April 2010

Through your monthly e-mode we hope to bring you up to date on all events, Branch announcements and insights relevant to sonographers.  Make sure you visit the ASA website for more information on what’s coming up in April and make the most of your ASA membership.

e –mode features

·         The ASA National Office will be closed for the Easter break from Friday 2 April to Monday 5 April

·         Pru Pratten Memorial Award for Sonographer Achievement – Nominations close 9 April

·         Board of Directors 2010/2012 – Nominations close 13 April

·         Communication and Clinical Leader workshops on Thursday 27 May filling fast

·         ASA2010 Melbourne – It’s not too late to be a part of our 17^th annual national conference. Final education program available soon.

The ASA encourages contributions from members who may have news items, updates, information or opportunities that may be of interest to members. Contributions can be emailed to the ASA Membership Officer. Please note, the decision to publish in e-mode is at the discretion of the ASA.

ASA roundup

Pru Pratten Memorial Award for Sonographer Achievement – last chance to nominate

The Pru Pratten Memorial Award for Sonographer Achievement recognises excellence and outstanding achievement in sonography. Don’t miss your chance to nominate someone who you feel has made a significant contribution to the field of medical sonography. Nominations close 9 April 2010.

Nominations for the ASA’s Board of Directors – nominations close 13 April at 5pm EST

One of the most worthwhile contributions you can make as a professional is to volunteer your time for the advancement of your profession.  As an ASA Director, you will learn new skills whilst developing a broad understanding of the Association and benefit from making new and lasting connections with your peers. Of course, it also provides you with an additional opportunity to accrue CPD points.  Nominations must be made on the prescribed form and close at 5pm EST on Tuesday 13 April 2010. 

If you are considering nominating and require further information, please contact the ASA’s President Faye Temple. 

The Competency Framework for Sonographers – seeking feedback from all ASA members

The recommendations of the project report “Scoping study of role evolution for sonographers” (1 June 2009) identified, among other things, the need to clearly define the competencies of a sonographer before an extended role can be established.  The ASA Board of Directors concurred with these recommendations and committed resources to initiate a self-funded project to develop a competency framework.  We are pleased to advise that the framework, which seeks to identify the skills, fields of knowledge and attributes that competent diagnostic medical sonographers utilise to perform their role at key stages of their career, is now available as a consultation draft.

Your feedback is important.  Before publishing the competency framework, it is important that stakeholders have the opportunity to provide feedback and input.  The ASA encourages all members, individuals and organisations with an interest in the sonography profession to review the consultation draft.  Submissions received by COB 20 April 2010 will be considered during a final review phase prior to publication in mid-2010.  Printed copies are available on request – enquiries should be addressed to Elaine Trevaskis – CEO or  p: 03 9585 2996.

Here we grow again

ASA membership now represents around 70% of the profession with over 2,700 sonographers enjoying the benefits of discounts on education and events, PD-asa, advocacy and representation, insurance and information and resources.  Why not encourage your colleagues to join now and benefit from the same advantages?  New members who join before 1 May pay the 2009 membership prices and enjoy the benefits of membership to 30 June 2011.

Visit the ASA website or contact your Membership Officer to find out more.

Top five tips for maximising your ASA membership 

It’s no secret that the more active you are within your professional association, the greater the value of your membership.  Don’t just be a member… be active.

1.     Register for ASA education events to receive exclusive member discounts

2.     Nominate PD-asa as your CPD program – its FREE

3.     Post your job vacancies for free on the ASA employment pages

4.     Have your say in the online discussion forums

5.     Contribute to the future of your profession by participating on one of our committees – there is sure to be one that fits with your personal and professional goals

Find the ideal candidate with the ASA’s FREE employment advertising
Target your search for the ideal candidate more effectively using the ASA’s employment pages.  Take advantage of this free service and advertise your vacancies to over 2700 ASA members within Australia and New Zealand.  As the peak body and leading voice for sonographers, the ASA also supports greater recognition of sonography as a profession and the vital role that the sonographer plays in delivering ultrasound services.  When you advertise your vacancies on our site, you are also providing us with essential information that can assist us to establish the extent of workforce shortages in order to effectively advocate on behalf of the profession.  Visit our employment pages to post your job now. 

PD-asa – A simple solution for professional development

The ASA provides many professional development activities for members and as a PD-asa participant you have the benefit of having all ASA events logged automatically on completion and the evidence maintained for you.  ASA education activities include:

·         Online CPD tests

·         Travelling workshops

·         Branch meetings

·         ASA2010 Melbourne

·         SIG2010 Sydney

This means that when you nominate PD-asa as your default CPD Program, you no longer need to record your CPD activities with ASAR. Your PD-asa profile will be automatically updated with ASA events, you can easily log-in and update your profile with any non ASA activities and when it comes to the end of your triennium or at audit, ASA will liaise with ASAR on your behalf.

PD-asa provides:

·         Access to a simple online tool for tracking your CPD activity and progress for your triennium

·         The expertise of a PD-asa Administrator who will work with you to navigate any ASAR audit process

·         Access to your personalised profile so you can update your details anytime

·         Regular PD-asa Alerts highlighting upcoming CPD events and tips for planning your CPD program and notifications of annual cycle timelines.

For more information visit the ASA website or email your dedicated PD-asa Administrator.

Obstetric ultrasound survey – breaking bad news to a patient

As part of our ASA2010 Melbourne conference program, ASA member Dorothy McGinnes will be presenting an informative session on ‘Breaking bad news’.  To assist in building a background on the challenges, impact and support available to you, Dorothy is encouraging ASA members to complete a brief survey in relation to your own experiences.  The results of the survey will be used to build a case for examining all aspects of breaking bad news and implementing a plan to ensure that the most care can be given to the patient while minimising distress on your staff and department.

If you perform obstetric ultrasounds, please take a few minutes to complete this questionnaire. To enable Dorothy to present the data from this survey, it must close on Tuesday 20 April.

Sonography roundup

2010 National SARRAH Conference

New Frontiers in Allied Health: Gathering Pearls of Wisdom

Broome, WA 20-23 October 2010

Visit the SARRAH website for more information

ASA events

ASA2010 Melbourne 28–30 May – Register before 1 May to SAVE

Conference highlights –

After two years of planning, the final countdown is on.  ASA2010 Melbourne has everything you look forward to for your conference experience: more plenary sessions, more workshops, more speakers, more posters, more exhibitors and more networking opportunities. 

If you have not yet registered, make sure you do so before 1 May to SAVE.  And, if you have already confirmed your attendance, start planning to make the most of your conference experience. 

·         Plan your session attendance ahead of time - final tweaks are being made and the complete program will be available from 9 April

·         Identify your own goals and what you want to accomplish from ASA2010 Melbourne

·         Make the conference satchel your first point of reference, it contains loads of helpful information including the bumper edition of the Book of Proceedings

·         Wear your ASA lanyard displaying your name tag - it contains your mini program, delegate passport and social and workshop tickets

·         Complete your Delegate Passport and be in the running for a $5000 travel voucher.  Participate in the Trade Quiz and the Scientific Quiz to be in the running for some great prizes

·         Engage with speakers, attend the social events and meet as many people as you can

Don’t miss the heart of our conference – the Trade Show.  We are particularly pleased to acknowledge the valuable ongoing support of GE Healthcare, Philips Healthcare and Siemens who are once again supporting the ASA with gold sponsorship and we are delighted to welcome Insight–Medison as our newest gold sponsor.  Together with displays from a growing number of silver and bronze sponsors, the Trade Show is your best opportunity to access and learn about new innovations, products and services relevant to you and your workplace. 

Visit the ASA website for program updates and to register online or contact the ASA National Office for your ASA2010 Melbourne program.  

Managing healthcare in the modern environment – workshop series filling fast

These workshops have been designed to address the challenges of managing in the modern environment.

Workshop registration from $195 half day/$375 full day for members.  Visit the ASA Calendar for program details or to register.

Travelling Workshops

The 2009/10 Travelling Workshop series has now concluded and we would like to thank all our presenters and local organisers for such a successful Series.

To our presenters Greg Lammers, Donna Traves, Tracey Harrington, Kristy Thomas, Ann Quinton, Scott Allen, Jane Keating, and Patrick Nielsen whose passion for creating positive learning experiences and encouraging the exchange of knowledge has inspired so many throughout 2009/10. 

Without the support of our local organisers - ASA members who are committed to the advancement of the profession, the Travelling Workshops simply could not continue.  We thank Johanna McColl, Leanne Heffernan, Jean Cassidy, Maree Eastley, Russell Boustead, Julie Rosato, Brett Wallace, Katrina Stevens, Ellen Black,  Josh Rafferty, Natalie McIntosh, Peter Thiel, Linda Day, Kath Deed, Brendan Goode, John Coates, Rex de Ryke, Sally Dunbar, Catrina Panuccio, Ann-Maree Grant, In-Suk Cho and Carla Marcelli  for organising venues, catering, accommodation and so much more.

Visit the ASA Calendar for the 2010/11 Travelling Workshops Series.

Branch and Sub-branch meetings

Check the date for your next Branch or Sub-branch education meeting and make sure it is in your diary.  Remember if you are a PD-asa participant your CPD profile will be automatically updated with these activities.

Visit the ASA website for the full 2010 calendar of branch and sub-branch meetings.

Please note: Dates and topics are subject to change. Please check the ASA website for updates.

The next e-mode
The next edition of e-mode will be circulated on Friday 7 May

Spread the word

Do you like what the ASA is doing? Spread the word! We encourage you to print this email or forward it to your colleagues to spread the word about what's happening within the ASA. 

Australian Sonographers Association

 National Office

PO Box 709  Moorabbin  Vic  3189

P: 03 9585 2996   F: 03 9585 2331

  www.a-s-a.com.au   members@a-s-a.com.au

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