Medical Sonography students and staff scan future opportunities at national conference

06 June 2023
CQUniversity Medical Sonography students and staff at the 2023 Australian Sonographers Association annual conference
(Photo left) Nas Clifford - Lecturer, Julie Cahill - Clinical Academic, Helise Andreoli - 3rd year Student, Jessica Wooler - 3rd year Student and Jane Wardle - Lecturer/Head of Course, Medical Sonography. (Photo right) Michele Whealy, Industry Partnership Manager and Gina Zhang, Clinical Academic, Sydney

CQUniversity Medical Sonography students and staff were given the opportunity to network with industry representatives at the 2023 Australian Sonographers Association annual conference in Brisbane recently.

The Australasian Sonographers Association annual conference held on 26-28 May, was attended by more than 1100 delegates and a further 500 attending virtually.

Several staff and volunteer students from CQU’s Brisbane and Sydney campuses hosted a CQU Medical Sonography booth at the event.

Staff including Dr Ann Quinton, Dr Michelle Fenech, Julie Cahill, Jane Wardle and Dr Kate Russo, also participated either as guest speakers, workshop chairs, or presenters.

CQU Medical Sonography Industry Partnership Manager Michele Whealy said the students and staff gained a lot of knowledge and information from the event.

"It was great to meet and catch up with colleagues, our clinical partners and supervisors. A number of our clinical partners are in regional areas and the annual conference is the one time we are able to meet up in person during the year. Several of our CQU students volunteered during the conference, and it was wonderful to witness them immersing themselves within the sonography community that they will shortly be working in." she said.

Third-year student Jessica Wooler said volunteering was great for exposure to the industry.

“(It gives) a student a better feel for the industry as well as the opportunity to meet so many amazing people that could one day be colleagues,” she said.

“Every time I have volunteered, we have been lucky enough to sit in on a lot of the talks which are so in-depth and interesting and show just how passionate the speakers and industry members are.”

Sydney-based student Ayushly Nair said her decision to volunteer was “an incredibly insightful and enjoyable experience”.

“It provided valuable networking opportunities and hands-on interactive scanning workshops,” she said.

“As a student, it was highly motivating to learn about recent technological advancements and the use of ultrasounds in a variety of clinical contexts.”