“One day, that’s going to be you.”
 
That’s what my dad said to me as soon as we were on the other side of my future program director’s door during an Open House visit at the Rochester Institute of Technology. To this day, he remembers that moment as clearly as I do.

We remember it because Dr. Hamad Ghazle–or just “Hamad”, as he insists–could probably have gotten my dad, a welder, to become a sonographer that day if he wanted to. His passion for sonography was contagious, and I’ve been infected ever since. That meeting taught me the most important thing I would ever need to know about ultrasound education–it only goes as far as you love it, and you have to love it all the way.

Fast forward a decade–including various jobs in different cities and specialties, a global pandemic, and graduate school–and as it turns out, my dad was right. Well, kind of–I am a diagnostic medical sonography program director, but as much as I will always try to be, I am surely no Hamad! 

What I can say is that I give everything to be to my own students who Hamad was to myself and my peers–the person that serves as a constant reminder that “sonography is passion and joy”, and to do this work is to take on a great responsibility that requires excellence in every single action we take. This excellence begins with our education.

It’s no secret that, as sonographers, we all struggle with the common misconception: “It’s so easy to be a sonographer! All you do is take pictures all day!” Or we are often met with knife-to-the-gut questions like, “You had to go to school for four years? To do this?!” While we can appreciate these misconceptions are just that–amiss–I believe there is a correction to be made here. 

There are an infinite number of reasons as to why education as a sonographer is critical:

• Our dedication to educational excellence directly impacts the quality of care we provide to our patients, which in turn directly impacts patient outcomes. We change people’s lives.
• As sonographers, we are lifelong learners. From technological advancements like equipment materials to capabilities, to the use of artificial intelligence in medical imaging–we quite truly have no choice but to grow when it comes to this remarkable field.
• Ultrasound education includes not only technical skills, but also ethical principles and (my favorite topic)  patient-centered care. Included in our curriculums and care practices is the importance of empathy and respect for our patients and the vulnerable position that an intimate ultrasound exam puts them in.