News from the Society of Diagnostic Medical Sonographers

click here for audio/video version  *requires RealPlayer - free download

Terry DuBose, M.S.:  “We’re in San Francisco at the 44^th Annual AIUM Conference.  We have with us Steve McLaughlin who is President of the SDMS - the Society of Diagnostic Medical Sonographers, and the Executive Director of that organization is Don Haydon, and we’re going to talk a little bit about the SDMS and the meeting coming up in Dallas.  Steve, what can you tell us about that meeting?”

Steve McLaughlin:  “We’re really looking forward to this year’s meeting, it’s going to be held September 14^th-17^th in the year 2000.  This year we’ll be celebrating the SDMS’s 30^th anniversary, this promises to be the largest meeting ever held.  We’re looking forward to having sonographers from all over the USA and Canada come together not only for its educational benefit but also for the opportunity for sonographers to network and to also visit this year -- what we hope to be the largest exhibit of ultrasound equipment.  And it gives us all the opportunity to see the latest and newest innovations in ultrasound and to bring this information back to our hospitals, clinics, and outpatient facilities.  It’s going to be an exciting year; we’ve planned a gala event to celebrate so there’ll be a lot of fun for everybody that attends.  We’re looking forward to all the sonographers from all over the country to attend this year’s annual conference.”

Terry DuBose, M.S.:  “Steve, tell us what are the dates of that meeting?”

Steve McLaughlin:  “This year’s dates were planned far ahead, it is September 14^th through the 17^th in Dallas, Texas.”

Terry DuBose, M.S.:  “Great, thank you very much.  Now Don, the SDMS and Educational Foundation of this society has just finished a major project - a survey of sonographers, can you tell us about that?”

Don Haydon:  “The SDMS and the SDMS Educational Foundation have just recently completed the largest demographic and marketing profile for sonographers ever completed.  Over 36,000 sonographers were surveyed with a response rate of over 28%, which is a phenomenal response rate with a census-type survey, which means that the information is highly accurate.  Our margin of error is less than 2% and that creates a very accurate picture, for the first time a benchmark’s been created for the sonographic profession.  We know who is doing what, where, to whom, and with what products.  We’re also hopeful to entice businesses and corporations who provide either goods, products, or services to sonographers to take a look at the SBS as an information of marketing source.  As an example of the kind of information that’s available, equipment manufacturers for the first time will be able to tell from the SBS what their market share-market penetration is by state, by practice setting, and by specialty setting.  We’re very hopeful that the SBS will soon become the new standard for marketing information within the ultrasound community.”

Terry DuBose, M.S.:  “Great Don, I appreciate that very much, and I hope we see OBGYN.net at the SDMS meeting.”

Don Haydon:  “Terry, so do we.”

Terry DuBose, M.S.:  “Thanks very much.”