then require people to be registered.  it makes so much more sense to have a
national registry standard than a state-regulated licensure.  each state
will require something different (as seen in other professions); it is a
lengthy process and it is so much more expensive.  have a national registry
board that provides a registry exam (ARDMS or something similarly created)
and then have any legal problems reported to them--make them earn their
money, you know?  they charge an awful lot for testing, they can then put
that information to use!






>From: Terry J Zwakenberg <[log in to unmask]>
>Reply-To: UVM Flownet <[log in to unmask]>
>To: [log in to unmask]
>Subject: Re: carotid screening exams
>Date: Sat, 23 Nov 2002 09:47:46 -0500
>
>This is the argument for licensure.  I would not allow an unlicensed MD
>or RN to practice on me or mine and I doubt anyone else would either,
>however sonography seems exempt from that reasoning.  Sure the shortage
>of sonographers has helped working conditions and salaries, but until
>employers are prevented from hiring Joe Blow off the street and training
>him for 2 weeks to do a lower extremity physiologic exam (read ABI) and
>call him a vascular technician we will never get the professional
>respect our profession deserves.
>
>Accreditation is helping but it is still voluntary.  Medicare
>reimbursement issues still do not significantly impact the majority of
>hospitals because of DRG’s, primarily only Part “B” providers are
>feeling that weight at this time.
>
>We can raise the bar all we want within our profession but until it is
>required by law no one but our profession recognizes it.  A good example
>of that is the UP credential, you can get a masters or even a doctorate
>in ultrasound if you want to but until it is recognized by law and the
>medical community you are still a sonographer (if you can pass the
>exams).
>
>Terry J Zwakenberg BS RVT RCS
>
>
>
>-----Original Message-----
>From: UVM Flownet [mailto:[log in to unmask]] On Behalf Of Diana
>Ross
>Sent: Saturday, November 23, 2002 1:12 AM
>To: [log in to unmask]
>Subject: carotid screening exams
>
>Well, I finally got an answer to one of my questions; i.e. what is a
>screening carotid duplex exam?
>I went to the Veith/Montefiore vascular diagnostic conference and an
>MD/RVT gave a paper which said to duplex the distal cca and ica only.
>Time for exam:  90 seconds!
>What happened to identification of the eca?  No mention of it.
>Let me just mention that I once worked for that group, and their major
>complaint about the previous sonographer was that she often confused the
>eca with the ica in cases of total occlusion of the ica.
>I think it is OK to add 10 seconds to identify the eca.
>This is one of the top vascular surgery groups in this city.  They
>employ two techs and I know for sure that one of them (the chief tech!)
>isn't registered.  I'm not sure about the other one.  Both have been
>working there for several years.  This is what I mean when I say that
>accreditation ain't all it's cracked up to be; and the exams aren't the
>be-all end-all of our field.  They are the minimum requirements for
>being able to perform our exams, but they don't insure that the
>possessors of these certifications have common sense or know that much
>about scanning or even touch an ultrasound machine.
>The truly sad thought is knowing that unregistered techs are at more of
>a premium than ever before.  I saw an ad recently that really only
>wanted "registry-eligible" techs ONLY.  Low cost is really only one
>reason.  They would rather have inexperienced, younger people so that
>they can mold and control them, IMHO.
>Does anyone ever hire a medical-degree eligible person as a doctor?
>(Maybe they do).
>
>
>
>
>
>
>Diana Ross, RT, RDMS
>
>Editor, The WAVE~~~Online Newsletter for Sonographers of All Disciplines
>
>
>http://thewave.www.50megs.com
>
>
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