It is with mixed emotions to note that this is my last column for the Yellow Pages. As the Sonographer Council chair, I have gained tremendous respect for the staff of ASE. ASE’s volunteers are pieces of the puzzle; however, the staff is the border that holds the puzzle together. I would like to formally thank all of the staff, but especially Mary Alice Dilday, who kept me on track for all of the pending issues and responsibilities related to the Sonographer Council, and Cathy Kerr, who so graciously sends reminders regarding editorial deadlines and edits the columns with a critical eye. In addition, my admiration for all sonographer volunteers has increased exponentially, and I thank everyone who has been a part of the organization. Being chair allowed me to see the big picture to realize that we all volunteer for more or less the same reason—to improve the professional growth and development of our field. With that thought in mind, the following is a reflection of all the sonographer related work we have accomplished collectively within the last 2 years—congratulations!
Awards and Accolades
This year marks the establishment of the Sonographer Lifetime Achievement Award, of which David B. Adams, RCS, RDCS, FASE will be the first recipient. The Sonographer Council originally requested that the award be named The David B. Adams Lifetime Achievement Award; however, although the Executive Committee unanimously agreed the award should go to David as the initial recipient, they thought the name should align with the current Physician Lifetime Achievement Award. Congratulations, David; you really are a lifetime “overachiever” and it will be a true pleasure to sit at your table of honor during the 2 nd Annual Gala in Montreal! Thank you so much for continuing to be a fantastic mentor!
There have traditionally been several travel grants available for student sonographers, but not for working sonographers. Therefore, the Sonographer Council requested an additional $2,000 be added to the budget. There were 8 grant submissions from working sonographers this year; 2 of these will receive $1,000 each to offset travel expenses to attend ASE’s Annual Scientific Sessions in Montreal.
The Sonographer Council also voted to use funds remaining in the council budget to fund 5 additional Alan D. Waggoner Sonographer Student Scholarships. As a result, a whopping 10 student scholarships were awarded this year for a total of $10,000 (each received $1,000). What a fantastic way to get the future leaders of our profession involved in ASE!
Education and Networking
Based on the recommendation by the council, a task force on the sonographers’ role in TEE was approved in an effort to evaluate educational needs for non-physicians. The purpose of the task force is to ensure patient safety through appropriate recommendations for education and training.
With respect to networking, the ASE has been very busy with the roll out of Connect@ASE , a new networking/community venue that has the potential to revolutionize how we as a society communicate and share information/best practices. If you haven’t already signed up, please do so at www.asecho.org and let your voice be heard.
The ASE has released the poster guidelines in a small and effective pocket version which provides quick and convenient access to measurements and classifications. In addition, there are guideline apps (iPod, iPad, and iTouch) available to assist with categorizations and calculations.
The Learning Lab in Raleigh, NC successfully hosted a Sonographer Computer Hands-On Symposia that was well attended, with excellent evaluation comments.
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