Graduate Technologist: Breast Ultrasound (Created 04-18-2024)

Revision History

This guidance is to assist those facilities seeking accreditation or already accredited that wish to hire a graduate sonographer/technologist who has not yet passed an ultrasound board certification exam.

Facilities hiring graduate sonographer/technologists in breast ultrasound must have the following procedures in place:

1. Graduate technologists must perform all sonograms under the direct supervision of a qualified sonographer/technologist and/or radiologist.  This means that the qualified sonographer/technologist and/or radiologist must be in the room for the entire procedure.  ALL sonograms taken by the graduate must be checked by the qualified sonographer/technologist before the patient leaves the office.

2. After attaining adequate proficiency (200 ultrasound exams, and 20 interventional exams), the graduate technologist may perform sonograms without direct supervision, but ALL sonograms performed by the graduate must be checked by the qualified sonographer/technologist  and/or radiologist before the patient leaves the office.

3. Any technologist who has not attained ACR acceptable ultrasound credentials should not independently perform sonograms until such credentials are earned.

4. The technologist must meet the accreditation qualifications by the next accreditation renewal.