October 2006 | Vol. 24, No. 10

October is Medical Ultrasound Awareness Month (MUAM)

Celebrate Ultrasound! Every October, SVU and other medical ultrasound organizations join together to increase public awareness of medical ultrasound and promote its value in health care through Medical Ultrasound Awareness Month (MUAM). The first MUAM was celebrated in October 2003.

The goal of Medical Ultrasound Awareness Month is to increase the public’s knowledge about medical ultrasound and its many uses in health care. Although much of the general public is familiar with the use of medical ultrasound during pregnancy, many people are unaware that ultrasound can be used throughout all stages of life and for various medical indications. Medical Ultrasound Awareness Month provides ultrasound professionals with the opportunity to educate the public about the many uses of this fast growing technology, as well as a chance to celebrate their profession.

SVU encourages its members to participate in Medical Ultrasound Awareness Month by familiarizing and educating their patients about medical ultrasound through specially planned activities and educational materials. We also would like to hear about what your vascular lab did for MUAM 2006 so that we can report on it in the e-Spectrum online newsletter.

To review and download a free MUAM Promotion Kit including special MUAM logos, suggested activities, a sample news release and more, go to the SVU website at www.svunet.org/events/MUAM/index.htm

The six participating organizations in MUAM October 2006 who share the common goal of familiarizing and educating the public about medical ultrasound are the American Institute of Ultrasound in Medicine (AIUM), American Registry for Diagnostic Medical Sonography (ARDMS), American Society of Echocardiography (ASE), Cardiovascular Credentialing International (CCI), Society of Diagnostic Medical Sonography (SDMS), and of course the Society for Vascular Ultrasound (SVU).