History of the ASA
The ASA was established on 27th October 1992 by the Victorian Ultrasonographers Group, with interstate support as a body that exclusively represented the sonography profession with the founding President Andrew Martin’s mission to move towards sonographer registration with an agenda to preserve and improve the sonographer role in the medical imaging equation. The purpose the organisation was founded on is still relevant today “the ASA will work for recognition, registration of its practitioners, education and continuing education for sonographers at all levels, and to maintain, standards of practice in the provision of high quality ultrasound diagnosis and community value for the ultrasound healthcare dollar”
We've come a long way since then; the ASA is now the peak body representing sonographers in Australasia with over 7,000 members.
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1992 |
Australian Sonographers Association (ASA) registered under Victorian Law on 27 October 1992 as a not-for-profit incorporated association |
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1993 |
ASA membership reaches 300 |
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1994 |
First Annual National Conference held in Sydney in June |
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1994 |
ASA partners with the Australasian Society for Ultrasound in Medicine (ASUM) and The Australian Institute of Radiography (now Australian Society of Medical Imaging and Radiation Therapy – ASMIRT) to establish the Australasian Sonographer Accreditation Board (now the Australian Sonographer Accreditation Registry – ASAR) |
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1997 |
ASA membership reaches 600 |
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1997 |
Inaugural Sonographer of the Year award |
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1997 |
soundeffects news changed from newsletter to publication format |
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1999 |
First formal strategic plan developed |
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1999 |
Full-time secretariat appointed to support the ASA Council |
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2001 |
Sonographer accreditation recognised as the minimum standard in Medicare regulation from November 2001, following consistent advocacy work on behalf of sonographers |
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2002 |
ASA membership reaches 1,000 |
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2003 |
First Travelling Workshops held |
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2003 |
Organisation-wide review undertaken by external consultant sets the course for significant governance and structural change |
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2004 |
ASA becomes a company limited by guarantee; governing body changes from a Federal Council to a Board of Directors |
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2004 |
First CEO appointed in November 2004; ASA office implements a formal structure |
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2005 |
First Special Interest Group Symposium held in Hobart in October (vascular and O&G streams) |
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2008 |
Current corporate branding introduced with launch of Strategic Plan 2008–2012 |
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2008 |
PD-asa established |
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2009 |
ASA membership reaches 2,500 |
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2011 |
Competency Standards for the Entry Level Sonographer contribute to further regulation and quality of sonography in Australia |
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2011 |
Inaugural Awards of Excellence |
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2012 |
Membership reaches 70% of accredited sonographers in Australia |
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2012 |
Strategic Plan 2012–2015 rolls out initiatives such as establishment of New Zealand branches, online learning including live and recorded asawebinars, online reference collection |
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2014 |
Membership votes to change the Association's name to the Australasian Sonographers Association, recognising New Zealand members, branches and volunteers |
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2014 |
ASA becomes registered charitable organisation |
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2014 |
Launch of Sonography journal and separation from soundeffects news |
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2015 |
ASA membership reaches 4,300 |
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2015 |
The Strategic Intent 2015–2020 sets a clear direction for the future of the Association and sonography profession |
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2016 |
ASA Fellowship Program established |
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2017 |
Launch of new website with new web address at www.sonographers.org |
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2017 |
ASA membership reaches 5,000; member participation in PD-asa reaches 2,000 |
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2017 |
Launch of new member e-newsletter cross section |
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2018 |
25th Annual Conference held in Sydney with record attendance |
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2018 |
Launch of ASA Research Grant program |
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2018 |
Launch of annual Australasian Sonographers Day, 27 October |
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2019 |
Launch of new sonography research summary Making Waves in Sonography Research |
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2019 |
Pru Pratten Memorial Sonographer of the Year Award relaunched as Pru Pratten Memorial Life Time Achievement Award |
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2019 |
ASA membership reaches 6,000 |
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2020 |
Website redeveloped and online learning opportunities substantially enhanced |
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2020 |
First fully virtual Annual International Conference held, 17–18 October |
