23rd
World Congress on Ultrasound in Obstetrics and Gynecology (ISUOG) and
joint ASUM Annual Scientific Meeting. Sydney October 2013. DMU(asia)
Board of Examiners meeting.
As part of the Vision
College/ Gideons contingent, I was fortunate enough to go back to my home town of Sydney for the 23rd World Congress on my Ultrasound in Obstetrics and Gynecology (ISUOG) and
joint ASUM Annual Scientific Meeting.
With a strong background
in Obgyn. I knew I was going to be treated to some world class
lectures by very familiar faces. I was also looking forward to
catching up with some of Vision’s valued international lecturers
(Dr. Sue Campbell Westerway) and DMU (Asia) examiners (Carol
Bagnall). First thing: get on the
plane. Unlike a lot of people, I always love flying from the LCCT. I
love walking along the air side tarmac to climb the stairs to the
plane. I know it’s not the biggest plane there is, but the size and
scale always exhilarates me.
This time I couldn’t
help but draw a comparison between the progress of commercial
passenger flight and ultrasound. Initially there were the passionate
few, who had a vision and the engineering skill to build a machine
that few people could see a large scale use for. Next came the
skeptics, the non-visionaries- the ones who worry about the safety
and dismiss the benefits. Eventually there was wide spread acceptance
of the machine and everyone was finding a use for it, but those uses
were limited by physics and engineering of the time. Every operator
had to be an expert. Then computer technology came riding along as
the knight in shining armour to remove most of the limitations and
provide even the novice operator the ability to use the machine.
Power and quality improved. More choice was added. Specialist
machines came on the market. Many companies started making different
brands. The people started demanding choice and themselves became
able to understand the technology and the ways it can improve the
quality of their life.
So now, I can use a plane
to take me to a conference where all the world experts on Obsgyn have
joined together for 4 days of exchanging ideas and expanding their
horizons.
Here is the trade hall,
where all the various ultrasound machine companies can display their
wares, and demonstrate their advancements into the field.
Of course, with hundreds
of qualified sonographers graduating from Vision College over the
years, you’re bound to bump into a few. Here I am with Li-Anne
Leong. Since graduating from Vision with her Grad Dip DMU(asia), she
has moved to Queensland, where she upgraded her professional
qualification to DMU(general), and now works as a general sonographer
by day, and lives the beach lifestyle on weekends.
 |
| Li Anne Leong and me |
Of course, this isn’t
sunny Queensland, but Sydney is not bad either.
 |
| Darling Harbour |
I’m sure this is just an
example of the quirky Aussie sense of humour right?
After 4 full days of
lectures and seminars, hands-on sessions and Q&A time, I was off
to Sydney Adventist Hospital where Dr. Sue Campbell Westerway had
kindly organised a few days of professional observation in an
echocardiography department. Vision College is working towards its
first intake of the DMU(cardiac) specialty course, and this means our
already highly qualified tutors and lecturers need to learn what
makes echocardiography such an exciting and rewarding career choice.
To help me understand the
unique requirements and demands of the cardiac sonographer, I had to
‘live it’. 5min apple on the lawn anyone? With cardiac
sonographers in extremely high demand, patients are flowing through
the department, but a dedicated echocardiographer knows that urgent
cases come in through A&E and from theaters and need to be
slotted into the daily work list. Often, tea break will be the first
casualty.
Do any of the potential
sonographers out there see what’s different about this picture?
Some of you may have noticed that the ultrasound machine and the
scanning bed are opposite sides to general imaging. No, all the
echocardiographers are not a ‘lefties’- they are often taught to
scan using their left hands as this position can be the best
ergonomically. That’s a fancy word for most compatible with the
human anatomy. All sonographers at Vision College are instructed on
how to minimise the strains on their body that arise in any
workplace. After all that dedication to study, we want you to have a
long and successful career.
Being an honorary SE Asian
for 4 years now, I have forgotten about the familiar critters that
share your house in Australia. This (big) fella was greeting me when
I climbed the stairs to my bedroom at Dr Sue’s house. He just
wanted to let me know that no mosquitoes would get past him, and I
was in his safe hands for the wonderful 3 nights I got to stay with
Sue and experience her generosity.
Of course, I was less
comfortable with his playful version of hide and seek.
To finish, no souvenir
from Australia is complete if it doesn’t have a dual purpose of
opening a bottle. Thank goodness the good folk at ASUM understood
this unspoken rule. Just remember not to place it in your hand
luggage!
Happy scanning.
By,
Geraldene Carruthers Beirne
Head Of Programme
Postgraduate DIploma of Medical Ultrasonography (Asia)
