On March 19, 2015, North Dakota Governor Jack Dalrymple signed a licensure bill (SB 2236) into law that sets licensing standards and expands the responsibilities of the state’s sonographers, nuclear medicine technologists, radiation therapists, radiographers, and radiologist assistants.

This new law makes North Dakota the third state in the United States to require licensure of sonographers. New Mexico and Oregon also have similar licensing requirements. The law also enables sonographers to take verbal orders from physicians and other healthcare practitioners and enter them into the patient’s electronic health record.

A nine-member State Board of Medical Imaging and Radiation Therapy Medical Examiners will oversee licensure requirements, grant licenses, and handle disciplinary actions.

Society of Diagnostic Medical Sonography (SDMS) Member and Midwest Society of Diagnostic Ultrasound (MSDU) Board Member, Chris Walski, RT(R), RDMS, RVT was instrumental in spearheading efforts to ensure the passage of the bill in North Dakota. “As a professional in my field, I am thrilled to have had a small part in ensuring every patient undergoing an ultrasound in the state of North Dakota will have a qualified and competent sonographer,” said Chris. “This law ensures a future where quality imaging will be the expectation for all patients in North Dakota.”

“The SDMS appreciates North Dakota’s dedication to ensuring the safety of patients who undergo a sonogram or medical imaging,” stated Katie (Kathryn) Kuntz, MEd, RT(R), RDMS, RVT, FSDMS, President of the SDMS. “This law is an important step in ensuring that all patients are scanned by a credentialed sonographer.”