The Medical Technology Management Institute (MTMI-Global), the leading provider of medical imaging continuing education, partnered with the Alabama Department of Public Health's (ADPH) Office of Radiation Control to provide education and training to their state inspectors, focused on shielding requirements for common radiology department equipment to help ensure patient and healthcare worker safety.
"Medical uses of radiation have grown very rapidly over the past two decades, and remains the largest source of man-made ionizing radiation exposure that is hazardous to the U.S. population," said Dr. Max Amurao PhD, MTMI's National Medical Physicist Council Member. "Understanding the design and evaluation of shields for radioactive sources, x-ray producing equipment, and MRI systems are essential for maintaining a safe imaging environment."
While non-ionizing radiation from MRI is known to present unique hazards for patients, engineering controls from properly designed and installed safety barriers known as shielding, are among the most effective strategies for protecting individuals from the hazards unique to radiology.
"The training and education provided by MTMI was invaluable to my team; it was thorough and comprehensive," said John Swindall, Director of X-Ray Compliance at ADPH. "I would not hesitate to use MTMI for future training and would highly recommend them to other state agencies."
MTMI provided a 3-part training course to state radiology inspectors intended to protect and promote the physical and environmental health of the public as well as healthcare staff. The program focuses on shielding common radiology modalities including radiography, mammography, fluoroscopy, CT, MRI, Nuclear Medicine, SPECT/CT, PET/CT, and radiopharmaceutical therapy. Inspector training strives to ensure that facilities are preventing unnecessary radiation exposure to the public through effective licensing, registration, policy enforcement, and emergency response.
The Alabama Office of Radiation Control staff is responsible for all inspection activities for radiology equipment in the healing arts and the service and safety of these machines. This same staff also evaluates radiation shielding plans with over 200 plans evaluated annually with periodic inspections to ensure the health and safety of patients and healthcare workers while utilizing radiology equipment.
About MTMI-Global
Established in 1989, MTMI Global has provided over 8,000 continuing education and training programs for medical imaging and healthcare professionals. MTMI has trained more than 160,000 people in the past three decades. Programs are taught by nationally known subject matter experts in fields that include: radiography, mammography, computed tomography, magnetic resonance imaging, bone densitometry, ultrasound, PACS/imaging informatics, nuclear medicine, fluoroscopy, biomedical engineering and radiation oncology. MTMI delivers outstanding educational experiences in many convenient formats including live training courses, hands-on courses, simulcasts, webinars and on-demand videos to help healthcare professionals excel in their careers and improve patient care. In January of 2019, MTMI was acquired by The College of Health Care Professionals, which is based in Houston and is the largest trainer of allied health professionals in Texas.
