*This article references outdated documents and a closed survey. As such, we've removed these links. View our current discipline documents.
Since 2001, ARRT has offered certification and registration in Vascular Sonography to people who already hold an ARRT or ARDMS credential. In mid-2019, we plan to add a primary pathway to Vascular Sonography as well—that is, a way for people to gain ARRT certification and registration directly after completing an educational program in vascular sonography and other requirements (that is, there will be no need to have ARRT certification in another discipline first). Look for more information on the new Vascular Sonography primary pathway coming to you soon.
We are looking for help from vascular sonographers and educators in vascular 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 vascular 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 vascular sonographers to determine these topics.
ARRT’s Sonography/Vascular Sonography 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 are scheduled to be implemented in mid-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 added to accommodate candidates entering the field directly by completing an educational program in vascular sonography.
The Image Production section was divided into three subsections to be consistent with breast sonography and 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 CLINICAL COMPETENCY REQUIREMENTS
Clinical competency requirements, for candidates who enter the field by completing an educational program, consist of five mandatory patient care procedures, four mandatory scanning activities, one mandatory equipment care activities, 39 mandatory imaging procedures, and 19 elective imaging procedures.
PROPOSED CHANGES TO CLINICAL EXPERIENCE REQUIREMENTS
Clinical experience requirements, for candidates who already hold an ARRT or ARDMS credential and have vascular sonography experience, consist of demonstrating experience in 39 mandatory procedures and 19 elective procedures by completing the specific number of repetitions. A minimum of 1,120 repetitions of vascular sonography procedures is required.
REVIEW ALL PROPOSED CHANGES AND PROVIDE YOUR FEEDBACK
Proposed changes in the drafts are either underlined (additions) or lined out (deletions).
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 Clinical Competency Requirements [link deactivated]
- Propose Clinical Experience Requirements [link deactivated]
Submit Your Feedback [link deactivated]
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.