Odette Cancer Centre

Hi Everyone,
So I have been in Canada now for 3 weeks and this week has been particularly insightful. I have visited Odette Cancer Centre in Toronto, a lovely department, with a relaxed intimate environment. At Odette I met with the Clinical Radiation Manager, the Education Manager, the Clinical Co-ordinators, the Clinical Educator and the 1st year students. Everyone was extremely helpful and supportive of my visit and provided me with valuable information regarding their experiences of student training from a variety of perspectives. It was a positive experience to be able to discuss with the first year students about their decision to enter into the RT profession and how they specifically heard about Radiation therapy. As with other students I have spoken to, the general consensus was that they stumbled upon RT by accident, either through searching the Michener website or by failing to gain the GPA required for medicine and then looking for an alternative health care profession. None of the students had ever heard of radiation therapy previous to their research into health professions, which highlights the poor professional identity within Canada.
The students did establish that finance issues were a large concern. Many had researched the final salary received by a radiation therapist and looked at the course fees, which by my standards are high at $7,300 but are still the lowest within U of T.
The students did clarify that because of the financial commitment they make to the course, even if they were to experience any doubts during their training they wouldn't be able to withdraw. This was especially the case for those students being supported by their parents. Of the students I spoke to they all but 1 had already completed an undergraduate degree and so already had debts of approximately $25,000.
None of the students had experienced any negative clinical experiences and were actively enjoying their clinical placement, relishing the opportunity to link clinical and academic knowledge. They commented on the supportive nature of staff and how they felt integrated into the team. The management was particularly supportive of education from the grass roots level through to advanced practice and this did seem to have a positive impact on staff and their commitment to CPD was evident through the research being undertaken and those who were doing further study.
Odette due to it's close locality to PMH seems to be the second most popular option for students to want to train at. It is therefore encouraging to see the support mechanisms in place for the students and the programme support from the Clinical Co-ordinators.
On to Hamilton next to visit McMaster University, which will be great to see the contrast between the two programmes.