ARDMS

The American Registry for Diagnostic Medical Sonography (ARDMS) administers the Sonography Principles and Instrumentation (SPI) examination. The SPI exam tests a candidate’s knowledge, skills, and abilities in physical principles and instrumentation essential for sonography students and professionals.

Eligibility

To apply for the SPI exam, you must have completed a physics class or a physics review course.

To prove eligibility, you will need to submit a copy of your transcript that identifies a graded general, medical, or sonographic college, post-secondary, or higher-education physics class with a grade of C or above. In place of a school transcript, you can present a Continuing Medical Education (CME) certificate indicating successful completion of a general, medical, or sonographic physics seminar or review course with a minimum award of 12 ARDMS-accepted CME credits.

ARDMS SPI Exam Outline

The Sonography Principles and Instrumentation exam contains 110 multiple-choice questions, and you will be given a time limit of 2 hours.

The exam is split into five domains, each of which assesses your knowledge, skills, and abilities.

1. Perform Ultrasound Examinations (23%)

SKILLS/ABILITIES

• Reviewing medical/surgical history
• Correcting imaging artifacts

KNOWLEDGE

• Contrast agents
• Ergonomics
• Established imaging protocols
• General patient care standards
• Interaction of sound and matter
• Tissue density, penetration, and depth
• The metric system of measurement
• Ultrasound limitations
• Confidentiality and privacy guidelines

2. Manage Ultrasound Transducers (7%)

SKILLS/ABILITIES

• Using different transducers

KNOWLEDGE

• The components of a transducer
• Frequency relationship in the selection of appropriate transducer

3. Optimize Sonographic Images (26%)

SKILLS/ABILITIES

• Optimizing an image beyond the scan preset

KNOWLEDGE

• Frequency, PRF, PRP, and pulse duration
• Pre- and post-processing techniques
• The principles of 2D imaging
• Sector widths
• The concepts of scan lines, line density, frames, and frame rate

4. Apply Doppler Concepts (34%)

SKILLS/ABILITIES

• optimizing an image in 2D color and Doppler
• Interpreting Doppler colors
• Identifying imaging artifacts

KNOWLEDGE

• Doppler angle
• Doppler effect
• Doppler shift
• Hemodynamic principles
• Low flow areas

5. Provide Clinical Safety and Quality Assurance (10%)

KNOWLEDGE

• CDC Guidelines

• Registration

  To apply for the SPI exam, visit the Contact us page. We reply to you within 24hrs to submit your application.