2023 O.S.C.T. Survey Results

• What is their plan to enforce or highlight quality of technicians [technologists] when legislation is not in place. The new manager at our hospital seems to be aiming to get rid of the educational enforcement and is hiring techs with no knowledge base. It’s very sad for patient care.

• Any idea when we would be regulated? It’s been CSCT’s goal for 50 years.

• What do the CSCT do with our money? I don't currently see any benefit to being a member, other than that the hospital requires it.

• What measures has the CSCT organization done to uphold the welfare of the members?

• Why did the CEU accumulation change from 3 years to 1 year? And why was CPR taken away from obtaining CEU’s?

• Why is it taking us so long for CSCT help us to become regulated? If we were regulated, we could fight for a better wage, or a wage increase, also better job security.

• What was the reason to change the CEU accumulation from 3 years to 1 year?

• Why are they making it more difficult to get CEU'S.? The CSCT is not acting in our best interest!!   Can there be a vote for the OSCT to separate from the CSCT and we go on our own.?

• Why is the CSCT not on the same page to be regulated?

• Only Registered Technologists should be allowed to work as an ECG tech not Lab technicians. Wages should be higher, just like Lab technologists; we as technologist are paid at the most $25/hour in clinics, while lab technologists are paid $35/hour! It’s so unfair!

• My question is why our job is not well paid? There is no set hourly wage for the registered technologists. We get CEUs, we pay every year to keep our license active; but I see lots of people they get a job without getting their license and they don't  care about CEU because they got a job! Employers, they don't care. Why, because they are paying less for the same job. Ultrasound techs can not work without a license and the same applies for echo, for nuclear, and for x ray, so why is cardiac technology unlicensed in this province? I know everyone needs a job, but cardiac techs should have some standards also!

• There Should Have Been A Vote Sent Out To ALL ACTICE OSCT MEMBERS Before Implementing Such A Major Change In CEUs.

• Why did you change the CEU format to annually? What was that to prove? I attend AGM and Csct for CEUs and now I must have to wait till they were local, which rotates over the three years. I Enjoyed going in person. You have made that impossible, and not worth my time. I am Very upset with this situation especially from a body that has not managed to get regulated despite over 30 years of saying they are trying! You had my devotion and respect all these years and have now lost it.

• Can you please make sure that whatever happens we don’t have to pay more for registration?

• I would like to see changes in level of compensation for the profession that requires almost 2 years of school and being certified. It is sad I am being paid $1/hour more than janitor or phone secretary at my hospital.  For this reason, many RCTs I know leave the field and move into echo- less school, it is almost double the pay, and is regulated.

• Please re-assess these CEU changes.

• I do not feel the csct is helping us at all.  Do we need to be associated with them?

• Please allow CEUs to be carried forward even if CSCT is looking after it.

• Hoping to get regulated in Ontario since this field is expanding so rapidly, I would like more opportunities to achieve CEUs, as a new graduate it is sometimes difficult to navigate.

• Ontario needs to stop RTs from doing our job. So many in Ottawa do stress and Holter scanning, and they have no idea what they are doing.

• We’re just employees, I believe our focus should be acute on protecting our profession, on exposing our profession, and on increasing the opportunity to advance and create greater compensation for everyone.

• It would be nice if more than 10 CEUs are acquired, that they be transferred over to the next year.

• Unhappy with new CEU standards. I will find it very hard to collect 10 each year. My hospital provides little to no learning opportunities to collect CEUs. I counted on AGM to collect most my CEUS and unhappy that they are only worth 2 now. Not worth the money or drive for only 2 in my opinion. I do like the virtual options, however, and am pleased worth that.

• “… I can appreciate that it is a very time consuming and a nonpaid job and would like to commend those who invest their spare time into improving our association.  Thanks for all you do. I will likely do the Virtual as there are less CEUS this year and the time and travel involved increase the cost factor of being there in person, however, do like getting together with other RCTs from other areas to hear their stories and gain knowledge from their experiences so have not decided which method of attendance I will choose at this point.  It would be more motivating if one could collect all their 10 CEUs from attending the actual conference as one would not have to pay for more education during the calendar year to attain the 10 /year.  

• Why was CPR taken off the CEU entitlement as it is a necessary skill to repeat yearly and 2 hours of updated education.

• I strongly believe that the ACLS etc. courses should count towards CEUs. The ACLS course teaches arrhythmias, how to externally pace a pt with bradycardia and how to save a life when someone has a cardiac arrest. Not clear why this was removed for credits.

• "I am proud to be part of this organization, I have grown professionally and personally and seen lots of changes.

hope to see more changes, would like to volunteer to help make these changes."

• Inpatient ECG particularly in areas that are busy (emerge) can be overwhelming at times; how many in one shift can one really be expected to do without drastically wearing down our bodies? Is there a number anyone can throw out there for a typical 8hr shift? Most hospitals don't offer part time or casual staff benefits so in my view the best way to offset the damage is to staff accordingly (as is the case in all areas of healthcare).

• Makes me feel unhappy that we are called ECG technicians at the hospital. We tried to change our title, but our management is telling us that until we are not going to be regulated in Ontario our title will not change.

• I am very excited to be in this profession, I love my career, value the knowledge I have picked up these past few years. I look forward to all the possible advancements that will come in my career with Cardiology! 

Thank you for the work you do.

O.S.C.T. - (Ontario Society of Cardiology Technologists) is the Provincial governing body for Ontario members. It holds Annual General Meetings each year for all Ontario members in good standing; collects dues; administers and enforces CEUs; and holds monthly virtual meetings with its board.

  A: All board members are volunteers with full-time jobs, families, and other commitments. We do not receive a salary to administer to OSCT business. Most often, we do our work late at night or on weekends as time permits. We do not have a central office nor a phone line for the same reasons.

Some members suggested having a board member dedicated to communication with members, which is a great suggestion. However, in order to do that, we would need to remunerate that board member. This was done in the past, but it was underutilized and expensive. This is a matter we will discuss at a future AGM if the need is absolutely necessary.

  A: In order to create an adequately secured database, and protect your personal information, Ontario has made a decision was made to remove the log in portal from OSCT sites.  

 A: The OSCT is working diligently to organize an virtual and in person AGM. We have approached several speakers again this year to provide content for education portion and have been successful thus far, but are seeking additional interested parties. (Think TED talks for Cardiology People) We will update all members via our website once a decision and schedule has been made 

  A: We have been asking this question for 50+ years in Canada. The Ontario Provincial government has been approached by the OSCT, and have even hired a lobbyist, and lawyer to consult in 2022 -2023 to help guide us through this process.

We have learned that the process is long, laborious, and expensive. The OSCT board is working diligently to achieve this and have recently been approached to speak before the Provincial Government of Ontario regarding this matter. This is something to be discussed at the future AGM.