RTs Can Work Remotely

By Lea Woods

This blog post is modified from an article that appeared in Radiation Oncology News for Administrators Vol 33 No 2.  

When the pandemic started, we temporarily closed one of our two facilities and transferred our three radiation therapists (RTs) to our facility in Rock Hill, SC. We divided our 10 RTs into two teams. One team worked remotely for two weeks while the other team was hands-on in the clinic.

We had a condensed patient schedule to get patients in and out efficiently. To make our processes efficient, the remote team completed paperwork, patient phone calls and scheduling. The idea was that if an RT were to contract COVID-19, their entire team would go remote and the backup team would come into the clinic.

We used that model for about six weeks. As we learned more about COVID-19, we brought staff back to the clinic and had only a few RTs working remotely for two weeks at a time, then one week at a time.

For almost two years now, we’ve had RTs working remotely two days per month. Remote work is now based on different necessities. We usually have one remote RT a day. The remote RT is expected to be logged in and available as if they were in the clinic.

How Remote RTs Work

In a typical day, the remote RT will perform the following tasks:

• Participate in the daily huddle at 8:00 a.m. virtually through Microsoft Teams.
• Relay any information pertinent to the treatment machines to the on-site RT.
• Complete items on their ARIA task pad. Tasks that show up in ARIA are based on our care path links related to where the patient is at in their course of treatment. After one link is completed, the next link will populate and that link, depending on who it goes to, will appear in the RT’s task pad, whether it’s to call that patient or to complete a chart check.
• Work on weekly chart checks (up to 20/day) and on initial chart checks (up to 10/day).
• Cover two machines at a time when they’re doing the paper­work.
• Work on the machine schedule and on scheduling patients.
• Import AlignRT structures from physics.
• Assist in calling and rescheduling patients if a machine happens to be down.

By having these tasks done remotely, RTs in the clinic are as patient-focused as possible. The remote RT takes care of any patient needs outside of what’s happening on the treatment machine. For example, if we have a patient under treatment in the clinic who needs to reschedule an upcoming appointment, that information is passed on to the remote RT for them to coordinate.

Initially, we had to acclimate everyone to the expectation that they need to be as available at home as they would be in the clinic. The remote RTs are logged in all day. And if we have a machine down or if someone calls out or needs to be out, a remote RT comes in to the clinic.

Benefits of Remote Work

We’ve been able to eliminate a lot of burnout, compassion fatigue and turnover. Working remotely, in some ways, gives the RTs a mental health day; they look forward to their two days each month as they can plan their own personal appointments—like a medical or dental appointment—around their remote work. They may also have the flexibility of signing on a bit later or clocking out a bit earlier.

Everyone is clear and understands that the department needs come first. If we can make a request for a specific day work for everyone’s benefit, we try to be accommodating. A new RT must be employed for at least three months and be in good standing before they’re eligible for remote work.

The benefits of this model are amazing. Morale is at an all-time high, and remote work also helps to mitigate overtime in our very busy clinic. No RTs have called out in two years unless they were sick with COVID-19. I get amazing feedback—our RTs say that it means the world to them to have that day to look forward to and to know that they can schedule around things.

Who doesn’t like working an entire day in their pajamas? The remote RTs get to sleep in a little later. They can do a load of laundry while they’re doing chart checks. It adds a nice element to the work-life balance we all seek and employers look to integrate into their operations.

Other Clinics Can Apply Our Model

Our model can be applied elsewhere provided the center has adequate staffing—for example, we have two-and-a-half RTs per machine. We can rethink the way that we do things and many different people on our teams can benefit from remote work in some capacity. We’ve demonstrated for more than three years now that it can be done without any safety concerns or issues while enhancing the retention of our valued staff and increasing staff morale.

Q: Do RTs work remotely at your clinic? If not, will you try?

Share any helpful tips and suggestions.

We would love to hear your experiences.

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