Australian sonographer competency : a new framework

Sonographers possess a unique and complex body of knowledge and skills, providing real health benefits to the community. The value of competency frameworks rests on their capacity to support and facilitate professional practice in the interests of public safety. The commitment to act in the service of others carries with it a professional and ethical obligation to practice within the boundaries of accepted competency standards. The well-accepted Australasian Sonographers Association (ASA) competency standards for entry-level Australian sonographers were introduced a decade ago. At this time, ultrasound technology, its application and the sonographer's role as a critical interface to this technology continue to evolve. The article provides an overview of research used to develop a contemporary competency framework for sonographers. It describes each framework component and how these components have a potential role in sonographer education and clinical practice at different levels of expertise. Sonographer competencies were developed via a national collaborative research project led by a multi-institutional research team of academic and industry professionals. A Delphi study design elicited consensus on multiple competency characteristics from an expert panel of 55 sonographers. The expert panel contained representatives from all Australian states and territories and represented all domains of practice. The resulting project outcome consisted of a competency framework containing four significant components: sonographer competency standards, sonographer knowledge, sonographer attitudes and a holistic competency matrix.