1. SDMS Reaches New Membership Milestone
2. ARDMS Board Votes Against Change in Vascular Credential
3. Changes in Professional Liability Insurance
4. SDMS Clearance Blowout Sale
5. Department of Labor Involved in Controversial Overtime Payment Issue
6. New Orleans, SDMS, and YOU - A Perfect Trio
7. SDMS CME Tracker and Your CME Transcript
8. News & Notes
9. Important Dates

On March 30, 2004, the Society of Diagnostic Medical Sonography reached a new membership milestone of 15,000 members. Melissa Godwin, a student from Florida, just became our 15,000th member!! And...she just happens to be our 1,499th student member! Thanks Melissa!

And thanks to everyone who helped SDMS achieve this new membership level...but our work is not done yet! With more than 45,000 registered sonographers, we ALL need to work diligently to get them all to join the SDMS community. We need their involvement in the Society and we think SDMS can provide them with the benefits they need. Give a coworker a membership application today!

• Click here for a SDMS membership application
• Click here for a list of member benefits

In February, the ARDMS' Board of Directors unanimously voted against changing the Registered Vascular Technologist (RVT) credential to Registered Diagnostic Vascular Sonographer (RDVS). This decision has generated a significant number of calls to the SDMS based on inaccurate information about the SDMS' position on this issue.

Based on review of the issue and future implications of a credential name change, the SDMS' Executive Committee voted to support the recommendation by the Society of Vascular Ultrasound (SVU) to change the credential from RVT to RDVS. In July 2002 and June 2003, the SDMS notified the ARDMS of its support of SVU's recommendation.

SDMS has received a number of phone calls over the last few weeks from sonographers who need professional liability insurance because their insurance company is no longer going to write this type of coverage. We have recently learned that effective May 5, 2004, Marsh Affinity (formerly Maginnis) will no longer be providing sonographers with professional liability insurance. If you are currently insured by Marsh Affinity, please feel free to call SDMS Insurance Services at 800-565-8794, for information about the SDMS professional liability coverage.

Many sonography-related business owners and IDTF owners must also carry professional liability insurance to protect their sonographers and businesses. SDMS Insurance Services can now provide businesses with coverage under a corporate policy.

In today's litigious environment, the chance of a malpractice suit is real. SDMS Insurance Services can provide you with the coverage you need to help protect your financial security and your career.

For more information about SDMS Professional Liability Insurance, which is rated A++ Superior by the insurance industry, visit

The U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) has proposed regulatory changes to the overtime payment provisions of the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA). The changes, if inacted, would significantly reduce the number of persons/occupations who are legally entitled to overtime payment.

A number of healthcare occupations would be affected by these regulatory changes, and sonographers are projected to be included in that group of allied healthcare providers who would no longer be covered by the overtime payment provisions of the FLSA. Many other occupational groups could be affected by these changes, and the discussion on this issue is politically charged and contentious. Democratic senators opposed the Omnibus Appropriations Bill because it did not contain an amendment which would have blocked the DOL's proposed rules. But, the bill passed in spite of this opposition. Additionally, there is a wide range of estimates on how many people would be affected by these changes. The White House estimates that 650,000 - 700,000 people would lose overtime pay status. Democratic leaders have projected a much larger number.

Senate minority leader, Tom Daschle (D-S.D.) has stated that Democrats plan to file a proposal to rescind the DOL rules under the 1996 Congressional Review Act, which allows lawmakers to remove regulations from the books within a limited time after they are published. There are a number of questions yet to be answered including the exact nature of the language that will identify those occupations for the "no overtime" exemption.

SDMS lobbyists and legal analysts have observed that while sonographers are likely to be included in the 'no overtime' rule changes, it does not mean that those who employ sonographers would be restricted from paying them overtime if they chose to do so. Since sonographers are in short supply and high demand, the labor market may require employers to pay overtime to remain competitive in the sonographer recruitment and retention job market.

SDMS will keep its members updated on this important issue as information becomes available.

Get Jazzed!

September 30 - October 3, 2004
Hyatt Regency New Orleans
  at Louisiana Superdome
New Orleans, LA

Soon it will be time to confirm your place at THE educational destination for all sonographers - the SDMS Annual Conference!

Over 60 courses in five specialty tracks - Ob/Gyn, Abdomen, Vascular, Cardiac, and Practice Strategies.

Earn up to 17.5 SDMS CME credits in the 2 ½ day program. An additional 9.5 credits are available through Pre-Conference Tutorials and Lunch and Learn sessions.

Take full advantage of all your SDMS member benefits! Don't you already have enough details to keep track of? SDMS will make your life simpler if you'll do just two things: 1. Make sure SDMS has your ARDMS Registry number on record, and 2. Take advantage of the FREE and discounted CME activities presented to you on the SDMS website or at the SDMS Annual Conference.

As part of an exclusive member benefit, SDMS CME Tracker, the SDMS maintains a transcript of all SDMS continuing medical education (CME) activities that you have completed through the SDMS website or at the SDMS Annual Conference. This transcript includes CME activities from SDMS National Certification Exam Reviews, SDMS videos/CD-ROMS/DVDs, the Journal of Diagnostic Medical Sonography, and other online activities. Additionally, the transcript includes any CME credits you may have received by attending the SDMS Annual Conference. The SDMS CME Transcript was created for SDMS members in September 2001 and will display all SDMS CME activities in which you have participated since that time.

• Date: Displays the date of completion of the CME activity. If the activity was completed via the website, the time of completion will also be displayed.
• Description: Displays the title of the CME activity, the SDMS CME File number, and the distribution of credits by content (specialty) area.
• CME Credits Awarded: Displays total amount of CME credits earned for each activity. The "View Certificate" link under each total will provide you with a printable CME certificate for your records. These certificates are also accepted by ARRT and CCI as verification of CME credits earned.
• Reported to ARDMS: Informs you if the credits for the CME activity have been reported to the ARDMS. CME credits are not reported to ARDMS immediately upon completion, but rather on a weekly basis.

NOTE: The SDMS CME Tracker program is an exclusive SDMS member benefit. Your ARDMS Registry number must be on file at SDMS Headquarters to participate in this program.

To view your CME Transcript, visit the SDMS Members Only area at:

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