory tests and administer electrocardiograms. They are also responsible for general radiography exams (X-ray). Combined laboratory and x-ray technologists are responsible to perform site specific manual and automated approved laboratory procedures, diagnostic imaging exams and related duties, following established standards and practices defined by the ACCLXT (Alberta College of Combined Laboratory and X-ray Technicians), CPSA (College of Physicians and Surgeons of Alberta) and HPA (Health Professions Act).”
NAIT is the only post-secondary institution providing this specialized program, offering forty (40) seats annually. Increasing those seat numbers, from forty to eighty would significantly address the current demand in rural Alberta. NAIT currently has twenty new seats and thereafter increasing NAIT’s capacity, and/or adding another institution with capability to offer this training, may be enough to meet current demand. Currently, NAIT receives 500 applications for the program, and interviews approximately 200 people for each intake of the 40 seats. This demonstrates that the demand for the current program is very high and filling additional seats would not be an issue.
Access to health facilities and trained health care professionals in rural areas is essential to the sustainability and economic growth of our Province as a whole. Skill specific training, in adequate numbers, is necessary to foster growth and sustainability in rural Alberta. The request for the Government of Alberta to support additional post-secondary seats for CLXT training aligns well with the already developed Alberta 2030 vision:
- “Alberta’s world-class post-secondary system will equip Albertans with the skills, knowledge and competencies they need to succeed in their lifelong pursuits.”
- “The system will be highly responsive to labour market needs and through innovative programming and excellence in research, contribute to the betterment of an innovative and prosperous Alberta.”
This resolution was also adopted by RMA in November 2022, providing the opportunity for joint advocacy on this issue.