• For Practitioners
• Registration Information
• How To Apply For Registration
• Recertification
• Returning To Practise
• Raising Concerns About A Practitioner
  • Competence Review
  • Health Review
  • Conduct Review
• Standards Guidelines & Policies
• Working Overseas
• Changing Your Name or Address

Health Review

If concerns are raised about your ability to perform your professional activities because of a mental or physical condition the Board is compelled to make enquiries into your ability to work.

If, as a registered medical radiation technologist, you cannot make safe judgments, demonstrate acceptable levels of competence or behave appropriately in accordance with ethical, legal and practise guidelines, because of a mental or physical condition, you can expect to be subjected to an investigation by the Medical Radiation Technologists Board.

The Board may be alerted to consider you are unable to perform the functions of your profession when any of the following people/organisations notify the Board that they have reason to believe you are unable to perform your profession competently because of some mental or physical condition:

• Yourself
• A person in charge of a health services organisation
• Your employer
• A medical officer of health
• A Board-appointed Professional Conduct Committee
• The Health and Disability Commissioner or Director of Proceedings
• Any other person or organisation

Unless there are extraordinary circumstances, the Board acts only on a written notification that raises concerns about your ability to perform the required functions of your profession due to a health issue.

Health review queries are to be directed to the Registrar of the Medical Radiation Technologists Board and are managed through the Board's Health Committee.

In the situation of a manager advising the Board of concerns about health issues of a practitioner and who is both managing the situation to minimise risk to the public and is keeping the Board informed of the situation on a regular basis, it will be at the Board's discretion whether to allow the manager to continue monitoring the situation or to undertake a formal investigation.

WHAT HAPPENS TO ME IF THE BOARD DECIDES I NEED TO UNDERGO A HEALTH REVIEW?

You will be invited to comment on the health concern that has been brought to the Board's attention and whether there are factors that may be adversely affecting your ability to practise medical radiation technology. 

If you acknowledge that your practise is affected by a health condition, the Board will discuss with you an option for you to voluntarily either limit your practice or cease practise while the situation is explored further.  In such a situation attention will focus on assisting you to address any mental or physical health issues which may be affecting your practise.  You may be asked to surrender your annual practising certificate or to put into effect any agreed limitation on practise.  If appropriate a replacement annual practising certificate with conditions will be issued at no extra cost to you.

If satisfied that it is appropriate to investigate the matter as a health issue, the Board will require you to submit to a medical examination by a medical practitioner approved by the Board.  You will be able to have a support person of your choosing attend this examination with you as an observer.

Following the examination, the medical practitioner is required to provide the Board with a report stating their professional opinion as to the existence of the alleged condition, the results of all tests carried out as part of the examination, and the extent to which they believe any condition found to exist affects your ability to practise the functions of their profession safely and competently, and any recommendations for ongoing monitoring that may be required.

You will also be given a copy of the medical practitioner's report and invited to make written submissions and/or be heard on the matter. 

If the report indicates the existence of a condition that affects your practice, the Board may also gather additional relevant information from your colleagues and other related professional people (e.g. pharmacist, employer).  You will be informed of this prior to any such persons being approached.

A meeting will be arranged between yourself and the Board at an agreed time and place to discuss the findings and recommendations of the medical examiner's report and any other information.  You will be able to bring a representative and/or support person of your choosing, to this meeting.

The Board has the ability to invoke an interim suspension of your APC or impose interim conditions on your scope of practice at any time throughout the Health Review process, if it considers that you are unsafe to practise.  However, because of the extreme effects, such an order is unlikely to be made before a medical practitioner's report is available and has been considered and in any event will be made only in circumstances where there is a risk of serious harm to the public, other health practitioners or yourself.

After giving due consideration to all the relevant information and hearing your response, the Board will then make a decision.

If the Board is satisfied that you are unable to perform the functions of your scope(s) of practise because of some mental or physical condition, it must, in accordance with the Act, order that you be suspended from practise.

If the Board is satisfied that you are able to perform the functions of their scope of practise but only if certain conditions are observed, it must, in accordance with the Act, order that conditions be placed on your scope of practise.

You will continue to be monitored by the Board until it is clear that you have fully recovered and are safe to practise unrestricted in your registered scope(s) of practise. 

The Board will pay the costs of the medical examination and report.  You will be responsible for paying any costs of complying with any orders made as a result of the review.