ARDMS’s Single Physics Examination
In case you haven't heard, the American Registry for Diagnostic Medical Sonography (ARDMS) has announced that starting in Spring 2009, a new Sonography Principles and Instrumentation (SPI) examination will be made available. Before all of you who are already certified have a panic attack, I'll state up-front that active registrants who hold the RDMS, RDCS or RVT credentials do not need to take the SPI examination in order to maintain your current credentials.
In the past, there were three different physics examinations: The Ultrasound Physics and Instrumentation (UPI) exam was for applicants who wanted to earn the Registered Diagnostic Medical Sonographer (RDMS) certification; the Cardiovascular Principles & Instrumentation (CPI) exam was for people who wanted to become a Registered Diagnostic Cardiac Sonographer (RDCS) and the Vascular Physical Principles & Instrumentation (VPI) exam was required to obtain the Registered Vascular Technologist (RVT) credential. The rationale behind having three different physics and instrumentation exams was that echocardiographers and vascular technologists needed to be tested more on issues related to Doppler ultrasound and technologies used for those sub-specialties, where as general sonographers (i.e., those holding RDMS credentials) did not need to be tested too heavily on Doppler physics and instrumentation.
The new SPI exam will replace the three existing physics-related exams so that, in the future, applicants will only need to take and pass one physics exam and a specialty exam to become certified.
What the ARDMS did was to remove from the existing CPI and VPI exams any content that was specific to the RDCS and RVT credentials and place those questions on their respective specialty exams. Thus, the 2009 versions of the individual specialty examinations will include some physics and instrumentation questions that are unique to that specialty. Test items that were considered necessary for practitioners in all three credentials were incorporated into the SPI exam.
Given the fact that Doppler ultrasound is used so frequently during virtually all sonography examinations, I think having a single physics exam makes a lot of sense. Furthermore, once the SPI test is available, individuals who are new to the field will only be required to take the SPI exam as opposed to three different physics-related exams which will likely reduce their anxiety as well as save them the time required to study for and take the exam (not to mention a few bucks).
It sounds to me like a win-win situation for all, but I'd love to hear what you think about it.
To read more about the SPI exam visit the ARDMS website.