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More radiation therapists coming this spring as recruitment efforts continue: Horizon
Published Mar 10, 2026 • Last updated 3 hours ago • 3 minute read
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Radiation therapists at the Saint John Regional Hospital are calling for relief after more than two years of shouldering a full patient load without adequate staffing. BRUNSWICK NEWS ARCHIVESArticle content
Radiation therapists at the Saint John Regional Hospital are calling for relief after more than two years of shouldering a full patient load without adequate staffing.
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As a result of chronic understaffing, some therapists have suffered workplace injuries in the hospital’s radiation oncology clinic and are now on return-to-work accommodations, according to Jennifer Carey, manager of national advocacy for the Canadian Association of Medical Radiation Technologists (CAMRT).
Saint John therapists are now regularly working through their lunches and breaks to see about 65 patients daily, Carey said, noting the clinic has eight vacancies – four permanent and four temporary – when it’s supposed to be staffed with 23 radiation therapists.
Horizon Health Network has acknowledged “sustained staffing challenges” in the clinic – an issue reported by Brunswick News first back in 2023. The regional health authority recently details of a long-term plan with workers when they reached out to risk management and occupational health and safety departments.
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But staff, who are “falling apart” under current demands, are calling for Horizon to immediately reduce the workload in the short term, Carey said, until long-term solutions are in place.
“It does mean patients will have to wait longer, and that’s the last thing that radiation therapists want,” Carey said. “They have been really fighting hard against getting to that point for the last two years, but it’s now too expensive for them to push through and try and make up for this deficit that rests on their shoulders.
“It’s literally hurting them physically, mentally and emotionally.”
Horizon has the option of sending some radiation oncology patients to Moncton’s Dr. Georges-L.-Dumont University Hospital, Carey said. The Dumont, which is part of the Vitalité Health Network, has the only other radiation oncology clinic in the province.
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When asked if Horizon would use that option, Greg Doiron, the network’s vice-president of clinical operations, said it’s previously referred radiation oncology patients to the Dumont, but Horizon is “currently meeting our wait time threshold.”
“Horizon will be maintaining all planned patient therapies, with the most urgent cases being prioritized,” Doiron said in a statement. “This may result in longer wait times for less urgent cases, as we continue with our recruitment efforts.”
Two new radiation therapists starting this spring: Horizon
Two new full-time radiation therapists will be starting at the Saint John Regional Hospital this spring, Doiron noted in his statement.
The Saint John clinic will also see the addition of a radiation therapy licensed practical nurse and a relief team to backfill temporary vacancies, he said.
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As for the reports regarding breaks and workplace injuries, Horizon CEO Margaret Melanson promised “corrective actions,” including monitoring to ensure breaks are “scheduled and respected” and the support of Horizon’s ergonomic specialist to find ways to reduce physical and cognitive strain on the job.
“We recognize that while recruitment is essential, it does not address immediate safety concerns,” Melanson wrote in a letter to a worker in December. “As such, the corrective actions outlined above are intended to support staff safety and sustainability while longer-term recruitment efforts continue.”
As of late February, Carey reported that Saint John therapists hadn’t seen the corrective actions implemented yet, and that concerns remain about a long-term solution to the ongoing shortage of radiation therapists in the region.
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Jennifer Carey is Atlantic Canada’s regional manager of provincial services with the Canadian Association of Medical Radiation Technologists. Photo by Barbara Simpson/Brunswick News
Atlantic Canada doesn’t have a radiation therapy training program, meaning provinces must compete for existing staff within the region and for new graduates from outside the region, according to Carey, who is CAMRT’s regional manager of provincial services for Atlantic Canada.
In the next decade, Moncton’s radiation oncology clinic will see 12 of its 29 radiation therapists eligible to retire, Carey said, with seven of them meeting retirement age in the next five years.
Carey wants to see the creation of a radiation therapy program in the region and a long-term strategy to deal with staffing.
Horizon is currently creating “a pipeline of talent” to ensure the sustainability of the Saint John clinic, Doiron said, through its partnership with the Toronto-based Michener Institute, which offers a radiation therapy training program.
“This provides a great opportunity for students to conduct their clinical placement in New Brunswick,” Doiron said. “Candidates applying to the Michener program for the term beginning fall 2026 will be eligible for return of service funding.
“Currently there are two students in the training program with return of service contracts in place with Horizon.”
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