Medical Laboratory Professional
I will be the first to admit, I am surprised at the topics that I have chosen to discuss in my final e-portfolio.
If you had asked me on September 7th what health topics I would be writing about, I would have confidently replied that I would be strongly be referencing my professional experiences in the laboratory. After all, that it what I did when I was completing my undergrad in a multi-disciplinary classroom.
Continue reading “Final Thoughts On My First Step On A New Educational Journey”
One of the most vulnerable populations in Canada are refugees. Refugees are people in need of protection based on a well-founded fear of being persecuted (UN). Under the framework of the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act in 2002, refugees invited by the Government of Canada or some private groups typically arrive sicker due to the priority placed on resettling vulnerable refugees who need urgent protection (Arya et al., 2012).
Continue reading “Impact Of The 2012 Change To The Interim Federal Health Policy On Refugee Chronic Health”
In the last decade, healthcare coverage for some of the most vulnerable has been a roller coaster. Refugees in Canada have historically been provided with healthcare coverage for vision, dental, emergency and primary care while they wait on their status decision, called the Interim Federal Health Program (IFHP). The main difference with this health coverage is that the cost is covered Federally, instead of Provincially.
Continue reading “Future Directions for Refugee Healthcare Funding in Canada”
On May 20, 2020, the Canadian Armed Forces wrote a report on the “number of medical professional and technical issues” present in five prioritized long-term care facilities in Ontario. Within this report, it highlighted significant gaps in care for a vulnerable population. Some of the notable issues in the report were: poor wound care, sharing of equipment between COvid-19 infected and non-infected individuals, residents calling out for help with no staff response, rotten food, residents sitting in soiled diapers, and bug infestations (Mialkowski, 2020). As of May 25, long-term care residents accounted for 81% of all reported COVID-19 deaths in Canada, compared with an average of 42% in 16 other OECD countries. The data ranged from less than 10% in Slovenia and Hungary to 66% in Spain. (CIHI, 2020)
Continue reading “Examining The Vulnerable Residents of Long-Term Care Homes in Ontario”
Chronic diseases and conditions are the leading cause of death and disability in Ontario. The most common are cancers, cardiovascular diseases, chronic respiratory diseases and diabetes. (Public Health Ontario, 2019)
Continue reading “The Laboratory Impact on Chronic Disease Testing”
In 2019, the World Health Organization confirmed the emergence of a new novel coronavirus. It was first identified in Wuhan, China. On February 11, 2020, the World Health Organization named the disease as coronavirus disease 2019, abbreviated as Covid-19 (CDC, 2020). Covid-19 has disproportionally impacted low-income and minority groups (Stokes et al., 2020), with minority and low-income Torontonians having higher positivity rates (Toronto Public Health, n.d.). Ontario Public Health (June 14, 2020) has been advocating for testing as many symptomatic people as possible and social distancing. The Toronto neighbourhood of Flemingdon Park has a high positivity rates, 7.4%, but a low testing rate of 12.6 per 1,000 (City of Toronto, 2020) (Jersak, S., personal communication, October 27, 2020).
Continue reading “Strategies to Increase Covid-19 Testing Within The Marginalized Roma Community”
As healthcare professionals, I’m sure we read through this list and nod our heads in agreement. In our day to day practice we see people with the same diagnosis, but different outcomes and recoveries.
Continue reading “Health Is More Than An Illness: Exploring Provincial Variation In The Determinants Of Health”
The concept and definition of health is evolving, just as we are as a society. In 1948, the World Health Organization (WHO) officially defined health as a “state of complete physical, mental and social well-being and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity”.
1948 was a very different time than 2020, and the definition of health must reflect that and be more inclusive. Brook (2017), argues that clinical activities or health definitions have not explicitly incorporated any measure of intolerance or hatred into their assessments.
Continue reading “The Politics Of An Updated Definition Of Health”
As a Medical Laboratory Technologist (MLT) registered to practice with The College of Medical Laboratory Technologists of Ontario (CMLTO), I am bound by a set of professional obligations. These obligations are outlined in the CMLTO’s Standards of Practice and Code of Ethics. As a self-regulated health professional, I also follow the Regulated Health Professions Act, 1991 (Ontario).
Continue reading “What It Means to Have A Professional Online Presence”