News from the Associated Sciences Consortium

By Donna Blakely MS, RT (R)(M)(CRA)

March 2012—For the past three years, I have served as the AHRA liaison for the Associated Sciences Consortium. I have found that this liaison relationship had been very valuable for AHRA in working with our peer organizations and having our organization recognized at the RSNA Annual Meeting. During the most recent meeting I attended on January 30, 2012, we discussed the highlights of the Associated Sciences courses offered during the 2011 RSNA Annual Meeting and looked ahead to 2012’s meeting this November.

The Associated Sciences Consortium is a working group representing professional societies in radiologic sciences, technology, and administration. At the 2011 RSNA, the Associated Sciences Consortium sponsored 10 courses. All courses were well attended and well received. RSNA Associate members have continued to rise with 94 Associate Members as of December 2011. There were 4,020 radiology support personnel who attended the 2011 RSNA.

During our call, ratings and attendance were reviewed for the following 2011 Associated Sciences courses:

• Implications for the Changing Face of Health Care: Aging and the Shift of Population
  Attendance : 90
  Speakers rated at 4.35 and 4.42 out of 5.0

• Implications for the Changing Face of Health Care: Delivery and Regulatory Impacts
  Attendance: 173
  Speakers rated at 4.39 and 4.55 out of 5.0.

• Changing the Score of Practice: Gaps and Overlaps
  Attendance: 117
  Speakers rated 4.3, 4.33, and 4.49 out of 5.0.

• Medical Imaging Radiation Exposure Origins, Consequences, and Control: Optimization of Radiation Dose
  Attendance: 178
  Speakers rated 4.41 and 4.11 out of 5.0.

• Ethics in the Era of Health Care Reform
  Attendance: 46
  Speaker rated 4.50 and 4.60 out of 5.0.

• Understand Health Literacy and National Standards on Culturally and Linguistically Appropriate Services (CLAS)
  Attendance: 29
  Speakers rated 4.56 and 4.21 out of 5.0

• Impacts of Emerging Practice Models
  Attendance: 66
  Speakers rated 4.47 and 4.52 out of 5.0. (Coordinated by AHRA Liaison).

• Picking up the Pieces: Forensic Radiography Following Mass Disasters
  Attendance: 80
  Speakers rated 4.34 out of 5.0.

• Imaging Facility Design in an Age of Diminishing Resources
  Attendance: 59
  Speakers rated 4.39, 4.46, and 4.41 out of 5.0.

• Creative Marketing Strategies: Keeping it Legal
  Attendance : 92
  Speakers rated 4.52 and 4.45 out of 5.0.  (Coordinated by AHRA Liaison).

We also reviewed the 2012 course line up. The following courses will be offered:

• Are you ready? The Business Case for Cultural Competence: Impact of Health Literacy
• Are you ready? The Business Case for Cultural Competence:  Impact of World View Standards
• Creating a Just Patient Safety Culture (Coordinated by AHRA and ARIN Liaison)
• Creative Marketing Strategies Update: Keeping it Legal (Coordinated by AHRA Liaison)
• Radiology in the Developing World: Strategies for Improving Global Health
• Maximizing Space Planning in an Era of Diminishing Resources
• Medical Imaging Dose Exposure: Origins, Consequences and Control
• Implications of the Changing Face of Health Care
• Changes in the Scope of Practice:  Gaps and Overlaps
• Reimbursement Realities

Did you attend any of these courses at the 2011 RSNA meeting? What did you think? Will we see you at the 2012 course offerings?

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Donna Blakely MS, RT (R)(M)(CRA) is the radiology director at Lawrence & Memorial Hospital in New London, CT. She can be reached at dblakely@lmhosp.org.