The SRU Reaches Out to Sonographers and Technologists
I recently received the brochure and registration materials for the 2008 Society of Radiologists in Ultrasound's Annual Meeting. I was somewhat surprised to have received the brochure, because historically the SRU has generally not been very receptive to non-radiologists. In fact, according to the SRU website,
http://www.sru.org/, the Society is
"...the only ultrasound society in North America which solely represents issues from the perspective of the radiologist" and one must be a radiologist or physician in radiology training to become a SRU member. Thus, the SRU has, in many peoples' opinions, been a rather exclusionary club of sorts that often gave the impression that they believe radiologists are the only medical professionals capable of interpreting sonograms. I've often considered the SRU's membership rather stodgy and insecure for this reason. However, that being said, I also respect those radiologists (SRU members or not) who continue to recognize the clinical importance of sonography and have not abandoned it to concentrate their efforts in more high-tech, lucrative modalities like CT and MRI. On an aside, I also applaud the SRU and other organizations that have joined the Alliance for Radiation Safety in Pediatric Imaging. The Alliance's "Image Gently" campaign's goal is to change medical imaging practices by increasing awareness of the opportunities to lower radiation dose when imaging children.
In any case, at this year's Annual Meeting in Philadelphia the SRU will be offering a "Sonographer and Technologist Luncheon," so clearly they are attempting to reach out to us non-physician sonography professionals. I find it a little disconcerting that the SRU is inviting non-members to their annual meeting but won't allow non-radiologists to become members. It's a little bit like being invited to the black-tie party at the mansion on the hill. Are we supposed to feel honored by the invite? Is the SRU's objective to provide additional educational opportunities for all users of sonography (a noble endeavor) or are they just trying to capture more revenues from professionals outside their club? Maybe it's a little of both. What do you think?