The nationwide shortage of sonographers is only going to get worse if immediate action is not taken to increase education and training, according to the Society’s recent survey of clinical departments.
The number of examinations per department has increased on average by 1848 (7.9%) year-on-year. A full-time sonographer is typically carrying out 4250 examinations per annum. Ten per cent of sonographer posts are unfilled and some departments are reporting vacancies lasting more than six months.
“Workload pressures mean that sonographers are finding it difficult to meet service demand, look after their own safety in the workplace adequately, and undertake CPD activities,” said Professor Audrey Paterson, director of professional policy at the Society.
“We’re finding that these factors are contributing to an increase in the numbers of sonographers taking early retirement, reducing their hours of employment, or leaving the service completely. In 10 years time, a third of the current workforce will have retired.”
Reports to the Society from clinical departments is of a significant and growing crisis in staffing and training. Recent developments in service delivery such as fetal anomaly screening, the abdominal aortic aneurysm screening programme, guidance on the management of stroke and transient ischaemic attacks, and the growing use of ultrasound to investigate patients where cancer is suspected, are adding further to workloads.
'Postgraduate education can't meet the demand'
As a result of the survey, the Society has published a study which includes recommendations of the action that is needed to bring sonography numbers up to strength.
Nigel Thomson, the Society’s officer with responsibility for ultrasound, commented: “The long established model of postgraduate education is not able to supply the necessary number of sonographers to meet the demand. In large part this is because of a lack of funding and consistent regional and national planning.
“There are a series of short, medium and long term steps that need to be taken now by government health departments, health boards and strategic health authorities, as well as individual employers, if the UK is going to have sufficient ultrasound services to meet patients’ needs.”
Recommendations include increasing the numbers of trainee sonographers by up to 50%, enabling postgraduate programmes to accept a much wider range of applicants, and to commission direct entry undergraduate programmes, followed by a preceptorship year.
Visit the SoR document library to download Developing and Growing the Sonographer Workforce: Education and Training Needs
Visit the SoR document library to download Analysis of ultrasound workforce survey 2009
