Every other year, in June, the leadership and membership of the board of the Council of Cardiac and Vascular Sonography goes through a transition. This year, we have some new faces on the council board. While preparing to write my first “Yellow Page” I went back through several of the previous chairs’ columns and noted a theme. Almost all of them mention that we are at a crossroads in sonography. It dawned on me that sonographers are always at a crossroads. We have been since the beginning of ultrasound and it is not going to change. Something is always changing in our field. Sometimes it’s staff, sometimes location, sometimes it is our positions or responsibilities, sometimes it is legislation and reimbursement, and always it is technology. Change keeps our careers interesting and challenging and, if you are like me, it is what motivates you to come to work every day. In this day and age we must embrace being at a crossroads and accept that as the norm. I am using this month’s column to reiterate the role of the council and to introduce the new leadership team.
I received my training at the Naval School of Health Sciences (NSHS) in San Diego, California where I graduated as a cardiopulmonary technologist in 1985. Prior to my retirement from the Navy in 1998, my assignments included being a staff technologist for several years, after which I was assigned as an instructor at NSHS, Bethesda, Maryland. Upon arrival I was asked to teach the courses on medical physics, ultrasound physics, and echocardiography which I gladly accepted and taught for 8 years. I was also appointed as the program director for the school. Since retirement I have held positions as staff sonographer, clinical research sonographer, core laboratory sonographer, and director of operations for the core lab. Since 2009, I have been the echo/vascular research coordinator at the Intermountain Medical Center in Murray, Utah (Salt Lake City suburbs).
With the strong urging and support of my previous boss, Neil Weissman MD, I became involved with ASE in 2000. Since then I have represented sonographers on multiple committees and taskforces. I served one term on the ASE Board of Directors and in June I was assigned to the role of member at large on the ASE Executive Committee. I have been an active member of the Cardiac and Vascular Sonography Council since 2003. I was the sonographer chair of the 2009 ASE Scientific Sessions, and am currently on the Finance and Industry Relations Committees. I feel my involvement with ASE over the years has prepared me well for my role as Sonographer Council Chair and look forward to this assignment.
