The American Registry for Diagnostic Medical Sonography (ARDMS), incorporated in June 1975, is an independent

nonprofit A nonprofit organization (NPO) or non-profit organisation, also known as a non-business entity, not-for-profit organization, or nonprofit institution, is a legal entity organized and operated for a collective, public or social benefit, in co ...

organization that administers examinations and awards credentials in the areas of diagnostic

medical sonography Medical ultrasound includes diagnostic techniques (mainly imaging techniques) using ultrasound, as well as therapeutic applications of ultrasound. In diagnosis, it is used to create an image of internal body structures such as tendons, muscles ...

, diagnostic cardiac sonography, vascular technology, physicians’ vascular interpretation, musculoskeletal sonography and midwifery ultrasound. ARDMS has over 90,000

certified Certification is the provision by an independent body of written assurance (a certificate) that the product, service or system in question meets specific requirements. It is the formal attestation or confirmation of certain characteristics of a ...

individuals in the

U.S. The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country Continental United States, primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 U.S. state, states, a Washington, D.C., ...

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by tot ...

and throughout the world. ARDMS provides certifications, resources, and career information to healthcare practitioners and students practicing medical sonography.

Mission statement

“ARDMS promotes quality care and

patient safety Patient safety is a discipline that emphasizes safety in health care through the prevention, reduction, reporting and analysis of error and other types of unnecessary harm that often lead to adverse patient events. The frequency and magnitude of a ...

through the certification and continuing competency of ultrasound professionals.”

Governance

ARDMS is governed by a board of directors composed of sonographers, vascular technologists,

physician A physician (American English), medical practitioner (Commonwealth English), medical doctor, or simply doctor, is a health professional who practices medicine, which is concerned with promoting, maintaining or restoring health through th ...

research scientists A scientist is a person who conducts scientific research to advance knowledge in an area of the natural sciences. In classical antiquity, there was no real ancient analog of a modern scientist. Instead, philosophers engaged in the philosophica ...

and a public member. The board creates the policies and defines the direction; the Exam Development Task Forces (EDTFs) conduct continuous evaluations of the material contained in the examinations.

Examination development

The examinations are developed by subject matter experts who sit on Exam Development Task Forces (EDTFs). The EDTFs survey job functions and practices in various specialties and develop test questions based upon a blueprint of job tasks in sonography. EDTFs are composed of sonographers, vascular technologists, physicians, and scientists. The members of each EDTF are knowledgeable in the subject area of the particular examination. As a global organization, ARDMS examinations are being delivered at test center locations in 27 countries. ARDMS has Registrants in 70 countries. ARDMS credentialing programs (RDMS, RDCS, RVT, and RPVI) have earned the ANSI-ISO 17024 accreditation through the

International Organization for Standardization The International Organization for Standardization (ISO ) is an international standard development organization composed of representatives from the national standards organizations of member countries. Membership requirements are given in Ar ...

and the

American National Standards Institute The American National Standards Institute (ANSI ) is a private non-profit organization that oversees the development of voluntary consensus standards for products, services, processes, systems, and personnel in the United States. The organi ...

. The organization is the recognized international standard in sonography credentialing.

Certifications awarded by ARDMS

'
Registered Diagnostic Medical Sonographer
'' (RDMS): To obtain the RDMS credential, applicants must meet the required prerequisites and must pass two examinations — the Sonography Principles and Instrumentation (SPI) examination, which tests basic physical principles and instrumentation knowledge, and one specialty examination. Specialty areas include

Abdomen The abdomen (colloquially called the belly, tummy, midriff, tucky or stomach) is the part of the body between the thorax (chest) and pelvis, in humans and in other vertebrates. The abdomen is the front part of the abdominal segment of the torso. ...

(AB),

Breast The breast is one of two prominences located on the upper ventral region of a primate's torso. Both females and males develop breasts from the same embryological tissues. In females, it serves as the mammary gland, which produces and secret ...

(BR),

Fetal Echocardiography Fetal echocardiography, or Fetal echocardiogram, is the name of the test used to diagnose cardiac conditions in the fetal stage. Cardiac defects are amongst the most common birth defects. Their diagnosis is important in the fetal stage as it might ...

(FE), Obstetrics and Gynecology (OB/GYN) and Pediatric Sonography (PS). '
Registered Diagnostic Cardiac Sonographer
'' (RDCS): Applicants seeking the RDCS credential must meet the required prerequisites and must pass two examinations — the SPI examination and a specialty exam in one of the following areas: Adult

Echocardiography An echocardiography, echocardiogram, cardiac echo or simply an echo, is an ultrasound of the heart. It is a type of medical imaging of the heart, using standard ultrasound or Doppler ultrasound. Echocardiography has become routinely used in t ...

(AE), Pediatric Echocardiography (PE) or Fetal Echocardiography (FE). '
Registered Vascular Technologist
'' (RVT): To qualify for the RVT credential, applicants must meet examination prerequisites and pass the SPI and Vascular Technology (VT) examinations. '
Registered Musculoskeletal Sonographer
'' (RMSKS): Applicants seeking the RMSKS credential must meet the required prerequisites and must pass two examinations — the SPI examination and the Musculoskeletal Sonographer (MSKS) examination.
Registered Physician in Vascular Interpretation (RPVI)
The RPVI credential is offered exclusively to physicians. To qualify for the RPVI credential, applicants must meet examination prerequisites and pass the Physician’ Vascular Interpretation (PVI) examination. '
Registered in Musculoskeletal Sonography
'' (RMSK): The RMSK credential is available to physicians and advanced care providers. To earn this credential, applicants must pass the Musculoskeletal (MSK) Sonography examination.

Certification Recognition

Credentials awarded by ARDMS are widely recognized in the medical community by sonographic and vascular professional organizations, including: *

American College of Radiology The American College of Radiology (ACR), founded in 1923, is a professional medical society representing nearly 40,000 diagnostic radiologists, radiation oncologists, interventional radiologists, nuclear medicine physicians and medical physicists. ...

(ACR) * American Institute of Ultrasound in Medicine (AIUM) *

American Society of Echocardiography The American Society of Echocardiography (ASE) is a professional organization of physicians, cardiac sonographers, nurses and scientists involved in echocardiography, the use of ultrasound to image the heart and vascular system. The organization w ...

(ASE) * Commission on Accreditation of Allied Health Education Programs (CAAHEP) * Intersocietal Accreditation Commission (IAC) *

Society of Diagnostic Medical Sonography The Society of Diagnostic Medical Sonography (SDMS) is a nonprofit professional association, representing over 24,000 sonographers and sonography student members across all fifty U.S. states and forty-eight countries, as of 2022. SDMS hosts an an ...

(SDMS) *

Society for Vascular Surgery The Society for Vascular Surgery (SVS) is the major national academic society for vascular surgery in the United States. Its mission includes education, research, career development and advocacy. The SVS is the national advocate for more than 6,00 ...

(SVS) * Society for Vascular Ultrasound (SVU) * World Federation for Ultrasound in Medicine and Biology (WFUMB)

References

External links

ARDMS Website
{{DEFAULTSORT:American Registry For Diagnostic Medical Sonography Diagnostic cardiology Medical ultrasonography Medical and health organizations based in Maryland Medical associations based in the United States