All health care professionals are affected in some way, shape, or form by the continual changes in health care education, delivery, and regulation. As multiple states have now moved forward to implement diagnostic medical sonography licensure, sonographers should be aware of the process by which this occurs as well as the potential outcome of state-by-state licensure. This article will attempt to describe the process of occupational licensure as well as provide an overview of recent legislative activities at the state and federal levels.
WildJReidJ: Diagnostic use of ultrasound. Br J Phys Med1956;19:248–257.
2.
WildJReidJ: Echographic visualization of lesions of the living intact human breast. Cancer Res1954;14:277–282.
3.
EdlerIHertzCH: The early work of ultrasound in medicine at the University of Lund. J Clin Ultrasound1977;5:352–356.
4.
HertzCH: Ultrasonic heart investigation. Med Electron Biol Eng1964;101:39–45.
5.
FinocchioLJDowerCMMcMahonTGragnolaCMand the Taskforce on Health Care Workforce Regulation. Reforming Health Care Workforce Regulation: Policy Considerations for the 21st Century. San Francisco, Pew Health Professions Commission, December1995.
6.
StanlyDG: The importance of Intersocietal Commission for the Accreditation of Vascular Laboratories (ICAVL) certification for noninvasive peripheral vascular tests: the Tennessee experience. J Vasc Ultrasound2004;28(2):65–69.
7.
BrownWOBendickPBovePG: Reliability of extracranial carotid artery duplex ultrasound scanning: value of vascular laboratory accreditation. J Vasc Surg2004;39(2):366–371.
8.
BoswellBJonesABengeC: Practice patterns and membership opinion about the value of credentialing and accreditation: results of a membership survey. J Diagn Med Sonography2003;19:387–390.
9.
AbuhamadAZBenacerrafBRWoletzP: The accreditation of ultrasound practices, impact on compliance with minimum performance guidelines. J Ultrasound Med2004;23:1023–1029.
