Valvular heart disease - American Society of Echocardiography
American Society of Echocardiography News
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AMERICAN SOCIETY OF ECHOCARDIOGRAPHY NEWS President’s Message Where are the sonographers? After reimbursement, probably the practice management topic most on our minds is hiring skilled sonographers. This topic resonates across all categories of our membership: clinicians whose patients wait too long for an echo, doctors frustrated by the quality of studies performed by under- trained or inexperienced sonographers, lab directors seeking to hire sonographers, sonographers being asked to do more studies in less time, industry who could perhaps sell more machines if there were more people to use them. If you recognized yourself in any of these, you too have been affected by the sonographer shortage. The problem is not limited to cardiac and vascular sonog- raphers; there are national shortages of all skilled allied health personnel. However, this is no excuse for the American Society of Echocardiography not to address our own problems, in our own area. We recently commissioned a task force to examine the issue of the sonographer work force. The task force, ably chaired by Rick Rigling, RDCS, was charged with investigat- ing the magnitude of the sonography shortage as well as what ASE and other organizations might be able to do to reduce it in both the short and long term. National data show that anywhere from 40% to 90% of hospitals and physician- directed echocardiography laboratories indicate at least one vacant sonographer position. ASE’s own survey showed a 61% shortage. Corroborating this data is the consistent listing of more than 100 immediately-available cardiac sonography positions on ASE’s job web site, www.echocareers.com. We are victims of our own success. The value of echocar- diography as a critical diagnostic test and the implementation of new procedures such as stress echo, coupled with an aging population means that the number of echocardio- graphic examinations performed each year is increasing and will continue to do so. And that’s just the demand! On the supply side, the shortage is exacerbated by the very small numbers of credentialed ultrasound schools: there are just 108 CAAHEP, CVT, and/or DMS certified schools in the United States. With growing delays in performing studies there are increased demands for greater productivity on the part of current sonographers. These in turn may decrease career satisfaction, cause burn out, or even overuse injury. All of these can combine to favor early retirement, which reduces skilled sonographers’ longevity in the profession and further aggravates the shortage. After defining the problem, the ASE’s Task Force devel- oped a series of recommendations that were endorsed by the Board of Directors. These are far reaching and will address the problem on a number of fronts. They include promoting the profession of cardiac sonography by producing a bro- chure that would be available for membership to distribute to patient’s family members, visitors, career fairs, career counselors, and high school students. To assist interested students in affording attendance at accredited programs, the ASE established the Alan Waggoner MHS, RDCS Scholarship for students enrolled in an accredited program. The first scholarship was awarded this past June to Michele Sapienza, Bergen Community College Diagnostic Medical Sonography Program, Paramus, NJ. To help newly graduated students launch their careers on the right foot, the ASE has awarded a free one-year membership to all graduating sonography students, which includes a free JASE subscription. The ASE is also establishing efforts to improve sonography education and support to faculty by sponsoring a Sonogra- phy Educational Summit at our 2003 Scientific Sessions in Toronto. We have invited all Program Directors of certified schools and the leadership of other sonography associations to brainstorm on ideas to increase the number and quality of sonography educational programs as well as the number of graduates. We hope that this will be an annual event, and will be supplemented by greater communication and networking amongst program directors throughout the year. The Society is also partnering with industry vendors to provide better links to educational and body mechanics products that address the risk of ergonomic injury to sonographers. Other recommendations still under consideration include producing a video presentation on the profession of cardiac sonography, creating a preceptorship site list complete with templates for announcements and sponsorship of students. We are also planning to develop 2 white papers on the need to spend adequate time in performing echocardiographic studies as well as the uniqueness of the profession of cardiovascular sonography. Both of these are important policy documents for ASE, as members can use them to emphasize to administra- tors and regulators the need for appropriate compensation and appropriate caseload for the cardiac sonographer. As a cardiologist, I know that I cannot adequately perform my job without competent cardiac sonographers. Indeed, the quality of my interpretation of an echocardiogram is critically dependant upon the quality of images and informa- tion provided to me by the cardiovascular sonographer. It is critically important that adequate numbers of sonographers with superb skills enter and remain in our profession. Pamela S. Douglas, MD President American Society of Echocardiography 25A Journal of the American Society of Echocardiography Volume 15 Number 12
Transcript of American Society of Echocardiography News
AMERICAN SOCIETY OF ECHOCARDIOGRAPHY NEWS
President’s MessageWhere are the sonographers?
After reimbursement, probably the practice managementtopic most on our minds is hiring skilled sonographers. Thistopic resonates across all categories of our membership:clinicians whose patients wait too long for an echo, doctorsfrustrated by the quality of studies performed by under-trained or inexperienced sonographers, lab directors seekingto hire sonographers, sonographers being asked to do morestudies in less time, industry who could perhaps sell moremachines if there were more people to use them. If yourecognized yourself in any of these, you too have beenaffected by the sonographer shortage.
The problem is not limited to cardiac and vascular sonog-raphers; there are national shortages of all skilled allied healthpersonnel. However, this is no excuse for the American Societyof Echocardiography not to address our own problems, in ourown area. We recently commissioned a task force to examinethe issue of the sonographer work force. The task force, ablychaired by Rick Rigling, RDCS, was charged with investigat-ing the magnitude of the sonography shortage as well aswhat ASE and other organizations might be able to do toreduce it in both the short and long term. National data showthat anywhere from 40% to 90% of hospitals and physician-directed echocardiography laboratories indicate at least onevacant sonographer position. ASE’s own survey showed a61% shortage. Corroborating this data is the consistent listingof more than 100 immediately-available cardiac sonographypositions on ASE’s job web site, www.echocareers.com.
We are victims of our own success. The value of echocar-diography as a critical diagnostic test and the implementationof new procedures such as stress echo, coupled with anaging population means that the number of echocardio-graphic examinations performed each year is increasing andwill continue to do so. And that’s just the demand!
On the supply side, the shortage is exacerbated by thevery small numbers of credentialed ultrasound schools: thereare just 108 CAAHEP, CVT, and/or DMS certified schools inthe United States. With growing delays in performing studiesthere are increased demands for greater productivity on thepart of current sonographers. These in turn may decreasecareer satisfaction, cause burn out, or even overuse injury.All of these can combine to favor early retirement, whichreduces skilled sonographers’ longevity in the profession andfurther aggravates the shortage.
After defining the problem, the ASE’s Task Force devel-oped a series of recommendations that were endorsed by theBoard of Directors. These are far reaching and will addressthe problem on a number of fronts. They include promotingthe profession of cardiac sonography by producing a bro-chure that would be available for membership to distributeto patient’s family members, visitors, career fairs, careercounselors, and high school students. To assist interestedstudents in affording attendance at accredited programs, theASE established the Alan Waggoner MHS, RDCS Scholarshipfor students enrolled in an accredited program. The first
scholarship was awarded this past June to Michele Sapienza,Bergen Community College Diagnostic Medical SonographyProgram, Paramus, NJ. To help newly graduated studentslaunch their careers on the right foot, the ASE has awarded afree one-year membership to all graduating sonographystudents, which includes a free JASE subscription.
The ASE is also establishing efforts to improve sonographyeducation and support to faculty by sponsoring a Sonogra-phy Educational Summit at our 2003 Scientific Sessions inToronto. We have invited all Program Directors of certifiedschools and the leadership of other sonography associationsto brainstorm on ideas to increase the number and quality ofsonography educational programs as well as the number ofgraduates. We hope that this will be an annual event, and willbe supplemented by greater communication and networkingamongst program directors throughout the year. The Societyis also partnering with industry vendors to provide betterlinks to educational and body mechanics products thataddress the risk of ergonomic injury to sonographers.
Other recommendations still under consideration includeproducing a video presentation on the profession of cardiacsonography, creating a preceptorship site list complete withtemplates for announcements and sponsorship of students.We are also planning to develop 2 white papers on the need tospend adequate time in performing echocardiographic studiesas well as the uniqueness of the profession of cardiovascularsonography. Both of these are important policy documents forASE, as members can use them to emphasize to administra-tors and regulators the need for appropriate compensationand appropriate caseload for the cardiac sonographer.
As a cardiologist, I know that I cannot adequately performmy job without competent cardiac sonographers. Indeed,the quality of my interpretation of an echocardiogram iscritically dependant upon the quality of images and informa-tion provided to me by the cardiovascular sonographer. It iscritically important that adequate numbers of sonographerswith superb skills enter and remain in our profession.
Pamela S. Douglas, MDPresident
American Society of Echocardiography
25AJournal of the American Society of EchocardiographyVolume 15 Number 12
