The UCSF Ultrasound Team Soars
We are proud to announce that four sonographers – Irene Sun, Angela Lee, Kelli Christensen, and Khanthaly Koo – are now Registered Musculoskeletal Sonographers (RMSKS). In addition, we are proud to announce that Shelby Collins is our first graduate in advanced level Ultrasound Obstetrics, a specialized UCSF training course.
Deana Hammond, RMSKS, ultrasound clinical educator at UCSF says, “We train our musculoskeletal sonographers for about 12 months before encouraging them to sit for the official American Registry for Diagnostic Medical Sonography (ARDMS) MSK board exam. The ARDMS certification is very specialized and quite difficult to pass, so we train our staff up to UCSF standard and then encourage them to attempt the RMSKS board exam.”
In order to receive the rigorous RMSKS certification, sonographers must fulfill prerequisites and pass, within five years, two comprehensive exams: Sonography Principles & Instrumentation (SPI) and Musculoskeletal Sonographer (MSKS).
Regarding the advanced obstetrics program, Hammond explains, “We created the OB training program at UCSF because many of the patients we serve require complex scans for rare conditions. While all of our sonographers are already ARDMS board-certified in OB, that certification reflects basic knowledge that can be obtained from an ultrasound school and not the specialized knowledge required to accurately diagnose the complex conditions we are likely to see at UCSF.”
Congratulations to our sonographers for their hard work and dedication in achieving these distinctions!
The UCSF Ultrasound RMSKS Graduates are:
Irene Sun was the first graduate of the MSK Development Program and the first of our trainee cohort to become RMSKS board certified. She is now helping to Mentor the trainees day-to-day at the ACC and assisting in their weekly MSK training sessions.
Angela Lee is the second graduate and is sitting her RMSKS board exam in a few weeks. Good luck Angela!
Kelli Christensen recently passed her RMSKS board exam and is our second trainee to become certified. She has been contributing greatly to our educational program by regularly and enthusiastically sharing cases with the group, whilst also helping to oversee our new trainees.
Khanthaly Koo is a longstanding member of our MSK group who successfully completed the MSK program in record time. She has an incredible amount of experience and is a great problem-solver - which is invaluable when facing complex cases here at ACC.
The UCSF Advanced OB Graduate is:
Shelby Collins came into the OB program with enthusiasm and drive, and this was reflected in how quickly she completed the Program. She is now scanning all levels of OB ultrasound and will also help mentor those coming next through the program.