Professional protectionism; a barrier to employing a sonographer graduate?

Introduction: The national sonographer workforce deficit is not a new challenge and has been driven by the increasing demand for ultrasound services. The current educational models only facilitate small trainee numbers and are unable to keep abreast of the demand for trained sonographers. This is partially due to the intensive (and often one to one) sonographer training which has instigated much debate relating to alternative models of education. Alongside this, debate continues on the educational level of any future training models; one suggestion being the introduction of a graduate sonographer and the subsequent integration into the current workforce. The aim of this research was to gain a deeper understanding of the perceptions of key stakeholders in relation to potential challenges and barriers, especially associated with protectionism, and to offer recommendations to overcome these. Methods: A total of thirteen semi-structured interviews were conducted and the data analysed using a constructivist Grounded Theory approach. Results: The findings suggested that sonographers, as an occupational group, presented challenges and resistance to change as a mechanism for protecting their own roles. This research highlighted that responses to the concept of integrating a new sonographer graduate into the workforce were deeply rooted and centred around power and dominance. Conclusion: The findings from the research identified that tradition and professional culture created barriers for the future development of the sonography profession and that there was an urgent need for change which, it was proposed, could be achieved through clear leadership to manage and implement the changes.