The Education Committee sponsored four delegates to attend the Saskatchewan Association of Combined Laboratory and X-Ray Technicians (SACLXT) Conference on October 21, 2023. Whenever members attend events, we ask for reports to share with our membership. Please see the reports below:
Jamie:
This year I was fortunate to attend the 2023 SACLXT Fall Conference, after not being able to attend for quite a few years. It is always great to get together with fellow CLXT’s to compare experiences and knowledge related to our field.
This years’ conference was very informative, and I thank the SACLXT board for putting together a great variety of speakers. The breakfast, lunch and snacks were an added bonus!
We began our day with a great refresher on ECGs from cardiologist, Dr. Benjamin Leis. He talked a through several patient scenarios and showed us his process of assessing an ECG.
Next, we were able to achieve a good understanding of stem cell transplants and the history behind stem cell transplants from Dr. Mohamed Elemary.
SaskPoly Tech also made a presentation. They informed us of the changes that have occurred in the CLXT program. They also showed us the new online tools students can access to help with their simulation labs. It was great to see so many improvements in the program.
Our last guest speaker of the morning was Dianna Heuchert (NP). She shed some light on the opiate crisis in the province. She explained how she assists in helping patients who struggle with opiate use and the challenges that she faces. She expressed that she relies heavily on lab services to help her serve the community.
During the SACLXT AGM, a few changes were made to membership guidelines, continuing education and bylaws. We were able to discuss policies regarding SACLXT board meetings as well as the dream to move to self regulation.
We had the pleasure of hearing from guest speaker Kelly Prime. Kelly is a paramedic as well as CEO and president of Crestvue Ambulance Services. Kelly gave us a detailed history on how paramedicine has changed over the years. As CLXTs, we work closely with EMS staff. It was amazing to see the improvements made over the years.
Our final speaker of the day was Dr. Johannes Van Der Merwe, orthopedic surgeon. Seeing as we CLXTs often perform x-rays for orthopedic doctors, he found it suiting to explain how knee and hip replacements have been perfected over the years. He was more than willing to answer any questions we had relating to imaging of knees and hips.
This years’ SACLXT conference was jam packed full of great knowledge and tips. I look forward to attending again soon.
Corissa:
I attended the SACLXT Fall Conference on Oct 20, 2023 to earn some education credits, as well as listen to the speakers talk about what and how our profession helps them in their practices as well.
The first speaker we had was a Cardiologist talking about ECGs and what he likes to see CLXTs be able to spot as abnormalities. Early tracking of any abnormalities can lead to quicker treatment for the patients if needed.
The next speaker was Dr. Elemary from the Saskatoon Cancer Center. He talked about stem cell transplant and what his patients need from us to be able to receive their treatment. The blood tests we run help to facilitate quick diagnoses in patients and aid in their stem cell journey.
After our break we had some Sask Polytech teachers come and talk to us about the program and how it is changing. They are always advancing the program, which will soon be an Advanced Diploma program with all the changes implemented. They asked us about what we would like to see from our students before they get out into their practicum, as well as what they should be prepared for once their schooling was over, and they start their career. With the shortage of CLXTs it was nice to see that Sask Polytech is trying to retain their intake numbers to graduation to support the shortage that we have in this province.
We also got to listen to a nurse practitioner from the rural area about how she uses our facilities to help treat her patients with opioid disorders. She relies on the Urine Drug Screen that we collect to be able to give her patients the medication to help them adjust to their life with opioid disorders.
We also had our Annual General Meeting at the conference to discuss new and ongoing issues that our association is facing. It was nice to hear that there are almost 500 CLXTs in the association, but with short staffing almost everywhere, only about 50 were in attendance. I got to discuss ongoing issues with many CLXTs from other areas to see how they are affected by short staffing as well as other issues that arise in their facilities.
Once lunch was over, we had two more speakers, a Paramedic, as well as an Orthopedic Surgeon. The paramedic talked about the advances in paramedicine and how they work very closely with the CLXTs in the rural areas. Whether it is bringing patients in for treatment or assisting us with blood collections outside the facility for patients that are unable to come to us ourselves.
The Orthopedic surgeon we listened to talked about how x-rays aid in his diagnoses and treatment of knee and hip replacements, as well as the aftercare. He needs certain views obtained weight bearing so he can see the joint diminishment and how advanced it is for the patient to be put on the list for replacement.
I always love going to the fall conference to learn about what new advances there are in health care that don't get out to the rural areas for many years, if ever, as well as discussing many topics with our fellow CLXTs to see that we are not alone in our own facilities.
Thank you to SEIU West for giving me the opportunity to attend the conference this year. I really enjoyed everything about it and learned how appreciated we can be, even though many people don't always know or see what we do behind the scenes.