Effective January 1, 2019, your employer will not be able to schedule you to work as a sonographer or apply soundwaves for diagnostic ultrasound unless and until you are registered with CMRTO.
As a result, anyone wishing to practise diagnostic medical sonography must be registered with the CMRTO by January 1, 2019 to do so legally in the province of Ontario. Anyone practising diagnostic medical sonography without being registered with the CMRTO could be subject to a fine, professional sanctions, and/or provincial offence charges.
As well, changes to the Controlled Acts regulation made under the Regulated Health Professions Act come into force on the same date. Effective January 1, 2019, only members of the CMRTO, College of Physicians and Surgeons of Ontario, College of Nurses of Ontario and College of Midwives of Ontario will be authorized to perform the controlled act of applying soundwaves for diagnostic ultrasound examinations. As a result, if you or anyone you know is currently practising or hopes to practise diagnostic medical sonography in Ontario after January 1, 2019, it is critical to apply for registration immediately to avoid delay or prosecution.
In order to ensure that all sonographers currently working in Ontario are able to work on January 1, 2019, CMRTO recommends that you submit your application to CMRTO no later than November 16, 2018, and complete the registration process no later than December 15, 2018.
We cannot guarantee that we can process applications submitted after November 16, 2018 in time for applicants to become registered as sonographers by December 31, 2018.
For the past ten months, CMRTO has been informing sonographers of the January 1, 2019 deadline, and staff have been helping diagnostic medical sonographers apply to and register as members of CMRTO. The application review and approval process may take up to four months for CMRTO to complete, as evaluating each applicant’s skills, experience and education to determine if they meet the registration requirements outlined in the regulation made under the Medical Radiation Technology Act (MRT Act) is a complex and time-intensive process. While our staff will continue to do everything possible to process applications in a timely manner, we cannot guarantee that any applications submitted after the November 16, 2018 deadline will be processed in time for applicants to be registered and able to work on January 1, 2019.
We are pleased to report that, as of October 15, 2018, a total of 2,705 diagnostic medical sonographers have either been approved for registration or have already registered with the CMRTO! This is a considerable accomplishment representing over 71% of the applications received at this point. However, there are still 457 applications submitted and waiting for review, and another 616 under review, waiting for information or being referred to the Registration Committee. Our expert staff are working overtime and want to make sure that all eligible applicants currently practising in Ontario are legally able to work by the end of the year – but you have to help us by getting your applications in, or helping your colleagues get their applications in, by the administrative deadline of November 16, 2018.
Once your application has been reviewed, you will be notified about the status of your application. If any additional information is required, you will be notified as soon as possible.
To start your application now, or to complete your already-started application, please click here. For more details on the application process and requirements for registration, please review our application guide by clicking here.
Thank you for your attention to this important regulatory change.
