Continuing Professional Development (CPD) programs are utilised by many professional organisations to ensure members of those professions maintain a high level of knowledge and skills throughout their professional life. ASAR recognises the importance of a CPD program to develop the ultrasound profession and to improve public confidence in the ultrasound service. The requirement to successfully comply with a CPD program for Accredited Sonographers (AMS, ABS and ACVS) in order to remain on the ASAR Register forms part of the Medicare Australia legislation. Within Australia, the Medicare rebate for sonographic services performed by a Sonographer is only payable where that Sonographer is on the ASAR Register.
All accredited Sonographers must therefore participate in an ASAR recognised CPD program in order to remain on the register. These programs provide a formalised mechanism of documented professional development in the form of CPD points that are collected by the individual Sonographer and logged with the relevant organisation.
Within each program, points are allocated under categories of CPD activities and a certain number of CPD points must be accrued within a given period.
For the purposes of ASAR accreditation a minimum of 40 points according to ASAR criteria must be accrued every three years. These 40 points can be gathered under the auspices of any ASAR approved CPD program. In some instances the requirements of the chosen CPD program may exceed those of the ASAR program. In these instances, the CPD requirements for accreditation will be easily met.
