A provincial manager with the Canadian Association of Medical Radiation Technologists in Atlantic Canada says announcements about new MRI machines may sound great, but staff need to be in place to operate them.

Last week, premier Tony Wakeham revealed that renovations at the hospital in Grand Falls-Windsor have begun, with the hope of having an MRI machine up-and-running in that facility by 2028.

Jennifer Carey says people might hear that announcement and think it means there will be greater access to MRI services, but “that is not necessarily the case.”

She questions how the new machine will be staffed. She says, “machines don’t provide care, people do,” and that there could be a machine in every hospital in the province but if the staff aren’t there, they will just collect dust.

Wakeham has indicated that government is already looking at recruitment options, including existing staff who may want to do additional training and college programs.

Carey says the job market is a tough one right now for employers, especially when recruiting for rural areas.

She says in times of “surplus” it is easier because people are looking for work, but right now is a time of “scarcity” – meaning there are shortages of radiation technologists right across the country. She says that makes it even harder to recruit to rural areas, especially when the person isn’t originally from that area.

Listen to “Jennifer Carey – Canadian Association of Radiation Technologists” on Spreaker.