Download the report.

May 13, 2010—Younger Medical Laboratory Technologists participate at lower rates in continuing education in Transfusion Science than their older colleagues, and they are also far less satisfied with their participation rates than older MLTs according to the recent survey by the MLT Learning Network.

All MLTs clearly care about learning: 96% of MLTs say continuing education is critical to keeping up with change in the workplace; 90% have followed up with action by taking part in structured learning in the past year and 90% have engaged in some sort of informal learning in the past four weeks.

These are a few of the many findings in the Survey of Canadian MLTs’ Views on Continuing Education in Transfusion Science, a barometer of their opinions, experiences and expectations of continuing learning.

Other Key Findings:

• Financial considerations, flexible scheduling, including offering courses online, and continuing education credits are important with respect to fostering higher levels of participation in structured learning.
• The participation of all MLTs in informal learning is also very high; 90% of MLTs report participating in a variety of independent and self-directed learning in the past four weeks.
• MLTs on the bench and those who rotate through other laboratories have far fewer opportunities to access expert networks in the transfusion community.
• MLTs are generally positive towards the continuing education opportunities available; however they are seeking expertise beyond specialist transfusion science knowledge that will give them broader, cross-functional skills.

Can we do better in meeting their expectations?

The Survey of Canadian MLTs’ Views on Continuing Education in Transfusion Science asked 669 Canadian MLTs about four aspects of learning: participation in continuing education; quality and access of learning opportunities; expertise and learning goals; and participation in the transfusion community.

The survey was designed by the Canadian Blood Services in consultation with the Canadian Society for Transfusion Medicine (CSTM), Héma-Québec and provincial blood coordinating offices across Canada. Requests to participate were sent to MLTs by these organizations and by the provincial medical laboratory societies to their membership. Results are based on an online, self-administered questionnaire completed between June 2 and 23, 2009.

Download the report.

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Vous pouvez consulter les résultats du sondage. Ceux-ci sont offerts uniquement en anglais pour le moment.

13 mai 2010 — Selon un sondage récent mené par le réseau de formation des TLM (MLT Learning Network), les technologues de laboratoire médical plus jeunes participent moins fréquemment à des activités de formation continue en sciences transfusionnelles que leurs collègues plus âgés, et ils sont d’ailleurs beaucoup moins satisfaits de leur taux de participation que les TLM plus âgés.

Cependant, il est clair que tous les TLM ont la formation à cœur : 96 % des TLM affirment que la formation continue est essentielle pour rester au courant des changements dans le milieu du travail; 90 % sont passés à l’action en prenant part à un programme d’apprentissage structuré au cours de la dernière année, et 90 % ont participé à une forme ou une autre d’apprentissage informel au cours des quatre dernières semaines.

Ce sont là quelques-unes des nombreuses conclusions du sondage sur les opinions des TLM canadiens en matière de formation continue en sciences transfusionnelles. Ce sondage est un baromètre de leurs opinions, leurs expériences et leurs attentes en matière de formation continue.

Autres conclusions importantes :

• Les questions financières, la flexibilité des horaires, notamment la possibilité de suivre des cours en ligne, et les crédits de formation continue sont importants pour encourager des taux de participation plus élevés aux programmes d’apprentissage structuré.
• La participation de tous les TLM à l’apprentissage informel est également très élevée; 90 % des TLM signalent avoir pris part à diverses formes d’apprentissage indépendant et autonome au cours des quatre dernières semaines.
• Les TLM qui sont moins actifs professionnellement ou qui se déplacent d’un laboratoire à l’autre ont beaucoup moins de possibilités d’accéder à des réseaux d’experts dans le secteur de la transfusion.
• Les TLM voient généralement d’un bon œil les possibilités de formation continue qui leur sont offertes. Toutefois, ils recherchent une expertise qui va au delà des connaissances spécialisées en sciences transfusionnelles afin d’acquérir des compétences interfonctionnelles plus vastes.

Pouvons-nous mieux répondre à leurs besoins?

Le sondage sur les opinions des TLM canadiens en matière de formation continue en sciences transfusionnelles a été mené auprès de 669 TLM canadiens. Il s’est intéressé à quatre aspects liés à la formation : la participation à la formation continue, la qualité des possibilités de formation et leur accessibilité, les objectifs d’expertise et d’apprentissage, et la participation dans la communauté transfusionnelle.

Le sondage a été conçu par la Société canadienne du sang en consultation avec la Société canadienne de médecine transfusionnelle (SCMT), Héma-Québec et les bureaux provinciaux de coordination des produits sanguins partout au Canada. Les demandes de participation au sondage ont été transmises aux TLM par ces organismes et les associations provinciales de laboratoires médicaux les ont envoyées à leurs membres. Les résultats sont fondés sur un questionnaire autoadministré rempli en ligne entre le 2 et le 23 juin 2009.

Vous pouvez consulter les résultats du sondage. Ceux-ci sont offerts uniquement en anglais pour le moment.

Many thanks to those of you who have already completed the learning survey and encouraged your colleagues to do the same. Over 500 MLTs have participated so far.

If you haven’t taken part, but would still like to do so, you have one more day only. The survey will remain open until June 23 at noon, Eastern Daylight Time. Be counted!

A learning needs survey exclusively for Canadian Medical Laboratory Technologists in Transfusion Science is available June 2 – 23rd, 2009 at http://www.survs.com/survey?id=94TXA3QG&channel=english

Un sondage sur les besoins en matière de formation à l’intention des technologues de laboratoire médical œuvrant en science transfusionnelle au Canada sera offert en ligne du 2 au 23 juin 2009 au http://www.survs.com/survey?id=WZ3KJC8Z&channel=francais

The learning network survey for Canadian MLTs in transfusion science has been available for a week. It is too early to pick out emerging patterns, but many of the comments made when we asked MLTs to elaborate on their answers, are well worth sharing.

I was forced by my manager to complete this survey.

The largest group of comments were about the MLTs’ managers. Many MLTs praised their managers for making continuing education available; almost as many criticized them for throwing up obstacles to their involvement. Without a doubt, managers play a pivotal role in engaging MLTs in work-related learning. This comment was typical:

Presently, the director for the transfusion service on our site is very active in continuing education, therefore we are receiving a lot of support. If/when he retires it is doubtful that we will continue to receive this support. Hopefully, we will have enough continuing education activities in place so that they will continue to be a part of our work life.

Another large cluster of comments called for better online resources. This surprised me because our pre-survey investigations lead us to believe that internet access is an issue for many MLTs. In fact, some comments were quite specific about the sorts of online resources they wanted:

I think that an electronic bulletin board where we could ask for support would be a very valuable resource!

It would be very good to have a website where:

1. one can identify and workout complex transfusion related problems (antibody identifications/dealing with warm autoantibodies … )
2. Technologists can share interesting cases or questions
3. latest transfusion related developments (e.g. blood donation centers handling of TRALI or lead levels)
4. What should we as Technologists be teaching Residents of Anesthesia and Hematology

Online learning is often proposed as a solution for those who do not have access to face-to-face opportunities, such as for MLTs in smaller, more remote facilities. However, almost all comments singled out cost, and especially time and workload as barriers to participation. Some typical comments:

I find it extremely difficult to try to keep up on education with our hospital cutting back on staff and the workload just keeps increasing.

I work in a small rural hospital where all disciplines are practiced 24hrs/day, 7 days/week. There are only [a few] MLT’s here and it is very very crazy busy all the time. It is very tough to keep up with updating procedures, completing maintenance, etc etc etc. … I love my profession and love to learn and try to do continuing education. I just find that there is never enough time to get it worked in. We seem to barely be getting the patient workload done here, let alone trying to find time to do continuing education.

I’d love to do more learning, but as a regular part-time MLT we get the short end of the stick for shifts; so working multiple nights and varying shifts makes it almost impossible to have some resemblance of a normal life. I just find it extremely difficult to get some time for extra learning, when it’s hard enough to days off due to every lab I’ve worked in we’ve been short staffed.

Some MLTs pointed to the gendered and political aspects of the profession that are inadequately acknowledged in their workplace, and which influence their participation in continuing education:

Another problem I have encountered is that the social aspects of being a MLT are rarely addressed. The issues of child care, shift work, job sharing opportunities, med lab opportunities for economic upward mobility are always presented in the narrow scope of bench tech then supervisor then lab manager. There is never any mention of employment branches that rely on MLT skills and knowledge that are not med lab tech bench work type positions…

…continuing Ed has always been something I have done and I enjoy learning but it has never made a difference in the paycheck. I make the same as someone who has never taken any classes. So why would I spend any more of my free time taking an other class?

How is continuing education in transfusion science meeting these challenges? Fairly well, especially compared to the past, according to this week’s comments:

… having been a technologist for over 20 years, I personally see great improvement in the continuing education/conferences/information sessions that are now being made available for the blood bank technologists at the hospital …

Of all the con. education that I come in contact with, transfusion medicine offers the most opportunities for learning. I would actually like to see more opportunities in other disciplines come available …

While the opportunities are there, for some MLTs the issue is relevance to practice:

I’ve been in this field for many years and have also set up and taught many refresher courses for technologists. I try to keep my general knowledge in Transfusion Medicine up to date but my area of practice is very narrow and often there is no Con Ed available that matches my specific work needs. While I take more general courses to obtain the credits I require to keep my license to practice — and they are interesting — they are often superfluous to my actual needs. I do find that all learning is interesting and does have value for me on a personal satisfaction level but there is not a lot that I need to be able to do my job.

There does not seem to be any educational material available other than basic, advance, review or retraining. There needs [to be] something in the middle ….

On MLT asked where is the science in transfusion science:

All of the opportunities focus on the same topics- safe work practices, TRALI etc. We do not focus on transfusion medicine as a science so we do not obtain any of the scientific research based data.

Another called for more interdisciplinary opportunities:

I think there should be more courses offered that are refresher courses that would tie multiple disciplines together. This knowledge tends to fade if you only work in one department.

A couple MLTs emphasized the value of continuing education to expand their networks beyond the lab:

I believe it is very important for all health care professionals, particularly those involved in transfusion, to get outside of their 4 walls. … It makes me a better technologist and improves my perspective for improvements in patient care.

The learning survey is open until June 23. If you have already completed it, consider asking a colleague to do the same.

A learning needs survey exclusively for Canadian Medical Laboratory Technologists in Transfusion Science is available June 2 – 23rd, 2009 at http://www.survs.com/survey?id=94TXA3QG&channel=english

As medical laboratory technologists, we need to respond to constant change: health care reform, technological change, scientific advances and a widening leadership gap as many of our colleagues retire. It is no wonder then that many of us are asking:

What are the learning needs of transfusion medical laboratory technologists in a changing environment? What factors prevent us from participating in work-related continuing education, and how might a national network of technologists mitigate these factors?

To help answer these questions, Blood Tech Net is asking for your participation in a unique survey. We are seeking your views on the attitudes towards and motivations behind participating in continuing education—aspects of learning that, in our view, have not been asked in such a systematic way. Our intent for this survey is to gather new insights that will help us support education providers. A report on the findings will be published on www.bloodtechnet.ca.

The questionnaire is brief, and designed to be interesting. All responses to the survey will be treated with the utmost confidentiality. No personal or corporate information will ever be shared with other organizations, the public, or the government.

If you have any questions or would like more information about this survey, please visit www.bloodtechnet.ca or feel free to contact me directly.

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Un sondage sur les besoins en matière de formation à l’intention des technologues de laboratoire médical œuvrant en science transfusionnelle au Canada sera offert en ligne du 2 au 23 juin 2009 au http://www.survs.com/survey?id=WZ3KJC8Z&channel=francais

En tant que technologues de laboratoire médical, nous sommes appelés à nous adapter constamment au changement : des réformes en soins de santé, une évolution sur le plan technologique, des percées scientifiques ainsi qu’un écart toujours grandissant en matière de leadership au fur et à mesure que bon nombre de nos collègues prennent leur retraite. Il n’est donc pas surprenant que nous soyons nombreux à nous poser les questions suivantes :

Quels sont les besoins en matière de formation des technologues de laboratoire médical en science transfusionnelle œuvrant dans un milieu en évolution? Quels sont les facteurs empêchant ceux-ci de prendre part à ces formations, et en quoi un réseau national de technologues contribuerait-il à amoindrir l’impact de ces facteurs?

Afin de nous aider à répondre à ces questions, Blood Tech Net sollicite votre participation pour un sondage unique en son genre. Nous cherchons à connaître vos opinions sur les attitudes envers, et les motivations derrière, le fait de prendre part à des activités de formation continue. Ce sont des aspects de l’apprentissage qui, selon nous, n’ont jamais été abordés de façon aussi systématique. Le but de ce sondage est de recueillir de nouvelles idées qui nous aideront à mieux soutenir les intervenants en formation. Nous publierons un rapport relatant les conclusions du sondage au www.bloodtechnet.ca.

Le questionnaire est court et conçu pour stimuler l’intérêt. Toutes les réponses au sondage seront traitées dans la plus grande confidentialité. Aucun renseignement personnel ou d’entreprise ne sera partagé avec d’autres organismes, le public ou le gouvernement.

Pour toutes questions ou pour plus de renseignements concernant ce sondage, veuillez consulter le www.bloodtechnet.ca, ou n’hésitez pas à communiquer directement avec moi.

This week, the CSTM, the various provincial blood coordinating offices, and the Hospital Liaisons from Canadian Blood Services have been spreading the word about the upcoming learning survey for Med Lab Techs in transfusion science.

If you would like to encourage your colleagues to participate too by posting a flyer in your lab or a badge on your intranet site, you can download them here:

Downloads

Flyers: English; French
Web badges: English; French

Watch for the survey itself next week. The survey will be open June 2 to 23.

La version française suit l’anglais.

Blood Tech Net is a not-for-profit network for Canadian medical laboratory technologists in transfusion science. It is governed by a small board with participating members from Canadian Blood Services and Héma-Québec, and with unrestricted funding provided by Talecris Biotherapeutics.

Our mandate is to support continuing education of transfusion medical laboratory technologists and facilitate exchange of expertise among peers. Our first step is to identify the current learning needs of technologists in transfusion laboratories across Canada. Watch for a survey looking at these concerns in June 2009.

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Blood Tech Net est un réseau sans but lucratif destiné aux technologues de laboratoire médical œuvrant en science transfusionnelle au Canada. Il est géré par un conseil d’administration dont font partie des membres du personnel de la Société canadienne du sang et d’Héma-Québec, et grâce à une commandite sans restriction de Talecris Biotherapeutics.

Notre mandat est de contribuer à la formation continue des technologues de laboratoire médical travaillant en science transfusionnelle et de faciliter l’échange de savoir au sein de cette profession. Nous devons toutefois, avant d’aller plus loin, connaître les besoins de ces professionnels en matière de formation. Nous vous inviterons donc à répondre à un sondage en juin 2009.