Patient Care October 6, 2020 2 mins read

Celebrating Our Medical Sonographers During Medical Ultrasound Awareness Month

Five healthcare professionals wearing scrubs and face masks pose together in a clinical workroom. One staff member kneels in the center while the others stand around the room. Computers, office chairs, medical supplies, and a wall clock are visible in the background, highlighting a hospital or imaging department workspace. The group appears to be taking a brief team photo during their shift.

Each October, Medical Ultrasound Awareness Month (MUAM) is a time to create awareness around the role of the diagnostic medical sonographer in the medical community, the many uses of medical ultrasound in health care and the increased recognition of ultrasound as a vital medical tool. MUAM is a joint effort of six ultrasound organizations. The 2020 theme for Medical Ultrasound Awareness is “United We Scan,” emphasizing the unique circumstances of this year due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.

Thanks to MUAM, UCSF Radiology is able to celebrate the extraordinary contribution medical sonography provides to modern medicine and also to increase the public's knowledge about the benefits of sonography. Ultrasound imaging uses high-frequency sound waves to obtain images from inside the human body. Unlike x-ray radiography or CT scanning, there is no ionizing radiation exposure with sonography.

Two masked healthcare staff stand beside an ultrasound machine in an exam room, with one holding an ultrasound transducer next to an examination table.

The UCSF Department of Radiology and Biomedical Imaging has one of the few dedicated ultrasound groups in the United States. Our ultrasound subspecialty utilizes state-of-the-art, high-resolution ultrasound machines equipped with 2D, 3D and 4D capability along with color and duplex doppler imaging to create real-time sonograms of patients. We take a hands-on approach to sonographic diagnosis. Our Registered Diagnostic Medical Sonographers (RDMS) are accredited by the American Registry for Diagnostic Medical Sonography and trained at UCSF. They work closely with ultrasound physicians to make sure that patients receive not only compassionate and sensitive care, but also the most accurate sonographic diagnoses possible.

At UCSF Radiology, we recognize and appreciate the continuing hard work and dedication of sonographers. We support their continuing medical education (CME) and career development by hosting workshops and events right here in our Bay Area medical center and radiology locations. We have both the advanced ultrasound technology and specialized protocols, and skilled sonographers make this all possible.