A Message from our USRT President

Dear Fellow Technologists,
I am excited to have been chosen as your president for the Utah Society of Radiologic Technologists. I have been involved with this society on and off since 1995 and have been impressed with the activities and programs they provide for us. I look forward to working with a great board that donates their time and talents above and beyond the call of duty. Most of them have been doing this for many years and therefore my job will be easier. I would love to see some of our younger members take an interest in our society and learn from these board members so that the USRT will remain strong and be able to provide the benefits that it has in the past. Please call or E-mail me if you are interested in serving on a committee this year or on the board next year. We would love to have your help.
The USRT has a low number of members and our new RT Representative would like to double our membership this year. The more members we have, the stronger our society will be. Please invite your co-workers and students to join the USRT and take advantage of all we offer. The USRT has three conferences a year, one of which offers three free credits. All of your credits are kept track of for you so that when you get audited and can’t find your certificate of CECs, you can pull them up on our web site anytime. Everything can be done on the internet now, from meeting and talking with your USRT board to signing up for a membership or conference you would like to attend. The USRT offers scholarships for students who want to pursue the field of x-ray and this year we would like to involve the students more through a variety of programs.
Our USRT conferences are a great way to learn. We have speakers from all of the modalities and have breakout sessions for some of our specialties at the Spring Conference. We also give you an opportunity to socialize with those who work in the field of Radiology allowing you to see old friends and share ideas with those in your same area of interest. If you hate watching DVDs or pouring over a long book, after which you have to take a test, you really need to check out our USRT conferences. Feel free to contact me with any questions, concerns or ideas.
My goal for this year is to work with the USRT board to bring you great educational experiences through our conferences. I know a lot of us do not work as closely with our Radiologists as we used to and are missing out on the learning we gained from standing at their side as they read our films. I am hoping to get several of our radiologists to speak at our conferences this year Back to the basics as well as what’s new will be covered in their presentations. While there are many other places to go to get your continuing education, I hope you will find the USRT conferences are the best place to be. You can’t beat the cost (unless you are getting your CEs for free) because ours are only about 12 dollars a credit.
Get on line now and join this great society of Radiologic Tehnologists. Check out the three conferences we will be having in November, February and May so you can make plans now to attend at least one of them, if not all three of them. Thanks for giving me the opportunity to serve as your President. I will do my best to make this year a fun- filled educational experience for all those who care to attend and take part in the USRT

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Tauna Lee Berry RT, M
President - Utah Society of Radiologic Technologists

IMPORTANT BULLITIN:

REPORT FROM RT/DC MARCH
2010Hello Fellow Technologists:I have attended the RT/DC event on March 7-9, 2010 in Washington, DC representing the USRT. The ASRT sponsored this meeting and as you know I have been attending for the last 12 years. We were updated on the status of the CARE bill HB3652. My visits included the following legislators: Congressmen Rob Bishop, Jim Matheson, and Jason Chaffetz. I also visited the Senate: Senator Orrin Hatch and Senator Bennett. I was able to visit with their legislative assistants as it was early in the legislature where most of them had not come back to Washington DC. I did see Jason Chaffetz. He is a freshman congressman for Utah and just getting to know about the CARE bill. He was very receptive to the CARE bill. All were receptive to the information I brought to them. I also will be following up with emails next week to check with them on co sponsorship of the bill. After getting back from the “Hill”, I will be diligently engaged with following ups with emails and phone calls to these legislators’ offices. I hope that you have done the same. There were a series of Medical Hearings presented on February 26 where testimony about the misadministration’s that were happening in New York. Patients as well as family of these people testified about how their loved ones were damaged by too much radiation or wrong site of radiation delivery, etc. There were 2 reported deaths from these misadministrations. The ASRT Speaker of the House gave a testimony about how we need more education and certification of those using radiation. You can find this information by going to this site: www.asrt.org
March 20, 2010…BREAKING NEWS! Congressman Rob Bishop and Congressman Jim Matheson have just signed on as cosponsors for the CARE bill. Hooray! We are waiting to hear from Congressman Jason Chaffetz. The bill will soon be introduced into the Senate. AS soon as this happens, we will definitely get Senators Hatch and Bennett to cosign.

DEE QUAN

FEATURED ALERT

CARE Bill is Introduced in the Senate
Contact your senators and ask them to become a cosponsor
__The Consistency, Accuracy, Responsibility and Excellence (CARE) in Medical Imaging and Radiation Therapy bill was introduced on August 5, 2010 in the Senate by Senators Tom Harkin (D-IA) and Mike Enzi (R-WY). The CARE bill will establish minimum education and credentialing standards for personnel who plan and deliver radiation therapy and medical imaging services.
In a news release submitted by the Senate Health, Energy, Labor and Pensions Committee Senator Harkin says, “Each year, more than 300 million radiation therapy treatments and imaging exams like x-rays and MRIs are performed in the United States and unfortunately, many of these procedures are performed by personnel who are not adequately trained or credentialed. This bill will reduce the risk of medical errors associated with misdiagnosis or inappropriate exposure to medical radiation, and save millions of health care dollars by decreasing the number of examinations that must be repeated due to poor quality.” ...
FEATURED ALERT

Write Your Representative Today!
Cosponsor H.R. 3652 the CARE Bill
Medical imaging and radiation therapy safety have become very prominent topics on Capitol Hill and because of this, there is no better time than now to call your representative and ask him or her to join other cosponsors and ensure H.R. 3652, the Consistency, Accuracy, Responsibility and Excellence (CARE) in Medical Imaging & Radiation Therapy bill, becomes law.

Once passed, the CARE bill will reduce health care costs, maximize patient safety and improve exam quality for patients. Poor quality images lead to additional testing, delays in treatment and cost the U.S. Health care system millions of dollars each year.