Looking Ahead: Promoting Mental Health and Wellness for MRTs

As part of my health promotion learning journey, I plan to focus on enhancing mental health and wellness for Medical Radiation Technologists (MRTs): a vital yet often overlooked group within our healthcare system. As Irving Gold, CEO of the Canadian Association of Medical Radiation Technologists (CAMRT), aptly stated, MRTs remain some of the "invisible" healthcare workers in Canada (Gold, 2024). Despite our essential role in diagnostic imaging and patient care, MRTs frequently experience high levels of stress and burnout.

Burnout, which has long simmered beneath the surface, became highly visible during the COVID-19 pandemic. A national CAMRT survey found that 57% of MRTs reported moderate to high levels of burnout, a figure that should not be ignored (CAMRT, 2021). Meanwhile, the demand for imaging continues to grow while staffing shortages worsen across the country (CAMRT HHR Task Force, 2025). These compounding pressures make it an urgent time to explore upstream approaches to wellness for MRTs.

My Learning Goals

My personal goal is to develop a wellness-focused proposal that could be pitched to either Health PEI or CAMRT-Atlantic, to create a sustainable and supportive work environment for my peers. I’m particularly interested in upstream thinking, as introduced through the LiveWell PEI framework, which focuses on prevention and proactive strategies to promote health before problems arise.

I’m excited to explore evidence-based interventions that address the root causes of workplace stress and burnout, especially those tailored to smaller, specialized healthcare professions like ours. I want to learn what successful wellness programs look like, what challenges others have encountered, and how they built buy-in among staff and leadership.

Anticipated Challenges

What makes me nervous is defining the appropriate scope for this project. Since it will evolve over multiple courses, I want to ensure it's both ambitious and achievable. Another concern is the limited literature focused specifically on MRT wellness; many studies group us in with other professions, which may overlook the unique pressures we face.

There’s also the question of organizational readiness. Change can be difficult, especially in systems already stretched thin. Administrative resistance or competing priorities may pose barriers to implementation. Despite these challenges, I’m eager to dig deeper into how we can improve workplace culture, enhance retention, and support the well-being of a profession I care deeply about.

Looking Ahead

At the heart of this journey is a desire to create a meaningful shift in how we support the people behind the images. I hope to discover practical, scalable interventions that can truly make a difference for MRTs. Ultimately, I aim to lead from within and to advocate for my profession while promoting a culture of wellness, resilience, and recognition.

References

Canadian Association of Medical Radiation Technologists. (2021). CAMRT mental health survey results: The mental health and well-being of MRTs during COVID-19. https://www.camrt.ca/covid19/mrtmentalhealth/ 

Canadian Association of Medical Radiation Technologists. (2025). MRT Workforce Crisis. https://www.camrt.ca/advocacy/mrt-workforce-crisis/ 

Gold, I. (2024). Remarks on MRT visibility and health workforce planning. CAMRT CEO Blog. https://www.camrt.ca/blog/