1. SDMS Elects Six New Board Members
2. Medical Ultrasound Awareness Month Promotion Kit Available
3. It's August Already? Time to Register for Annual Conference!
4. Contrast Agents Enhance Images and Careers
5. The SCAN® Updates
6. News & Notes
7. Important Dates

The Society of Diagnostic Medical Sonography is pleased to announce its newly elected Board of Director members:

• President-Elect: Jean Lea Spitz, MPH, RDMS - Oklahoma City, Oklahoma
• Vice-President: Shannon Boswell, BS, RDMS, RDCS, RVT - Seattle, Washington
• Secretary: Charlotte Henningsen, RT, RDMS, RVT - Orlando, Florida
• Treasurer: Carolyn Coffin, MPH, RT, RDMS, RVT, RDCS - Las Cruces, New Mexico
• Region 2: Cindy Rapp, BS, RDMS, RDCS, FSDMS - Denver, Colorado
• Region 7: Nancy Chouinard, RDMS, RDCS - Delta, British Columbia, Canada

Voting took place electronically through a secured SDMS website and was open to SDMS membership from June 2-July 2, 2003.

These newly elected board members and incoming President Laurinda Andrist, BS, RDMS, RDCS, from Eugene, Oregon will be inducted into office at the SDMS Annual Conference October 16-19, 2003 in Dallas, Texas.

For more information, visit:

The SDMS, AIUM, ASE, and SVU have developed a promotion kit to assist ultrasound professionals in planning activities to promote and celebrate Medical Ultrasound Awareness Month.

Medical Ultrasound Awareness Month is about educating the public about medical ultrasound, its multitude of applications in healthcare, and the role of ultrasound professionals. The promotion kit is designed specifically to help with this national campaign. The kit includes an ultrasound fact sheet, a list of suggested activities, logos for use in promotional materials, a press release, and information on how to work with the media and local/state government.

This year's SDMS design, Images of Sound, illustrates the variations in terminology used in the profession. The SDMS encourages you to include terminology clarification in your public education efforts. Most people are familiar with the term "ultrasound" but are most likely unfamiliar with other terms such as sonography, sonographer, echocardiography, neurosonology, etc.

The kit is available on the SDMS website. For more information, visit:

Save $100 on a full 2½ day registration by submitting your registration and payment on or before August 22. It's time to register for the best conference in sonography, the SDMS 2003 Annual Conference.

The SDMS 2003 Annual Conference is your best value in continuing medical education - while other conferences charge more and more each year, the SDMS Annual Conference 2 1/2 day registration has remained the same since 1998 ($295 for members, $395 for non-members - early bird registration)! And each year, our educational programs and events have improved!

BIG Time in BIG D
October 16-19, 2003
Hyatt Regency Dallas at Reunion
Dallas, Texas

A Conference Registration brochure can be viewed/printed from the SDMS website.

• SDMS CME Credits: up to 17.5 for 2½ day program
• Optional SDMS Credits: up to 10.0 for Pre-conference Tutorials and Lunch and Learn sessions

Venipuncture and IV Access for Administration of Ultrasound Contrast Agents
A Course-in-a-Box
Editor: Daniel A. Merton, BS, RDMS

READY...SET...TEACH! Everything you need to teach administration of contrast agents is packaged in this unique course-in-a-box. This 'how to' course is designed to help you teach those with little or no experience in administering IV ultrasound contrast agents and who wish to expand their scope of practice.

• Course Manual: spiral-bound, 4-color illustrated manual containing step-by-step instruction on how to administer IV contrast agents
• Instructor Guide: spiral-bound manual includes teaching tips, sample course schedule, course examinations, course evaluation forms
• Instructor CD: contains a course manual that can be photocopied or printed for course participants; and a PowerPoint presentation that corresponds with the content of the course manual
• Videotape on Ultrasound Contrast Media and IV Insertion Techniques

Anyone who wishes to teach this course or wishes to provide these instructional materials to others to use. This course can be conducted in a variety of settings, for example: 1) educational programs 2) healthcare institutions/facilities 3) local ultrasound societies or study groups. Note: This course is not available for purchase by an individual as a self-instructional program.

This course can be offered with or without SDMS CME credit. If you wish to conduct the course and provide participants with SDMS CME credit, application for SDMS CME credit approval is required.*

Participants can earn 6 SDMS CME credits. Application for SDMS CME credit approval must be submitted in advance of conducting the course.*

Part II (skill training) of the course is optional. After successful completion of Part I of the course, the participant(s) may choose to complete the practical component at their workplace. SDMS CME credits will vary depending on the amount of time the participant spends receiving instruction and demonstrating the skills.

Course-in-a-box (without SDMS CME credit):
  Member: $115
  Non-member: $ 200

Additional Course Manuals
  Member: $20
  Non-member: $35

* Course-in-a-box (with SDMS CME credit): Price of the course-in-a-box PLUS processing fee for SDMS CME credit approval. For more information, visit:

The SDMS Educational Foundation is pleased to announce that updates and revisions to the Adult Cardiac section and additional competencies in Pediatric and Advanced Fetal Cardiac have been incorporated into the Sonography Clinical Assessment Notebook (The SCAN®) effective Fall 2003. At the time of its initial publication in Fall 1999, the SDMS Educational Foundation made a commitment to users of the SCAN that the content would remain current. In keeping with this commitment a regular schedule for review by sonography experts has been established and the first revisions are available. The SCAN is a comprehensive tool used by educators and employers to assess clinical scanning skills in sonography.

For more information about The SCAN, visit:

The News & Notes column includes links to web-based news articles of interest to sonographers. To submit articles, send the URL to webmaster@sdms.org

• Hospital PACS purchase plans double in one year
  http://www2.dimag.com/pacsweb/news/?id=4196



• Adding Contrast Improves Ultrasound's Ability to Detect Prostate Cancer
  http://www.ardms.org/newswire/07142003/07142003.html#contrast



• OSHA Disregards MSD Reporting
  http://www.ergoweb.com/news/detail.cfm?id=759



• Hands-on assessment of fetal weight as good as sonography, study claims
  http://www.auntminnie.com/default.asp?Sec=sup&Sub=wom&Pag=dis&ItemId=58645



• U.S. ultrasound market levels off in 2002
  http://www.auntminnie.com/default.asp?Sec=sup&Sub=ult&Pag=dis&ItemId=58657



• Insurance Companies Refuse to Pay for Handheld Ultrasound
  http://www.acep.org/1,32654,0.html



• ARDMS Notes to Educators - Summer 2003 Issue
  http://www.ardms.org/educators/NFEpdf/NFESummer2003.pdf



• Portable Ultrasound Imager Can Cut Costs During Cardiac Consultation
  http://www.ardms.org/newswire/07072003/07072003.html#PUI