Join
RSNJ
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In order to
become a member of the Radiological Society of New
Jersey,
you must first join the American College of
Radiology.
To join the
Radiological Society of New Jersey, go to the
American College of Radiology or
contact us for more
information. |
Why Join the ACR
The young
radiologist just starting practice faces a bewildering
array of state and national medical and radiological
societies vying for his/her limited financial
resources/potential dues. Filled with lots of esoteric
knowledge and dozens of differential diagnoses (from
studying for the boards), the new radiologist usually
has little experience with the practice of medicine and
no idea what individual societies do. Which ones to
chose to join and why?
The
established radiologist on the other hand often
encounters the same dilemma for different reasons.
Having joined multiple societies in an initial rush of
enthusiasm, economic realities set in and he/she faces
the difficult choice of pairing down the number to a
manageable level. Which ones to chose to keep and why?
For the
New Jersey radiologist, the answers to both questions
are the Radiological Society of New Jersey (RSNJ) and
its parent organization, the American College of
Radiology (ACR). Hopefully, the benefits of
participating in the RSNJ are apparent from the material
contained on this website. The goals of the RSNJ are to:
-
Promote quality radiological services for patients
in New Jersey
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Maintain high ethical standards in the practice of
radiology
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Sponsor continuing education programs for physicians
and technologists, and
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Represent the radiological community with respect to
regulatory, legislative, and socioeconomic health
issues that arise in the state
The
purpose of this section therefore is to extol the
virtues of membership in the ACR, which mirrors the
efforts of the RSNJ on the national level, and therefore
is the single most important radiological society at the
national level. Radiologists should bookmark their
website at www.acr.org
and visit this valuable resource frequently.
Structure
The ACR
is comprised of 32,000 members including 75% of all
board certified radiologists. The college is run by a
staff of over 250 as well as 2,000 volunteers and has an
annual budget in excess of $30 million. A Council of 264
members, 228 of which are elected at the state level
governs the ACR. One councilor and alternate councilor
are chosen for each 100 active members. The Board of
Chancellors, comprised of up to 25 members, is
responsible for carrying out the actions of the council
through different committees and commissions.
Purpose & Function:
The
American College of Radiology is the primary
socio-economic organization for radiologists and has two
fundamental purposes: Patient care and Radiologist Care.
I.
Patient Care
The
ACR has numerous programs, which foster high quality
radiological patient-care, including:
A. Accreditation programs
The ACR has developed 7 accreditation programs that
have been recognized by the federal government for
their excellence. The mammography accreditation
program, originally developed in the late 1980's
formed the basis of the federal Mammography Quality
Standards Act in 1994.
B. Standards
There
are currently 95 practice standards establishing
minimum level requirements for various radiographic
examinations. These standards assure that imaging
procedures, when performed, are of uniformly high
diagnostic quality.
C. Appropriateness Criteria
Appropriateness Criteria have been developed and
extensively referenced for a variety of clinical
scenarios to insure that the best test is done to
make the diagnosis. This provides important guidance
to payers for cost-effective radiological care.
D. Educational Activities
1. ACR Sponsored Symposium
2. ACR Teaching File
3. Texts
4. In-Training examinations
5. 7-Part Video Series on
non-clinical skills
E. State Chapter Meetings
A
complete list of these activities with topics,
dates, times, and locations can be found elsewhere
on this site.
F. Cancer Treatment Programs such as the National
Cancer Institute sponsored programs:
1. Patterns of Care Study
2. Radiation Therapy Oncology
Group (RTOG)
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