E156: Nicole Harnett and Natalie Rozanec - Pioneering Advanced Practice in Radiation Therapy in Canada

Trigger Warning: This episode discusses cancer and radiation treatments.

Description: In this educational episode, Naman Julka-Anderson and Jo McNamara sit down with Nicole Harnett and Natalie Rozanec to discuss their pioneering work around advanced practice in radiation therapy in Canada. This episode is a deep dive into both Nicole and Natalie’s experiences as healthcare professionals, teaching and improving practice for all.

Nicole Harnett, Director of the Accelerated Education Program of the Radiation Medicine Program at Princess Margaret Cancer Centre (PMCC), an Assistant Professor in the Department of Radiation Oncology at the University of Toronto (UTDRO), and the Director, Curriculum for the Institute of Medical Science, Faculty of Medicine, also at UT, will present her experience in starting advanced practice radiation therapist roles in Ontario.

Natalie Rozanec is the manager of the Radiation Therapy Department at the Stronach Regional Cancer Centre at Southlake Health, in Newmarket, Canada. She has worked for 11 years as an Advanced Practice Radiation Therapist, with a focus on improving patient care in palliative radiotherapy and improving access to care. Natalie graduated from the Medical Radiation Sciences Program at the University of Toronto/Michener Institute in 2009. She worked at the Southlake Health since 2010, both as a radiation therapist and clinical trials coordinator. In 2012, Natalie transitioned to Advanced Practice Radiation Therapy. She went on to complete her MSc. Advanced Practice (Radiotherapy and Oncology) from Sheffield Hallam University in 2018 and APRT(T) certification with the CAMRT in 2019. Natalie is a Lecturer at the University of Toronto Department of Radiation Oncology, teaching family medicine residents, fellows, radiation therapy students and community care providers about research and palliative radiotherapy.

Episode 156: Part of the Workforce and Education series Series(Part54)

CPD Reflection Points:

1. Read this article about radiation therapist advanced practice and how it can change the future of radiotherapy: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S240563242400012X.
2. Consider how advanced practice could improve your practice. 
3. If you are already working at an advanced practice level, consider how you could support others to achieve this level of practice.

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Links from the Episode:

• Zotero Link for Canadian Publications related to Advanced Practice: https://www.zotero.org/groups/2500539/professionalpractice/collections/NPUUBMIT

Research links from the Episode:

• Lavergne C, Rozanec N, Harnett N. The palliative clinical specialist radiation therapist: A CAMRT White Paper. J Med Imaging Radiat Sci. 2021 Sep 29:S1939-8654(21)00198-3. doi: 10.1016/j.jmir.2021.08.016.  SRA
• Harnett N, Bak K, Lockhart E, Ang M, Zychla L, Gutierrez E, Warde P. The Clinical Specialist Radiation Therapist(CSRT): A case study exploring the effectiveness of a new advanced practice role in Canada. J Med Radiat Sci. 2018 Jun;65(2):86-96. doi: 10.1002/jmrs.281. PA, SRA
• Harnett N, Bak K, Zychla L, Gutierrez E, Warde P. Defining advanced practice in radiation therapy: A feasibility assessment of a new healthcare provider role in Ontario, Canada. Radiography(Lond). 2019 Aug;25(3):241-249. doi: 10.1016/j.radi.2019.02.007. Epub 2019 Feb 28. PA, SRA
• Rozanec N. Message from the Guest Editor. J Med Imaging Radiat Sci. 2022 Jun;53(2 Suppl):S3-S5. doi: 10.1016/j.jmir.2022.04.007. PMID: 35618399; PMCID: PMC9716001.
• Rozanec N, Lavergne C, Harnett N. A Canadian experience of palliative advanced practice radiation therapy TIPS: Training, implementation, practice and sustainability. Tech Innov Patient Support Radiat Oncol. 2021 Mar 18;17:89-96. doi: 10.1016/j.tipsro.2021.01.003. PMID: 34007913; PMCID: PMC8110943.
• Loudon J, Rozanec N, Clement A, Woo R, Grant A, Murray J, Wells W. Collaborating with the Community: Improving Patient Access to Palliative Radiation Therapy. Pract Radiat Oncol. 2020 Jan-Feb;10(1):1-7. doi: 10.1016/j.prro.2019.08.002. Epub 2019 Aug 19. PMID: 31437605.
• Rozanec N, Smith S, Wells W, Moyo E, Zychla L, Harnett N.(2017).Patient satisfaction with the role of a Clinical Specialist Radiation Therapist in palliative care. Journal of Radiotherapy in Practice, 16(3), 226–231. http://doi.org/10.1017/S1460396917000267.
• Rozanec N, Allibhai Z, Bhatti M, Chan E, McIntosh M, Moseley D, Taremi M, Abbas A. Palliation of Vertebral Metastases with Radiotherapy: Exploration of Volumetric-Modulated Arc Therapy From Development to Implementation in Routine Clinical Practice. J Med Imaging Radiat Sci. 2019 Mar;50(1):68-73. doi: 10.1016/j.jmir.2018.09.001. Epub 2018 Dec 3. Erratum in: J Med Imaging Radiat Sci. 2019 Sep;50(3):473. PMID: 30777251.
• Rozanec N, Chan E, Malam S, Loudon, J.(2017).The automated patient discharge summary: Improving communication at transfers of care after completion of radiotherapy. Journal of Radiotherapy in Practice, 16(3), 265-271. doi:10.1017/S1460396917000188.
• Kilgar K, Miguel JS, Abbas A, Allibhai Z, Taremi M, Conrad T, Rozanec N. Dosimetric analysis of patients receiving volumetric-modulated arc palliative radiotherapy to the thoracic spine: A comparison with conventional mono-isocentric parallel opposed pair treatment. J Med Imaging Radiat Sci. 2024 May 18:101422. doi: 10.1016/j.jmir.2024.04.015. Epub ahead of print. PMID: 38763861.
• Duffton A, Harnett N, McNair HA, Bennett E, Clarkson M, Guilherme Couto J, Lawler G, Matthews K, Oliveira C, Rozanec N, Simões R, Tsang Y. RTT advanced practice and how it can change the future of radiotherapy. Tech Innov Patient Support Radiat Oncol. 2024 Mar 26;30:100245. doi: 10.1016/j.tipsro.2024.100245. PMID: 38595787; PMCID: PMC11002743.

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