************************************* SDMS Sound News, Vol. 2, Issue 1 January 24, 2000 An email update for SDMS Members ************************************* ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ "SDMS Sound News" is a way of sharing important or time-sensitive news with our members. It supplements our bi-monthly newsletter, "News Wave" and provides links to new information/services available on the SDMS web site. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ In this issue: 1. SDMS Sound News is now delivered monthly 2. Member-Get-A-Member Campaign to Kick-off in March 3. FEATURE ARTICLE: What's in a Name Anyway? 4. Public Relations is an Essential Part of the Job 5. Sponsor Needed for International Sonographer 6. New CME Guidelines Now in Effect 7. Important Dates in 2000 8. We Need Your Suggestions! ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 1. SDMS Sound News ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Beginning with this issue of SDMS Sound News, we will be delivering news to your email inbox each month. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 2. Member-Get-A Member Campaign to Kick-off in March ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Discounts! Prizes! Vegas! SDMS is introducing a new program, the Member-Get-A-Member Campaign. You can earn: · discounted or free membership dues · recognition in the News Wave · a chance to win free Annual Conference Registration and two night hotel stay for Las Vegas in 2001 · or a chance to win the Ultimate Las Vegas 2001 package, which includes free Annual Conference Registration, four nights hotel stay, and airfare vouchers for two · Top Regional recruiters will win $250 cash · The Top Overall Recruiter will win an additional $250 cash Look for details on how to participate in your next issue of News Wave and SoundNews. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 3. FEATURE ARTICLE: What's in a Name? ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ The U.S. Census is an important source of information about American workers and their professions. Since sonography is a relatively new profession, many definitions have been put into place over the past 25 years without benefit or approval of our professional community. In mid-March, census forms will be delivered to every home by the postal system. Either a long or short census form will be delivered to every home by the postal system. Only the long form includes questions about your employment. Because only 1 in 6 homes will receive the long form, it is critical that those sonographers who receive the long form, accurately list their occupation on this form. If you receive the long form, be sure to list your occupation as "diagnostic medical sonographer" and your most important duties as "diagnostic ultrasound." If you do not receive a form, contact the Census Bureau (http://www.census.gov) and request one. The forms must by completed and returned by April 1, 2000. Another important source of information about occupations is the Occupational Employment Statistics (OES) survey. The OES survey is sent to employers throughout the U.S. and asks questions about employee job titles, job descriptions, salary ranges, etc. Listed below are some other actions you can take to ensure that you and your profession are accurately represented in occupational surveys/statistics: 1) Contact your personnel or human resource director/department and make sure that your job title and description are accurate. If you are listed under radiologic technology, request that your personnel information reflect your correct title and job description. Accurate information is essential to the validity of the statistical information compiled by the BLS. 2) When completing your IRS Income Tax Form (1040), make sure you list your occupation as "diagnostic medical sonographer." 3) Whenever you are asked to provide documentation relating to your job title and/or job description, make sure to provide accurate information. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 4. Public Relations is an Essential Part of the Job ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ [Note: This was adapted from a message posted the SDMS SoundAdvice list server. For more information about the SDMS SoundAdvice, visit http://www.sdms.org/soundadvice.htm] Public Relations has always been an important but almost neglected area in the development of the sonographer. Since the 70s, I taught my students to: 1. Display their certificates, diplomas, etc. on the wall of the scanning area. Not only should patients be made aware of what we do, it is also important for the other members of the hospital team to know. For that reason I suggested that they: 2. Volunteer to speak at inservice gatherings. If for no other reason, than to reiterate why some sonography patients require specific preps and scheduling for various exams. 3. Schedule an ultrasound open house whenever they received new equipment, adopted a new procedure, or just to celebrate Sonographer's week. [In many hospital based labs it is even possible to get food services to provide refreshments!] 4. Alert "the media" to the timing of Sonographer's week and offer your assistance if they will write an article or broadcast an interview about our profession. Media refers to any local newspapers (even small, local/neighborhood ones, or hospital newsletters) radio and television. Do this several months in advance, in the case of newspapers (because of their print deadlines.) For experienced sonographers, PR opportunities are limited only by one's imagination. Consider speaking at local high schools for career days, giving a talk at a local midwives' chapter meeting, or seeking tuition or book scholarships for aspiring sonography students by speaking at meetings of philanthropic groups such as the Soroptomists Club, Business and Professional Women, etc.) Petitioning your lawmakers (from mayors to state senators and representatives) to recognize Sonographer's week, or even a sonographer's day. The list is too long to describe, but I think you get the idea... -- Marveen Craig ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 5. Sponsor Needed for International Sonographer ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ A sponsor is needed to provide a SDMS membership for Murali Ramakrishna, a sonographer in India who is seeking financial assistance. Your generous support will provide an opportunity to Murali to participate in the SDMS and to receive needed sonography information. The donation can be made anonymously or we can share your name/email address so you can learn more about the issues facing sonographers in India. Contact Michelle Eastman at membership@sdms.org or (214) 473-8057. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 6. New CME Guidelines Now in Effect ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ All applications for SDMS CME credit approval must comply with the revised Guidelines that went into effect January 1. The Guidelines were mailed in early December to all CME providers who have previously had CME approved by SDMS. To request a copy of the guidelines, send an email request to cme@sdms.org. The information is also available on the SDMS web site at: http://www.sdms.org/cme/99cme.pdf Note: Viewing/printing the guidelines requires Adobe Acrobat Reader 3.0 or above. You can download a free copy at the Adobe web site: http://www.adobe.com/products/acrobat/readstep.html ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 7. Important Dates in 2000 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Feb 21 Sonographer Awareness Week slogan contest deadline May 15 Nominations due for the W. Frederick Sample Student Excellence Award Nominations June 15 Submission deadlines for: * Abstract Competition * Student Sonographer Poster Exhibit * Sonographer Poster Exhibit Sept 14-17 17th Annual Conference & Exhibition Wyndham Anatole Hotel, Dallas, Texas Oct 2-8 Sonographer Awareness Week ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 8. We Need Your Suggestions ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ We want the SDMS SoundNews to provide you with the information you need. If you have suggestions on what information you would like to see included in future issues of SDMS SoundNews, please send an email to webmaster@sdms.org ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ This email message is being sent to SDMS members to help keep you informed of issues and events affecting our profession. To have your email address removed from the recipient list (including all future "SDMS Alerts" and future issues of "SDMS Sound News"), please send your request to: membership@sdms.org Be sure to include your name, email address, and SDMS membership number. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ (c) Copyright 1999. Society of Diagnostic Medical Sonographers, Dallas, TX. All Rights Reserved.