There appears to be a broad
consensus that radiography is in danger of being left behind as other
professions advance. The evidence that extended roles and advanced practice are
commonly conflated is building. As
sonographers we have additional problems as we are in the main from radiography
backgrounds, but have no direction as an independent profession as we are
unregulated.
Our research- Just 9.3% of 205 rep rads correctly articulated difference between extended & advanced practice @PaulineReeves19 @peabodysono https://t.co/mCGTW3ad5H— Rob Milner (@RobMilner3) August 31, 2017
Excerpt from Milner & Snaith (2017). Accreditation is key. To become accredited requires an understanding of the role(s) @SCoRMembers pic.twitter.com/9HyoQjZPaj— Rob Milner (@RobMilner3) August 31, 2017
This has come from DoH not SCoR, its across all AHPs. The SCoR wants to move with the times otherwise our profession will be left behind 1/2— Rob Milner (@RobMilner3) August 31, 2017
As artificial
intelligence in medicine becomes more sophisticated things will change and sonographers may need to countenance the unthinkable which is that
much of the work is ripe for pattern recognition image interpretation.
I am playing devil’s
advocate here but we need to consider a future where those who have the drive
and the ability to progress to Advanced Practice will lead and those who do not
will screen with the aid of software which is being developed by many manufacturers. The technology is developing fast - today it is possible to purchase software to provide quality analytics which audit the completeness and quality of stored images, a potentially useful tool when it is difficult to spare sonographers from scanning to carry out regular image audit and in a time when litigation places increasing strain on the NHS budget.
The urgent question
to be answered now is how do we use the evidence to shape the profession? And how do we do that as work loads increase and staffing levels fall? Our demographic time bomb is ticking - in 2014 the Society of Radiographers Sonographer Workforce Survey found that 66% of sonographers were over the age of 41 and 33% over the age of 50. There are not enough trainees in the system to meet the current demand let alone the inevitable future increases.
Change is inevitable and it is best to be actively involved in making changes or it will be imposed on us. If sonographers influence the development of sonography we may be able to build a profession in which career development and a growth mindset will benefit patients and staff alike.
