*This article references outdated documents and a closed survey. As such, we've removed these links. View our current discipline documents.
The American Registry of Radiologic Technologists (ARRT) is looking for help from sonographers and educators in sonography programs. As an interested party, you are encouraged to review the proposed changes to the Examination Content Specifications, Clinical Competency Requirements, and Clinical Experience Requirements.
Our goal is to produce comprehensive, accurate and fair documents that cover the knowledge and cognitive skills required of sonographers. ARRT’s examinations are job-related. That is, we only include topics if knowledge of those topics relates directly to a clinical activity typically required in one’s job. A survey of possible tasks was sent to 1,000 current sonographers to determine these topics.
ARRT’s Sonography/Vascular Advisory Committee (composed of subject matter experts from throughout the nation) began working on these documents in July 2016 and will complete its work on them later this year. After that, ARRT’s Board of Trustees will review the proposed changes. The revised Examination Content Specifications and Clinical Requirements have a scheduled implementation date of January 1, 2019.
PROPOSED CHANGES TO THE EXAMINATION CONTENT SPECIFICATIONS
Proposed changes to the Examination Content Specifications include retitling the content categories and reorganizing them into three major sections: Patient Care, Image Production, and Procedures. This change creates consistent category names across all ARRT disciplines.
The Patient Care section was redone to reflect current practice and be consistent with the CDC guidelines for infection control for healthcare professionals.
The Image Production section was divided into three subsections to be consistent with breast sonography and vascular sonography examination content specifications.
In the Procedures section, several exams were added and removed.
The wording on multiple topics was updated for clarification.
PROPOSED CHANGES TO THE CLINICAL COMPETENCY REQUIREMENTS
Clinical competency requirements for candidates who enter the field by completing an educational program, consists of five mandatory patient care procedures, five mandatory scanning activities, two mandatory equipment care activities, 16 mandatory imaging procedures, and 11 elective imaging procedures.
PROPOSED CHANGES TO THE CLINICAL EXPERIENCE REQUIREMENTS
Clinical experience requirements, for candidates who have another ARRT or ARDMS credential and sonography experience, consist of demonstrating experience in 17 mandatory procedures and six elective procedures by completing the specific number of repetitions. A minimum of 1,206 repetitions of sonography procedures is required.
Proposed changes in the drafts are either underlined (additions) or lined out (deletions).
REVIEW THE DOCUMENTS AND PROVIDE FEEDBACK
Links to drafts of the proposed documents appear below. We invite you to review the documents and provide feedback via an important online survey (live until September 15, 2017). The survey is the official method by which we track feedback. Your comments will be reviewed to possibly make changes to these documents.
- Proposed Examination Content Specifications [link deactivated]
- Proposed Competency Requirements [link deactivated]
- Proposed Clinical Experience Requirements [link deactivated]
Submit Comments [survey closed]
QUESTIONS?
If you have questions about how the proposed changes may affect your eligibility for certification and registration in this discipline, call ARRT Initial Certification at 651.681.3167 .
If you have questions about the proposed changes to these documents, contact ARRT's Psychometrics department at 651.681.3106.
Thank you for your contribution to this important project.