Tips For Completing Your QA ePortfolio

It is mandatory for every registrant to complete their CMRITO QA ePortfolio each year. The QA year runs from January 1 to December 31. CMRITO’s QA Program must be completed online, using the secure webtool called the QA ePortfolio, available through the CMRITO portal.

There are three components to the QA ePortfolio. Each component is explained below and includes a short video that shows how to complete the section.

  1. QA Profile

  2. Self-assessment

  3. Record of continuing education and professional development

Below are tips and commonly asked questions regarding these four components.

  • The QA Profile provides an overview of your practice as a registrant. Reflect on your practice as a medical radiation and imaging technologist in the context of the scope of practice and authorized acts for the profession and identify any recent or expected changes to your work environment, new procedures, equipment, or practice.
  • Watch the ‘Tips for completing the QA Profile’ video.
    • Tips and common questions - QA Profile Comments
    Applying a prescribed form of energy This statement applies to electromagnetism for MRI and soundwaves for diagnostic ultrasound. You may also use ionizing radiation in your practice of radiography, nuclear medicine, or radiation therapy.
  • The self-assessments are based on the CMRITO’s standards of practice. The self-assessments are based on the CMRITO’s Standards of Practice and their related indicators. Two Standards will be pre-selected by the QA Committee for you to complete each year, you are welcome to complete more than these, if you wish. This activity can help you identify areas for continuing education and professional development.
  • Watch the 'Tips for completing the Self-Assessment' video to learn how to complete the Self-Assessment.
    Tips and common questions - self-assessment: Comments
    Why is there a self-assessment in the QA Program?

    It is mandatory that the CMRITO has a self- assessment in its QA Program. Subsection 5(1) of Ontario Regulation 375/12 made under the Medical Radiation and Imaging Technology Act states: “Each year, a member shall participate in self-assessment and continuing education or professional development activities in the manner approved by the Council in order to maintain the knowledge, skills and judgment required to practise the profession in accordance with the standards of practice and ethics set by the College”.
    How many standards do I have to complete every year?

    You are required to assess your individual practice against two pre-selected Practice Standards and their related indicators every year. You are welcome to assess your individual practice against more, if you wish.
    How do I assess myself against the standards if I am currently not practicing the profession? Not all registrants will perform every Practice Standard or all related indicators. It is important for you to reflect on your practice and select responses based on your own practice of the profession. If you do not perform a specific indicator, select the “I do not perform this standard in my practice” or, you may select the “My role is to support others in their practice of this standard” option. This may be helpful for those in roles such as educators, managers, applications specialists, IT or PACS administrators, Radiation Safety Officers, or other roles.
    More tips:
    • Read each indicator carefully, as some are specialty-specific and may not apply to your practice. Select the most appropriate response based on your own practice.
    • You may choose to add comments to each standard as reminders or further rationale for your answers to the self-assessment.
    • Resources are regularly added to the QA ePortfolio to support your understanding and application of the CMRITO Standards of Practice. Click on links under “I would like to enhance my knowledge of this standard” to learn more.
  • Use this section to record at least 25 hours of continuing education and professional development (CE&PD) each year. For each learning activity, make sure you explain what you learned from it, and how it has helped you in your practice.
  • Watch the 'Tips for completing the Record of Continuing Education & Professional Development' video.
    Tips and common questions - recording continuing education and professional development activities: Comments
    Do I have to use the CMRITO QA ePortfolio to document my learning activities?

    Yes.

    Subsection 5(2) of Ontario Regulation 375/12 made under the Medical Radiation and Imaging Technology Act, 2017 states: "A member shall keep a record of his or her self-assessments and participation in continuing education or professional development activities in the form and manner approved by the Committee and shall retain the record for the period of time specified by the Committee."

    The QA Committee has approved the QA ePortfolio as the tool that registrants must use to record their self-assessment and participation in CE&PD activities. You cannot use any other format of the QA ePortfolio to keep your records.
    What types of education can I include in my QA ePortfolio?

    The CMRITO QA Program does not require registrants to spend 25 hours in a classroom or formal courses. Many types of informal learning may be counted, such as attendance at staff meetings and rounds, study groups, or learning a new piece of equipment, procedure or software from a colleague or applications specialist.

    For ideas on what kinds of learning activities you can use, check out theTypes of Learning Activities page on the CMRITO website.

    I have read a journal that contains multiple articles and topics, how do I record this as a learning activity?

    The journals or websites (e.g. CJMS, JMIRS, Filter, Aunt Minnie, etc.) should not be generalized. Each article should be logged individually with its own title, author and explanations about what you learned from it and how it has helped you in your practice.
    How do I record a staff meeting as a learning activity? Not all staff meetings will have content to record as DE&PD. You must record only those sections of the meeting that provides educational content that enhances your practice of the profession. You must provide specific examples of what was learned at the meeting and how it helped your practice.

    Example:

    Correct:

    Explain what you have learned from this activity: "We discussed ways to improve the current protocols in CT and BMD by reviewing the current processes and updating them. Staff will then need to be communicated with on the new and updated protocols and informed as to where to locate the protocols. This should be completed within the next month and the seniors will take the lead."

    Explain how this learning has helped you in your practice:

    I felt this discussion will improve my practice because I realized that we were not all following the same protocol for the same clinical indication. In some areas there is redundant or duplicate information that could lead to human error by staff not performing the proper protocol.”

    Incorrect:

    Explain what you have learned from this activity:

    “This meeting addressed changes to our daily practice in our department.”

    Explain how this learning has helped you in your practice:

    “updates to protocols”
    Do my teaching hours count towards my QA ePortfolio?

    The amount of time documented for this activity is the amount of time you spend preparing for the teaching session , or any learning that you receive from your teaching experience.

    It is important to state how you apply the learning in your practice and not what the student/trainee learns. You must provide specific examples of what was learned and how it helped your practice.

    If you are teaching the same session multiple times, you should only document the preparation time for one session.

    Example:

    Correct:

    Explain what you have learned from this activity:

    "In teaching this student for their cardiac rotation, I reviewed all protocols and setups in detail. This prompted me to revisit background knowledge I don’t often consider, such as the reasons behind the settings we use and how to set up procedures we don’t often see in our department. This student also asked insightful questions about cardiac pathology seen in our department, which not only helped me refresh my understanding, but also led to us looking up some interesting cases together.”

    Explain how this learning has helped you in your practice:

    “Preparing to teach this student helped me refresh my knowledge on some cardiac procedures that we do not do regularly. Together we learned about pathologies and treatments. This keeps me current in my practice and also helped build my confidence for teaching my next student.”

    Incorrect:

    Explain what you have learned from this activity:

    “I taught my student how to do cardiac cases during their rotation.”

    Explain how this learning has helped you in your practice:

    “Teaching the next generation of staff is important.”
    Can I use acronyms? You should not use acronyms as they may refer to specific terms related to a specialty and it may not be easily recognized as to the meaning of those exact acronyms. Some acronyms may have more than one meaning.
    Where can I find education activities to use? If you are looking for education activities, visit theTypes of Learning Activities page on the CMRITO website for possible resources.
    How many hours of CE&PD must I complete if I became a member/reinstated this year?

    The QA Committee requires each registrant to complete and record at least 6.25 hours of CE&PD activities for each quarter year that they hold a certificate of registration with the CMRITO. For registrants who registered or who have reinstated mid-year, the number of CE&PD hours for that year are prorated as follows:

    Registration/reinstatement date Number of hours to be completed by December 31 of that year
    January to March 25.00 (100% of the requirement)
    April to June 18 hr 45 min (75% of the requirement)
    July to September 12 hr 30 min (50% of the requirement)
    October to December 6 hr 15 min (25% of the requirement)

    As a result, if you registered or reinstated with CMRITO mid-year, you do not need to complete 25 hours of learning activities – the pro-rated hours outlined above will satisfy your CE&PD requirement.

    Please note however, the QA ePortfolio will indicate that you are ‘incomplete’ if you do not have the full 25 hours.
    More tips:
    • CE&PD activities must be related to the practice of the profession. Activities that have been considered inadmissible, include:
      • Activities related to human resources (HR) and payroll programs, union work, personal interest unrelated to the profession
      • Activities that have vague explanations or missing details in terms of what was learned and how it helped practice.
    • Ensure all activities logged were complete in the QA ePortfolio year in question.

Points to Remember 

 
  • your QA ePortfolio should be completed by December 31 each year. You cannot carry over activities from one year to the next
  • since evidence of completing a minimum of 25 hours of CE&PD activities may be requested by CMRITO at any time, it is mandatory to keep the information and records included in your QA ePortfolio up to date
  • your QA ePortfolio should not include confidential information that you may not want accessible to others without your permission
  • do not include in your QA ePortfolio any information that may identify your patients (e.g. names, OHIP numbers)
  • a reminder that you must use the CMRITO QA ePortfolio to record your QA activities. You cannot use any other format of the QA ePortfolio to keep your records
  • continuous learning contributes to professional competence and improved job performance
  • Registrants who are engaged in continuing education and professional development activities that relate to the practice of the profession help assure the public of the maintenance and improvement of registrants' competence over time

If you have questions about the QA Program, please contact the QA team at qa@cmrito.org or 416.975.4353 or 1.800.563.5847. For more information on CMRITO’s QA Program, please read to our Quality Assurance Program publication.