SFMRRC Training

Intended Audience: All research personnel who are booking participants for studies on the 3T

Prerequisites:

Exceptions: Diagnostic Imaging personnel
 

All research personnel who are booking participants for studies on the 3 T. 

Level 0 training involves watching a safety video and completing a quiz. This safety training would be reviewed annually through attendance at the refresher session (typically held in June).

Intended Audience: Research personnel intending to observe or assist with scans at the 3T

Prerequisites: Level 0 training completion

Exceptions: Diagnostic Imaging personnel
 

All research personnel who will observe or assist with scans at the 3T. This process does not target personnel in Diagnostic Imaging since they already have access to alternate processes that provide equivalent training. These individuals must have completed Level 0 training.

All personnel that have access to the 3 T scanner receive an initial 2 hour safety orientation that includes the following:

• Orientation (coils, table, phantoms, fMRI equipment) 
• Running a study (screening/consenting participants, scheduling, booking, "operator" vs "experimenter")
• Safety procedure (safety video, code calling, big red buttons, patient flowchart)
• Troubleshooting (review equipment event flowchart, TPS reset, system restart and shutdown)

This safety training will be reviewed annually (typically at a session held in June). After 1 year of non-participation in the MR environment, the training process should be repeated.

Contact Paul Romo (paul.romo@albertahealthservices.ca) for information on the next Level 1 training course. Forms are available in our Centre Restricted section.

Intended Audience: All individuals operating the 3T scanner for research

Prerequisites: Level 0 training completion, Level 1 training completion

Exceptions: Diagnostic Imaging personnel
 

All individuals operating the 3 T scanner for research. These individuals must have completed Level 1 training. This process does not target personnel in Diagnostic Imaging since they already have access to alternate processes that provide equivalent training.

This training level is intended for those people who will actually be operating the 3 T scanner. After training, they will be able to scan research subjects (i.e., low-risk subjects) without an MR technologist being present. 

To be eligible to receive this training, individuals will need to have first demonstrated satisfactory participation in 20 h of scanning sessions under the supervision of an approved scanner operator. This previous experience should include consenting, screening and scanning subjects. The application form to receive Level 2 training should include a verified list of previous training experience and be approved by the supervisor and Department Head. 

In the Level 2 training, a more in-depth series of sessions on detailed scanner usage is provided, along with running 8 supervised sessions of actually consenting and screening and scanning volunteers and/or patients. This training process usually occurs over a period of several weeks depending on availability of trainers. It includes 6- 12 hours of formal knowledge dissemination and 8 hours of practice scanning. 

At the conclusion of Level 2 training, individuals will be allowed to scan low-risk subjects. Level-2 trained individuals are required to attend the bi-monthly Level-2 Meetings.

Contact Louis Lauzon (mllauzon@ucalgary.ca) for information on the next Level 2 training course. Forms are available in our Centre Restricted section.