Q&A: Chair of Kentucky rad tech society discusses legislative advocacy efforts

The Kentucky Society of Radiologic Technologists (KSRT) were one of two affiliate societies that earned an award for advocacy from the American Society of Radiologic Technologists (ASRT). This was due in part to the organization successfully defeating a bill that would have allowed nurse practitioners to perform medical imaging and radiation therapy procedures and supervise radiologic technologists.

Radiology Business spoke with Jessica Stafford, Board Chair of KSRT, who discussed KSRT’s legislative advocacy efforts on behalf of the radiologic science community.

“Licensure standards are most often a state issue, so we rely on the members in our state to work together to spread the word to lawmakers about policy decisions," she said. "We’re proud of our focus on patient safety and we’re always ready to defend the practice.”

Radiology Business: Talk to me about defeating the bill that would have allowed nurse practitioners (NPs) to perform medical imaging and radiation therapy procedures. Why did KSRT take this stance?
Jessica Stafford: For us, it’s all about patient safety. While advanced practice registered nurses are well-trained, their education doesn’t include instruction in radiation physics, radiobiology, radiation safety or radiation management. Ionizing radiation can be very dangerous, and licensed, registered technologists understand how to keep patients safe through an education and clinical practice focused on mastering the technology while providing high quality patient care. We often call it “high tech, high touch,” and it’s a delicate balance.

What were some of the tools KSRT used to mobilize stakeholders and how effective was it in promoting advocacy?
More than 100 radiologic technologists in Kentucky sent letters to their state legislators opposing the measure. We relied on email, meetings, social media and received some technological help from the ASRT in the form of a website that does a lot of the work for us. The bill was eventually brought to a standstill, largely due to our opposition, but it could always be reintroduced, so we’re still keeping an eye on the situation.

KSRT and members were a very strong voice in opposing the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs' proposal to allow NPs to order, perform and interpret medical imaging procedures—did the KSRT team face any challenges in doing so?
The constant challenge in advocacy is overcoming complacency, but with this issue, rad techs were really mobilized to take a stand and make their voices heard. I think our members were motivated to act because of their strong feelings that our veterans deserve the best care we can offer.

Why is it important for your program to be involved in legislative advocacy efforts and what would you say to those who are not involved?
I think the importance comes from keeping legislators and the public aware of the profession’s significant role in providing high quality health care. We’re building relationships with lawmakers to help them understand how the technology is changing, the dangers involved and how critical it is to ensure that only highly trained professionals be allowed to administer ionizing radiation.