Dear MDRAO members,

I hope that you all have had a wonderful year so far. MDRAO has been very busy during the last few months. We have a few projects on the go. One of them is the revision of the MDRAO manual so that it aligns with the CSA Z314-23 standard. Once the manual is updated, we will update the online course as well. It may sound very easy and quick, but let me tell you that there is a lot of work put into updating the manual.

We are also working hard on offering the opportunity for students to do a practicum if they want to. This is still ‘work in progress,’ and we will keep you posted on the progress of this project.

Delta Chapter held their PD Day on Saturday March 2nd at the White Oaks Conference Resort and Spa in Niagara-on-the-Lake. I was unable to attend, but I hear that it was a great success. Kudos to Tamiza Samji and her team that worked hard at organizing this special event for her chapter and other MDRAO members. Thank you to all the vendors that supported us with this event!

The Provincial Board will be meeting again on the weekend of May 4-5th. Sigma Chapter will be hosting their Education Day as well during that weekend. More information to come in the upcoming weeks.

Finally, it’s election time at MDRAO! This is an exciting opportunity for MDRAO members to join the leadership team. You are invited to nominate esteemed colleagues to contribute their vision and expertise on the MDRAO Chapter and Provincial Boards for the 2024-2026 term. Do not miss this opportunity. Check your emails now and submit your nominations!

Until next time,

Nathalie Legault
MDRAO President

To all MDRAO Members:

After a prolonged hiatus due to COVID, Delta Chapter finally reconvened for a significant Education Day on March 2nd at the White Oaks Conference, Resort, and Spa. We extend our sincere gratitude to each of you for your unwavering support in making this event a success. Special thanks are due to our vendors for their invaluable contributions to the presentations and their generous sponsorships. Without your collaboration, these educational opportunities would not be possible.

Anticipating a modest attendance of 40, we were thrilled to welcome a total of 87 attendees. The overwhelming turnout speaks volumes about our collective commitment to professional development, even amidst challenging circumstances. The feedback we've received has been overwhelmingly positive, reaffirming the importance of such gatherings.

Our Education Day aimed to celebrate the resilience and dedication of our members throughout the pandemic and beyond. As the backbone of our hospitals, each of you plays an indispensable role, and it's crucial to acknowledge and celebrate your contributions. We hope the event provided ample opportunities for networking and forging connections with colleagues from different chapters and hospitals.

On behalf of the Delta Chapter Executives, I extend heartfelt gratitude to both our longstanding members and newcomers. Your support is invaluable, and we trust that you'll find membership in the MDRAO to be enriching and rewarding.

Thank you once again for your dedication and participation.

Warm regards,

Tamiza Samji
President, Delta Chapter

Greetings,

I trust you are well and rejoicing in spirit, soul and body.

Delta Chapter had their successful Education Day. Congratulations to Tamiza and her team.

2024 is election year for both provincial and chapter level. ETA activities has been put on hold until the election is over.

MDRAO is in the works to provide clinical practicum for their students. Once this clinical practicum materializes it will be easier for MDRAO graduate students to get hired.

I want to express my appreciation to all MDR technicians for all the hardwork and dedication you all do. We seldom get appreciated neither recognized, but one thing for certain we’re always blamed for everything and anything. MDRAO is here to support, educate, and inspire. You are never alone!

Thank you for your support!

Maria Raj
President, Eta Chapter

"There is nothing impossible to they who will try."
— Alexander the Great

Welcome 2024,

For all of you who enjoy the winter months, I hope you all had time to enjoy the time we had as this year was not our usual winter in Ontario. Spring is right around the corner, only a few days away. This might not mean much in the reprocessing world, but it does influence our outside lives with additional daylight and warmer weather.

I wanted to share with you my focus for 2024 as I hope some of you share the same passion. In 2023, my focus was set on recognition and support for reprocessing going back to basics to support both our senior and new staff to adapt together in the workplace. We have all been through enough working with each other daily supporting our stakeholders to continue to work toward putting a dent in our provincial surgical patient backlog.

2024 will be a year for patient advocacy, and MDR plays a critical role in many was to support patient care, with proper reprocessing being completed and availability of equipment when required. Understanding there are always consistent pressures and resource constraints, we cannot forget or morals and values that we bring each day to provide quality care to the community. Being efficient does not mean cutting corners; we are such a large community externally and internally. We can work together daily and should share techniques or ideas to improve processes either within MDR or to our stakeholders. This will not just improve our daily struggles; it will empower us to be more engaged and reduce the frequency of errors.

Start planning your summer vacation now as it will come up very fast!

Thank you,

John McHardy
President, Gamma Chapter

Happy March, LAMBDA members!

We had a great time at the Delta Chapter Education Day! It was a wonderful experience, and we can't wait to see everyone in May for the Sigma Chapter Education Day.

We are excited to announce our Education Day will be on June 15th in Thunder Bay, with a social event on the 14th! Further details to follow, look for emails. 

We hope to see many of our members and fellow coworkers for a fun day of education and networking!

Looking forward to seeing you soon, your LAMBDA chapter board; Megan, Tara, Norma, and Nicole. 

Megan Bozec
President, Lambda Chapter

On behalf of the Theta Chapter Executive, I would like to take this opportunity to welcome everyone to a general meeting on March 28th, 2024, at 1500. A Zoom link will be sent via email.

Theta will be hosting an education day in April of 2025 in North Bay. We are open to any suggestions on educational sessions.

Membership is at record low of 69 — please help us  grow.

Monique Marshall, RN
President, Theta Chapter