By Sue White
September 29, 2023 — 5.02am
Cold gel, a full bladder or a piece of equipment poking around part of your body: while ultrasounds aren’t painful, they aren’t most people’s idea of a good time.
Luckily, Andrew Grant from I-MED Radiology isn’t most people. He’s been working as a sonographer for 30 years, enjoying the daily opportunity to make a difference to the lives of others.
Andrew Grant from I-MED Radiology has been working as a sonographer for 30 years.
“I take pride in knowing that by using my skills and training as a sonographer I can help in the early detection of diseases that will ensure my patients receive the best possible care,” he says.
Sonographers need detailed knowledge of anatomy, physiology, and pathology, skills usually gained through a combination of university study and practical experience.
“Beyond a degree, an eye for detail and precision is important. Often, it’s observing the small subtle changes that may alter the diagnosis for the patient, and ultimately lead to better patient outcomes,” says Grant, who was recently awarded Victoria’s 2023 Sonographer of the Year by the Australasian Sonographers Association.
But while Grant joins 9500 sonographers across Australia and New Zealand, we need a lot more like him. Sonography has been listed on Australia’s national shortage list for more than a decade.
“Demand for medical sonography increased by 52 per cent over the past 10 years to 2022 and the sonography workforce has not kept pace,” says Australasian Sonographers Association president Ian Schroen.
More than 60 per cent of sonographers work part-time or on a casual basis, and, compounding the problem, 25 per cent of this workforce is expected to reach retirement age in the next decade.
“The pandemic, of course, put pressure on our entire health system. Perhaps due to this pressure, we haven’t seen the investment we need to resolve our sonographer workforce shortage,” Schroen says.
It’s a problem that needs to change, and soon, Schroen says. “Sonographers play a critical role in patient diagnosis – which has ramifications for the patient’s timely treatment and outcomes,” he notes.
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It’s a responsibility Grant is well aware of, particularly on the days when he is required to conduct second-look breast ultrasound scans. The process starts when a radiologist determines there’s a need for a second look. Next, the pair sit down to review the patient’s MRI before Grant undertakes the challenging work of trying to find the lesion. Finally, the radiologist conducts a biopsy using the ultrasound as their guide.
“I am in the room with the radiologist assisting them to find the lesion. [We] work very closely together to obtain the best outcome for the patient,” Grant says.
With these types of tasks filling their workweek, it’s unsurprising that sonographers need more than just technical prowess to do their job well. Grant works hard to build rapport with his patients, to help put them at ease.
“While sonographers can’t always provide all of the answers to the questions a patient may have, I think we play an important role in reducing their anxiety,” he says.
According to Schroen, a good ultrasound is “operator-dependent”.
“The quality of an ultrasound depends on the skills and competence of the sonographer, not the technology – scanning equipment – they use,” he says.
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