Revamped Diagnostic Imaging Program and other news from Feb. 25 Board Meeting

The revision of the Diagnostic Imaging (DI) Technology Program was adopted by the Board of Governors of Dawson College at the Feb. 25 meeting.

The program trains technologists who “play a crucial role in the diagnosis and treatment of illnesses,” said Ania Stosiak, co-chair and program coordinator of the DI Program, who presented the revamped program.

The new Diagnostic Imaging Technology Program at Dawson College will continue to produce graduates who are proficient in performing general radiographic and radioscopic examinations while ensuring the health and safety of their patients, themselves, and others in the clinical environment.

There will be greater graduate proficiency in the imaging modalities of mammography, Bone Mineral Density (BMD), Computed Tomography (CT), and Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI). To achieve this within the constraints of 17% less hours allotted to the clinical component of the new program, there will be an increase in lab and simulation activities to reinforce the theoretical concepts during the didactic portion of the program.

This means that the College will be purchasing new technology, including a fixed DR radioscopic unit, a CT scanner, an automatic pressure injector, a mammographic unit, a bone mineral density unit, imaging mannequins, quality control test instruments, and simulation software, to facilitate the students’ mastery of the ministerial, national, and provincial competencies that govern this ever-evolving profession.

There are more competencies to cover in the new program. The program committee team working on the revision, with support from the Office of Academic Development and the Dean of Science, Medical Studies and Engineering, re-imagined the program and added some innovative approaches.  For example, the Social Service Program will team teach communications, teamwork, stress management and conflict resolution.

The first cohort of students in the new DI program will begin this fall. Unique in North America, graduates of the three-year CEGEP program can work in Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) as well as the various fields of Radiology.

Other Board news:

• Director General Richard Filion reported that a discussion has begun with Westmount about the new building that is needed to house medical programs and help Dawson with its space deficit. Dawson needs confirmation from the City that they are open to making a by-law change in order to conclude the feasibility study. The DG is confident of a positive response, and the next step would be the business case study (includes costs and designs) that would begin in the fall of 2020.
• New optional student fee of $10/semester to provide financial assistance for services and activities for students through the Dawson College Foundation as advised by a standing committee.
• Revision of Kiuna Arts, Literature & Communication (ALC) Program to include a new profile option: Cinema; only changes are in the Course/Competency Matrix
• Implementation of the three-year Artificial Intelligence Plan added to Strategic Plan under Goal #4: Ensure that programs and educational offerings are relevant to the needs of society
• Revised Sustainability Policy adopted
• Multi-year contract approved with Skytech for “mission critical systems of student communications, registration, payroll.”
• The enrolment projection for Fall 2020 is a total of 8,194 day students. The actual number of day students for Fall 2019 was 8,224.