Approved by the SDMS Board of Directors, June 2017

It is the position of the Society of Diagnostic Medical Sonography (SDMS) that it is within the scope of practice for a sonographer who is educationally prepared and clinically competent to post-process, reconstruct, and create or print three-dimensional models from sonographic images for educational, research, and medical use.

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Approved by SDMS Board of Directors, ​04/2009

The SDMS supports accreditation by a nationally recognized accrediting body of all facilities and clinical practices that employ sonographers and provide sonographic services for diagnostic or screening purposes. Additionally, all sonographers in an accredited facility should be credentialed in each of the sonographic specialties in which they provide patient services.

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Approved by SDMS Board of Directors, 09/2014 

The Society of Diagnostic Medical Sonography (SDMS) supports the establishment of advanced sonographer roles within the diagnostic medical sonography profession. SDMS believes that advanced sonography services will benefit patient care and enhance quality improvement measures. Thus, where appropriate, SDMS encourages:

1. Employers to establish advanced sonographer roles;
2. Sonography educational programs to develop advanced sonography curricula and appropriate degree programs;
3. Programmatic accreditation entities to develop advanced sonography educational program accreditation mechanisms; and
4. Credentialing organizations to develop advanced sonography certification examinations.

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Approved by SDMS Board of Directors, ​12/06​/2006

PREAMBLE

The goal of this code of ethics is to promote excellence in patient care by fostering responsibility and accountability among diagnostic medical sonographers. In so doing, the integrity of the profession of diagnostic medical sonography will be maintained. 

OBJECTIVES

1. To create and encourage an environment where professional and ethical issues are discussed and addressed. 
2. To help the individual diagnostic medical sonographer identify ethical issues. 
3. To provide guidelines for individual diagnostic medical sonographers regarding ethical behavior. 

PRINCIPLES

Principle I: In order to promote patient well-being, the diagnostic medical sonographer shall:

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A. Provide information to the patient about the purpose of the sonography procedure and respond to the patient's questions and concerns.

B. Respect the patient's autonomy and the right to refuse the procedure.

C. Recognize the patient's individuality and provide care in a non-judgmental and non-discriminatory manner.

D. Promote the privacy, dignity and comfort of the patient by thoroughly explaining the examination, patient positioning and implementing proper draping techniques.

E. Maintain confidentiality of acquired patient information, and follow national patient privacy regulations as required by the "Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 (HIPAA)."

F. Promote patient safety during the provision of sonography procedures and while the patient is in the care of the diagnostic medical sonographer.

Principle II: To promote the highest level of competent practice, diagnostic medical sonographers shall:

A. Obtain appropriate diagnostic medical sonography education and clinical skills to ensure competence. 

B. Achieve and maintain specialty specific sonography credentials. Sonography credentials must be awarded by a national sonography credentialing body that is accredited by a national organization which accredits credentialing bodies, i.e., the National Commission for Certifying Agencies (NCCA); http://www.noca.org or the International Organization for Standardization (ISO); http://www.iso.org

C. Uphold professional standards by adhering to defined technical protocols and diagnostic criteria established by peer review.

D. Acknowledge personal and legal limits, practice within the defined scope of practice, and assume responsibility for his/her actions.

E. Maintain continued competence through lifelong learning, which includes continuing education, acquisition of specialty specific credentials and recredentialing.

F. Perform medically indicated ultrasound studies, ordered by a licensed physician or their designated health care provider.

G. Protect patients and/or study subjects by adhering to oversight and approval of investigational procedures, including documented informed consent.

H. Refrain from the use of any substances that may alter judgment or skill and thereby compromise patient care.

I. Be accountable and participate in regular assessment and review of equipment, procedures, protocols, and results. This can be accomplished through facility accreditation.

Principle III: To promote professional integrity and public trust, the diagnostic medical sonographer shall: 

A. Be truthful and promote appropriate communications with patients and colleagues.

B. Respect the rights of patients, colleagues and yourself.

C. Avoid conflicts of interest and situations that exploit others or misrepresent information.

D. Accurately represent his/her experience, education and credentialing.

E. Promote equitable access to care.

F. Collaborate with professional colleagues to create an environment that promotes communication and respect.

G. Communicate and collaborate with others to promote ethical practice.

H. Engage in ethical billing practices.

I. Engage only in legal arrangements in the medical industry.

J. Report deviations from the Code of Ethics to institutional leadership for internal sanctions, local intervention and/or criminal prosecution. The Code of Ethics can serve as a valuable tool to develop local policies and procedures.

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Approved by SDMS Board of Directors, 12/06/2006

The SDMS believes that individuals entering the Diagnostic Medical Sonography profession should graduate from an educational program that is programmatically accredited by the Commission on Accreditation of Allied Health Education Programs, CAAHEP (http://www.caahep.org) through the Joint Review Committee on Education in Diagnostic Medical Sonography, JRC-DMS (http://www.jrcdms.org) or the Joint Review Committee on Education in Cardiovascular Technology, JRC-CVT (http://www.jrccvt.org). 

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Approved by the SDMS Board of Directors: 02/05/2020

The Society of Diagnostic Medical Sonography (SDMS) supports the establishment of a sonography minimum education standard of an associate degree (or equivalent) for individuals entering the diagnostic medical sonography profession. The SDMS believes that the establishment of a minimum education standard for sonography will benefit patient care and enhance the diagnostic medical sonography profession. Except as provided below, all sonography certification/credentialing organizations should require an associate degree as the minimum education standard to be eligible to receive a sonographer certification or credential after December 31, 2025. To meet this requirement, sonography educational accreditation-related organizations and sonography programs should ensure an associate degree (or higher) is an admission requirement or awarded at the conclusion of the educational program.

Exemption: The SDMS supports a permanent exemption to an associate degree minimum education standard for those diagnostic medical sonographers who were first certified and registered in sonography on or before the minimum education standard implementation date. These sonographers must have maintained their sonography certification and registration in good standing and should not be required to obtain an associate degree to be eligible for an additional diagnostic medical sonography certification or credential.

Implementation Period: By providing a reasonable implementation period (e.g., January 1, 2026), the associate degree minimum education standard would have no impact on existing sonographers and instead only affect future students as they enroll in educational programs or graduates who seek a certification after the implementation period.

Equivalency: Equivalency to an associate degree (e.g., 60 or more semester college credits meeting an associate degree’s core requirements or an international degree) can be evaluated and determined to be equivalent by the certification/credentialing organization or an external credential evaluation service.

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adopted by the SDMS Board of Directors, August 9, 2017

The Society of Diagnostic Medical Sonography (SDMS) strongly encourages the adoption and implementation of the Industry Standards for the Prevention of Work Related Musculoskeletal Disorders in Sonography (2017). The SDMS believes that the standards will benefit patient care and the health and safety of sonographers. Therefore, the SDMS encourages:

1. Sonography-related professional societies and associations to disseminate and encourage adoption and implementation of the standards;
2. Employers to adopt and implement the standards and establish programs to reduce work-related musculoskeletal disorders and support sonographers who experience work-related musculoskeletal disorders;
3. Sonographers to embrace the standards as a guide to reduce the risk of injury;
4. Sonography educational programs to incorporate the standards into their sonography course curricula and clinical experience;
5. Programmatic accreditation entities to incorporate educational standards aligning with the standards.
6. Credentialing organizations to incorporate the standards into their examination content outlines and certification examinations; and
7. Sonography-related equipment manufacturers and suppliers to ensure their products and services meet or exceed the standards and encourage adoption and implementation of the standards by their customers.

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Approved by the SDMS Board of Directors, ​0​6​/2017

The Society of Diagnostic Medical Sonography (SDMS) believes that the use of sonography without a medical indication is inappropriate. Therefore, the use of sonography (including two-dimensional (2D), three-dimensional (3D) and four-dimensional (4D) ultrasound) to view the fetus, obtain a picture of the fetus, or determine the fetal gender, or post-process, reconstruct, and create or print three-dimensional models from sonographic images without a medical indication is contrary to responsible medical practice.

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Approved by the SDMS Board of Directors, 08/10/2016

It is the position of the Society of Diagnostic Medical Sonography (SDMS) that it is within the scope of practice of sonographers to receive, relay, and document verbal, facsimile, electronic, and telephone orders related to sonographic procedures in the patient's chart or electronic health record, or the facility’s scheduling software.

A sonographer who is certified/credentialed by an accredited sonography certification/credentialing organization meets or exceeds the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid (CMS) meaningful use requirements established for medical assistants to enter physician orders for imaging procedures. Therefore, medical facilities should allow a sonographer to receive, relay, and document verbal, facsimile, electronic, and telephone orders related to sonographic procedures in accordance with the facility policies.

Note: See bullet #4 under Additional Information: https://www.cms.gov/Regulations-and-Guidance/Legislation/EHRIncentivePrograms/Downloads/2016EP_3CPOEObjective.pdf

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Approved by the SDMS Board of Directors, September, 2011

The Society of Diagnostic Medical Sonography (SDMS) believes that point-of-care ultrasound imaging should be performed by:

1. A diagnostic medical sonographer certified in the specialty area of the procedure to be performed; or
2. A licensed health care provider who:
   1. Has acquired the necessary knowledge, skills and training in the specific point-of-care ultrasound imaging procedure to be performed; and 
   2. Is providing the point-of-care ultrasound imaging procedure pursuant to the licensing jurisdiction’s scope of practice for the health care provider.

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Approved by the SDMS Board of Directors, ​09​/2011

The Society of Diagnostic Medical Sonography (SDMS) recognizes sonography credentialing organizations that meet the following criteria:

1. Promotes programmatic accreditation by providing a pathway requiring no additional clinical experience for graduates of programmatically accredited* educational programs. 
2. Each of the organization’s sonography certification programs must be currently accredited by Institute for Credentialing Excellence (ICE) / National Commission for Certifying Agencies (NCCA), American National Standards Institute (ANSI) or the International Organization for Standardization (ISO). 
3. Maintain an open dialogue with the sonography professional community. 

*For purpose of this policy, accredited means accreditation by an agency recognized by the Council for Higher Education Accreditation (CHEA), United States Department of Education (USDOE) or Canadian Medical Association (CMA) that specifically conducts programmatic accreditation for diagnostic medical sonography, diagnostic cardiac sonography, or vascular technology.

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Approved by SDMS Board of Directors, 12/2023

In 2023, a collaborative effort involving 20 organizations led to the revision of the Scope of Practice and Clinical Standards for the Diagnostic Medical Sonographer. The outcome is a comprehensive document that defines the scope of practice and clinical standards for diagnostic medical sonographers, highlighting their essential contribution as members of the healthcare team, with a key emphasis on the importance of the sonographer prioritizing the patient's well-being and best interests.

• View Scope of Practice and Clinical Standards for Diagnostic Medical Sonography

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Approved by SDMS Board of Directors, ​04/2009

Provision of Diagnostic Medical Sonography (DMS) procedures, including those performed for screening purposes, requires that the sonographer performing the sonographic examination be credentialed by a nationally recognized sonography credentialing organization.

In the view of the Society of Diagnostic Medical Sonography (SDMS), there is a strong need for requisite sonographer credentialing because medical sonographic services are highly operator dependent. To ensure consistency and patient safety, the sonographer shall demonstrate broad-based knowledge, good judgment, and appropriate real-time discretion to assess and evaluate anatomy, and to acquire and optimize the appropriate images and data for sonographic screening and interpretation by the interpreting physician.

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