SDMS Conference Two-Steps Off to a Good Start
Known for the sounds of country music that have earned it the well-deserved moniker of "Music City, USA," Nashville is playing host to sounds of a different sort this week as it welcomes more than 1,100 sonographers and sonography students to the Society of Diagnostic Medical Sonography's Annual Conference.
The SDMS event, being held at the Gaylord Opryland Resort and Convention Center through Sunday, kicked off Thursday with the pre-conference Student Conclave, Educators Tutorial, and a wide range of tutorials for sonography educators and professionals in four sonographic imaging tracks: abdominal, cardiac, ob.gyn and vascular. Attendees began gathering by 7 a.m. for the sessions that got under way at 8 a.m. sharp.
Now in its third year, having been initiated at the Denver conference two years ago, the Student Conclave featured seven 50-minute sessions designed to answer every student's ever-present question on just about every subject: Why do I need to learn this, anyway?
Frank Miele, for example, delivered a surprisingly entertaining session titled "Math and Everyday LIfe: The Mathematical Perspective All Students Should Know." Admittedly, some of the 300-plus students attending the 8 a.m. class spent much of the time texting friends, sipping coffee or bottles of water and whispering to neighbors, but many others laughed along with Miele's efforts to put a humorous spin on the importance of math not just to every day life chores like balancing the checkbook and calculating how much soil to buy for a landscaping project, but also to sonography, where accurate volume and other calculations are essential.
"I think math is a fear for just about everyone, but he broke it down to a point where I could really understand it a lot better," said Julie Bartlett, RT(R), of Bowling Green, Ky., who attended the Student Conclave with fellow student Leann Wiesemann, RT(R), also of Bowling Green; and their instructor, Angie Mullins, RDMS, RT(R(M)(S), of Bowling Green Technical College. Bartlett and Wiesemann both graduated from X-ray school in May and ar now on track to earn their RDMS by June, they said, in an effort to enhance their marketability.
"It makes us much more marketable," Bartlett said as her friend nodded. Asked if they were concerned about getting a job atter graduation in light of the current recession, Wiesemann said, "Of course!"
"But we do have time for it (the economy) to bounce back again," added Bartlett.
Students also got a chance to demonstrate their knowledge of ultrasound with a lively afternoon game of "Ultra-Jeopardy." Hosted by Marianna Desmond, BS, RDMS, RT(R), clinical coordinator of diagnostic medical sonography at Triton College of River Grove, Ill., and Cathie Rienzo, MS, RDMS, RT(R), pogram director of sonography at Northampton Community College of Bethlehem, Pa., the game pitted five teams of students from sonography schools around the country against each other. Ultimately Team 4, composd of students from Central Ohio Technical College, Columbus Technical College, Baptist College of Health, St. Philips College, Triton College and Fox Institute emerged victorious, amassing 12,292.72 points.
Meanwhile, Mullins and her instructional colleagues took advantage of the Educators Tutorial, which featured a half-dozen sessions on such topics as grant writing, how to choose the right students for a sonography program and even how to improve your teaching skills with analogies-. "I just got done listenig to Sue Ovel, who taught the analogies session, and she just did a great job," Mullins said as she stopped on her way to pick up a snack during the mid-afternoon break.
Referesher courses in the anatomical imaging tracks were also well received--espeically one on ergonomics delivered by Carolyn Coffin, MPH, RDMS, RDCS, RVT--but not everyone was on hand for the conference just for the courses and their associated CE credits. Brandi Canady-Taylor, BS, RDMS, RVT, of Dublin, Ga., said she and six of her fellow sonographers at the Dublin Women's Center "came looking for a new 3D-4D ultrasound machine to replace our current one." Canady-Taylor was sitting next to Ellen Hazzard, RT(R), RDMS, of Winnebago, Ill., who said her own priority was "to get my credits." Hazzard described herself as something of a "freelance sonographer," adding that she currently works for one local infertility specialist, six obstetricians and as a fill-in for a maternal-fetal medicine specialist at a local hospital.
.Thursday's pre-conference sessions closed out with the grand opening of the SDMS Exhibit Hall. Some 75 vendors, ranging from major equipment makers like GE Healthcare, Siemens and Toshiba America Medical System to clinics, hospitals and snography schools like Excelsior College and the Seton Family of Hospitals, were on hand to greet attendees who strolled the aisles nibbling hors d'oeuves and sipping wine, beer and soft drinks. The conference picks up steam on Friday with additional sessions on all four anatomical tracks, as well as the SDMS annual awards and honors program and the "Tennessee Two-Step" evening of dancing, snakcs and live music.
In all, an estimated 1,100 sonographers and students were on hand for yesterday's pre-conference events, which put attendance at just about 10 percent lower than last year's, said Don Kerns, CAE, the SDMS chief operating officer. Kerns said he expected last-minute attendees to put that figure closer to 1,300 when the conference peaks on Friday and Saturday.
Be sure to check out the photo gallery from Day 1 of the SDMS Conference, as well as upcoming coverage of Friday's sessions and events here on the ADVANCE web site.