Winter 2011
General Updates for Educators
New: Graduate Prerequisite 3B Application Letter
If a student chooses to apply AFTER graduation, then the Graduate Prerequisite 3B Application letter and a current, completed, original signed clinical verification for each applied-for specialty area will be required. An original letter for each student is required.
Please note: If the Bachelor’s Degree Sonography/VT program is also CAAHEP accredited and the students have graduated, then the prerequisite 3B students should apply under prerequisite 2 and use the mandatory application letter.
Update: Clinical Verification (CV) Forms
ARDMS now offers clinical verification (CV) forms for each specialty. The CV form must be printed, filled out in its entirety and mailed to the ARDMS office by the application materials submission date noted on the application summary. Applicants living outside of the US and Canada must complete an International CV form. ARDMS no longer accepts old clinical verification forms, be sure to submit the new version when applying for an ARDMS examination.
For more information visit ARDMS.org/CV.
Update: Name Change Policies
Effective immediately, ARDMS Registrants, applicants or candidates are required to follow new procedures when requesting a name change. The steps listed below will ensure that ARDMS has all of the proper contact information for your MYARDMS account.
Registrants, applicants, or candidates who change their name must notify ARDMS immediately.
Name change requests must include a completed Name Change Request Form and supporting legal documentation (see list below) verifying the change of name. The completed Name Change Request Form and legal documentation may be faxed to (301) 576-8578, scanned and emailed to namechanges@ardms.org or mailed to ARDMS, ATTN: Name Change, 51 Monroe Street, Plaza East 1, Rockville, MD 20850. All documentation submitted must be legible.
Supporting legal documentation required must include:
• Photocopy of a non-expired government issued photo identification with signature
AND
• Photocopy of marriage certificate, or
• Photocopy of divorce decree, or
• Photocopy of name change decree
Updates to a middle name only require a photocopy of a non-expired government issued photo identification with signature. You can verify that the contact information has been updated by logging in to MYARDMS 48 business hours after the request is received in the ARDMS office.
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New Content Outline Format for All Specialty Examinations
ARDMS content outlines have a new format! Effective November 1, 2010, all ARDMS examinations’ content outlines are presented in the Standard Content Outline Format (SCOF).
An examination’s content is described by a list of tasks, based on the outcome of a job task analysis survey. Those tasks are now organized into content domains similarly across examinations. For example, the first domain on all content outlines will be normal Anatomy and Physiology. The tasks under that domain will be different for each examination.
ARDMS’ volunteer Examination Development Task Forces conduct a job task analysis survey and update the examinations content on a 3 to 5-year cycle. The examinations’ content outlines have been converted to the new format at the same time that they were updated.
The content outlines consist of two documents, the one in outline format shows the percent of items on every test form that falls in each SCOF domain. The other contains the task list on which the items are based. You can access the task list by clicking on the content outline heading (green arrow) or domain name (yellow arrow) in the outline document.
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ARDMS Who's Who: Paul Lucas, MD, RPVI
As the number of RPVI Registrants reached 1,000, we thought it would be appropriate to highlight one of the RPVI Registrant physicians, Dr. Paul Lucas. He is the Director of Mercy Vascular Lab, where he supervises three Mercy Vascular Lab locations in the Baltimore, MD, area.
ARDMS had the pleasure of interviewing Dr. Lucas at his work environment and meeting the staff at Mercy Vascular Lab.
What are some of the key objectives every employee strives to achieve?
The key objective our employees strive to achieve surround one ideal: to provide the highest quality of care using the most current techniques set forth by the Intersocietal Commission for the Accreditation of Vascular Laboratories (ICAVL) and the ARDMS. This is done through staying on top of the industry trends by attending conferences on the newest techniques, reviewing literature and performing case reviews in weekly meetings as well as our journal club. We also update protocols for the vascular lab by annually integrating current trends.
 Describe the reporting relationships at Mercy Vascular Lab.
As far as our reporting relationship, I like to supervise with an open door policy. I am always available to discuss problems, new techniques, and current machines, as well as difficult cases, at any time. We hold a weekly conference to review cases and address new techniques or protocols. All of our surgeons have a hands-on approach to teaching, and our techs and other staff can easily approach the surgeons for assistance, questions or concerns. We have integrated our practice with this hospital-based lab to serve our patients’ medical problems. In most cases a patient can be tested and see a surgeon on the same day, which is convenient for those who have trouble getting around.
Describe your commitment to credentialing in the field of vascular ultrasound for both sonographers and physicians.
I feel it is extremely important for our sonographers and surgeons to be credentialed, as well as our vascular laboratory sites, because this is how we keep abreast of changes within the industry. We have a high level of commitment to credentialing because, in a sense, it forces us to continually review new information and strategies to provide the highest standard of care at Mercy Hospital.
What your mission statement?
The Vascular Lab follows the Mission Statement of the hospital set forth by the Sisters of Mercy, which include six main values – Dignity, Hospitality, Justice, Excellence, Stewardship and Prayer. If we treat everyone following these values, we will be successful in our mission to help.
What is your patient and practitioner philosophy?
Our patient and practitioner philosophy is actually quite simple. Deliver the highest quality of care while treating each patient as an individual. Many patients have the same vascular afflictions; however, their bodies respond quite differently and thus treatment is individualized. We not only take care of the “technical” end of treatment; we also address how the patient deals with their vascular condition and assist, or lead them to those who can assist, to improve their situation.
Why is it important to obtain the RPVI credential?
The RPVI credential is extremely important; it demonstrates a level of consistency for those interpreting the studies, and thus consistency in our results. I think it makes us all more proficient in our work, and I believe that in the near future Medicare will mandate that all interpreting physicians be credentialed just as labs are now.
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Advancements in Technology: RSNA Experience
ARDMS recently had the pleasure of interviewing ARDMS Chair-Elect and Associate Professor Kevin Evans, PhD, RT, RDMS, RVS, and one of his students, Kevin Volz, about their experience at the 2010 Radiological Society of North America (RSNA) meeting.
Kevin Evans has been a pioneer in the field of sonography for more than 27 years and has been instrumental in shaping the mission of ARDMS. He is also a dedicated researcher and educator in the fields of the Radiologic Sciences.
Kevin Volz is a BS student in the sonography program at the Ohio State University – College of Medicine, and is working on a research project with Evans. Volz plans to earn his RDMS and RVT credentials and after graduation will be entering OSU’s graduate school.
ARDMS: What was your overall RSNA experience?
K. Evans: Kevin V. and I spent a lot of time in the exhibit hall talking with major vendors and analyzing how the corporate world is steering our profession. We were amazed by the presentation of the GE design team, which included representatives from the United States, France and Germany. Their latest theme is facilitating the “patient’s journey to good health.” The French designer talked a lot
about making equipment smaller and non-threatening. They showed us design sketches of MRI units that were shaped like “loving hands.” The entire exam suite, including green equipment was designed to reflect peace and tranquility. This focus on how we can provide each patient with a restful exam experience seems to be a very European influence.
K. Volz: My experience at RSNA was fun and educational. I think attendees learned a lot about unfamiliar technological innovations. Also, this was an environment that none of us had experienced before. It was all very new and  exciting for us!
ARDMS: Do they foresee hand-held sales to continue at the existing pace, and for how long?
K. Evans: Every vendor had a sophisticated laptop, a tablet ultrasound machine, or both. We “played” with them all, and one of the student’s favorites was the Toshiba tablet ultrasound machine. It’s marketed as a high quality Doppler that could perform any exam necessary. It has a very tiny curvilinear probe that attached to the laptop, which I could hold between 2 fingers. The frequency of all the transducers was broadband and shifted to very high frequencies. Musculoskeletal (MSK) images were demonstrated to all the customers that entered the Toshiba and GE booth A great deal of design and marketing resources are being dedicated to developing laptop/tablet ultrasound machines.
ARDMS: Who is buying these hand-held ultrasound machines?
K. Evans: Traditional and non-traditional users and specialists in the non-traditional sectors. Interestingly the Phillips Medical representatives told us that their laptop and tablet are best used by ER physicians for FAST scans. This specialization limits the utilization of their product. Conversely, GE , Siemens and Toshiba made a point of showing us images with their hockey stick probes that were great for MSK, carotids and superficial structures. We also did a lot of elastography – VERY exciting!!
ARDMS: Do vendors have a sense of whether more sonograms are being performed by sonographers or by other health professionals?
K. Evans: We sensed a really European viewpoint that focuses more on the “end user,” and they often mentioned the physician. At the same time, there is very much a concern about US sonographers not having to reach or strain their bodies. Vendors are trying to make all instrumentation on the machines easier for the sonographers to reach. GE also did an extensive in-service training for the students on their Scan Assistant® and the ViewPoint v2 system. Their representatives mentioned how these products would allow sonographers to scan the patient and collect volumes of information, which could be processed into images at a later time. At one point, they took a volume clip and diced it into 20 static images. It was a very exciting demonstration!
ARDMS: What was the most exciting/interesting part about the meeting?
K. Volz: I think that the most exciting part of the meeting was getting to see all the varieties of imaging and being able to learn about the products that the vendors were selling. I think it was also a very good bonding experience for the students and teachers, because we all traveled together, stayed together, and spent a lot of time with each other during those few days.
ARDMS: How has attending RSNA prepared you for becoming a sonographer?
K. Volz: I believe that attending RSNA was extremely beneficial for my becoming a sonographer. It gave me a lot of exposure to a variety of products, and taught me a great deal about different modalities of imaging. Also, each student had to complete a buying assignment in which we had to pick a product, learn about it, and make a good and informed decision about what we were buying and why. I was able to practice doing something that I will someday be doing in the field.
ARDMS: What advice do you have for up and coming sonography students?
K. Volz: Learn as much as you can! Sonography is a very exciting and quickly changing field that has many possibilities.
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Musculoskeletal (MSK) Sonography Credential Development Update
As previously mentioned in the 2010 winter edition of Registry Reports, the ARDMS Board of Directors approved the development of a MSK Sonography credentialing examination.
ARDMS invites you to share your clinical expertise in MSK sonography by participating in the ARDMS MSK Job Task Analysis (JTA) survey.
The results of the JTA survey will determine the content outline for the new MSK credentialing examination, which will be released worldwide in 2012. Take part in this exclusive opportunity to shape the MSK content outline and be a pioneer in raising the standard of musculoskeletal sonography.
Here are some important MSK development benchmarks:
- The Content Outline for the MSK examination will be released in mid 2011.
- Questions for the examination will be developed and reviewed by subject matter experts throughout 2011.
- A pilot version of the MSK examination will be administered worldwide in proctored testing centers in early 2012.
- The formal version of the MSK examination will be released globally in proctored testing centers in late 2012.
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Notes for Educators. Copyright 2011. American Registry for Diagnostic Medical Sonography. The ideas and opinions expressed herein do not necessarily reflect those of ARDMS.
American Registry for Diagnostic Medical Sonography (ARDMS)
51 Monroe Street, Plaza East One
Rockville, MD 20850
www.ARDMS.org
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