December 2006 | Vol. 24, No. 12

President's Message

by Melissa A. Vickery, LPN-B, RVT

A Look at the Past Year.

As we enter December it is hard to believe that the first year of my Presidency is almost complete. The past year has had many positive opportunities to serve the membership and serve our Mission. The Deficit Reduction Act continues to cause concern about the future of our profession and our ability to practice this dedicated profession.

As I began the year, I thought how nice it would be to not have to worry about the Government Relations arena..wrong. This one issue has consumed many hours of volunteer and staff time to decide an effective strategy, along with a large portion of our annual budget. SVU, on behalf of its membership and those who are not members, has tried to effect a change in the upcoming drastic cuts to reimbursement. We have done so by aligning with other societies and groups with like concerns. I had hoped by this message to provide you with positive news, but to date we continue to await the outcome.

Last month I attended a national vascular imaging educational symposium in New York City at which there were four Past Presidents of SVU in the audience - George Berdejo, Rita Shugart, Anne Jones, and Lee Nix. SVU President-Elect Michael Schwebler and I spoke to the topic of how SVU was defining the profession and our Strategic Plan. It struck me that those Past Presidents sitting in the audience had significant effect on our profession, as have all the Past Presidents who had to address various professional issues over the years. The majority of them still continue to participate in many of our Society's committees and educational endeavors. Mentoring and sharing of talents continues to be a strong component of our Society, and demonstrates the passion for this dedicated profession.

Membership in SVU is of value to both the individual and the patients that we encounter on a daily basis. At a time when the profession will be significantly impacted by significant reimbursement cuts starting in January, I question why those individuals practicing in this profession would not want to be members and have their voice and financial support added to SVU's regulatory and legislative advocacy efforts. SVU has provided in depth information on both the website and in E -Spectrum to inform members and non-members of its advocacy efforts and outcomes, along with information on many other pertinent areas to our profession. SVU will continue to be the "Voice for Vascular Ultrasound" but we need the support of our membership. George Berdejo, Immediate Past President, had initiated the "Each One, Reach One" campaign to help inform technologists/sonographers who are not members of the importance of SVU membership. George believes strongly that one person can make a difference, and I agree. We have seen examples of this many times, and I look forward to seeing future examples of change that can be affected by one individual's passion for their profession.

I invite you to frequent the SVU website. Information provided about our profession and educational opportunities are of great benefit to all. We welcome comments about how to improve the website, and even better how it helped you with your profession. The ability to be better informed about the issues that affect our profession is a powerful tool; use it to your benefit and the betterment of your profession.

Best wishes for a happy holiday season, and I look forward to the upcoming year and celebrating our 30th Anniversary in Baltimore next June, reuniting with those who have helped shape our profession and those who will shape our profession in the years to come.

My best to all.