Work & life stress experienced by professional workers during the pandemic: a gender-based analysis.

The COVID-19 pandemic impacted work and home life exacerbating pre-existing stressors and introducing new ones. These impacts were notably gendered. In this paper, we explore the different work and home life related stressors of professional workers specifically as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic through the gender-based analysis of two pan Canadian surveys: The Canadian Community Health Survey (2019, 2020, 2021) and the Healthy Professional Worker Survey (2021). Analyses revealed high rates of work stress among professional workers compared to other workers and this was particularly notable for women. Work overload emerged as the most frequently selected source of work stress, followed by digital stress, poor work relations, and uncertainty. Similar trends were noted in life stress among professional workers, particularly women. Time pressure consistently stood out as the primary source of non-work stress, caring for children and physical and mental health conditions. These findings can help to develop more targeted and appropriate workplace mental health promotion initiatives that are applicable to professional workers taking gender more fully into consideration.

Supporting MRT mental health: Through COVID-19 and beyond.

The COVID-19 pandemic has had an exceptional impact on the healthcare profession, and in particular, on the mental health and wellbeing of healthcare workers. The Canadian Association of Medical Radiation Technologists (CAMRT) has been working on ways to prioritize the mental health of their members while increasing advocacy efforts. Conducting a national survey on mental health and interviewing medical radiation technologists (MRTs) highlighted the challenges that exist while also informing which support system components are most needed to improve wellbeing. The purpose of the research is to share the lived experience of Canadian MRTs in relation to their mental health during the pandemic. It adds to the knowledge gained from the survey by exploring in depth accounts of what MRTs felt and experienced during COVID-19. Understanding this challenging time period may aid in developing additional resources and support for MRTs in the workplace. The overall message in healthcare should be, optimize your wellbeing and your patients will be taken care of too. Recommendations to foster this message includes empowering MRTs to advocate for their mental health and wellbeing, promoting timely and adequate supports, monitoring the mental health of our professional landscape and welcoming others to join the conversation. This paper examines what mental health supports are recommended by the MRTs who were interviewed, and the information gathered from the CAMRT Mental Health of Medical Radiation Technologists in Canada 2021 Survey.

MRTs Speak Up: The Professional Identity Crisis Brought on by COVID-19.

The purpose of this study is to share the lived experience of Canadian medical radiation technologists (MRTs) in relation to their mental health during the pandemic by exploring the causes and impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on the professional group within the workplace. Data from eight semi-structured interviews and one focus group were conducted between April and June 2021. Audio files were transcribed and uploaded to a qualitative data analysis computer software program (NVivo) where codebook thematic analysis was conducted. Participants identified mental health themes at work within the individual, relationship, organization and policy levels. The pandemic alone did not cause MRTs to burnout, the changing policies combined with individual, familial and organization factors merely highlighted the chronic and increasing mental health concerns that existed pre-pandemic. Understanding this snap shot in time may aid in developing appropriate resources and improve workplace culture and mental health seeking behaviours for MRTs. These findings elucidate the need for more timely and equitable funding/resources to ensure that all healthcare workers are recognized and supported.