ORGANIZATIONAL MISSION: The American Registry for Diagnostic Medical Sonography® (ARDMS®)promotes quality care and patient safety through the certification and continuing competency of ultrasound professionals.
ARDMS, incorporated in June 1975, is an independent, nonprofit organization that administers examinations and awards credentials in the areas of diagnostic medical sonography, diagnostic cardiac sonography, vascular technology, physician vascular interpretation and musculoskeletal sonography. ARDMS credentialing programs (RDMS, RDCS, RVT and RPVI) are accredited by ANSI-ISO 17024 and the National Commission for Certifying Agencies (NCCA). ARDMS has over 75,000 certified individuals in the U.S., Canada, and throughout the world and is the recognized international standard in sonography credentialing.
Credentials awarded by ARDMS include:
RDMS: Registered Diagnostic Medical Sonographer
- Specialty areas: Abdomen, Breast, Neurosonology, Obstetrics and Gynecology, and Fetal Echocardiography
RDCS – Registered Diagnostic Cardiac Sonographer
- Specialty areas: Adult, Pediatric and Fetal Echocardiography
RVT: Registered Vascular Technologist
- Specialty area: Noninvasive Vascular Technology
RPVI: Registered Physician in Vascular Interpretation
- Specialty area: Vascular Ultrasound Interpretation
RMSK: Registered in Musculoskeletal™ (RMSK™) sonography
- Speciality area: musculoskeletal sonography
The only means of obtaining an ARDMS credential is by examination. Required examination prerequisites must be met before an applicant can take an ARDMS examination.
ARDMS credentials document personal achievement of recognized professional standards. However, ARDMS does not warrant the day-to-day job performance of individuals.
Credentials awarded by ARDMS are widely accepted in the medical community by sonographic and vascular professional organizations, including:
American College of Radiology
American Institute of Ultrasound in Medicine
American Society of Echocardiography
Canadian Society of Diagnostic Medical Sonographers
Society of Diagnostic Medical Sonography
Society for Vascular Ultrasound
ARDMS is governed by a board of directors composed of sonographers, vascular technologists, physicians, research scientists and a public member. The board creates the policies and defines the direction; the EDTFs conduct continuous evaluations of the material contained in our examinations.
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 an emerging global organization, ARDMS examinations are also being delivered in Africa, and Hong Kong. Future sites for ARDMS examination delivery will be focused in South Korea, India, China and South America.
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