Accredited Student Sonographer

Apply to become an Accredited Student Sonographer

Reminder: Students do not need to enter the registry until they have clinical placement.


Currently on the ASAR registry? Renewal fees are paid via your profile.

Previously been on the ASAR Register but been removed at some stage? See Removal from and Return to the Registry page for more details on how to reactivate.

If you are unable to determine the best course of action, please DO NOT re-apply, contact the ASAR office via registry@asar.com.au before proceeding further. Do not use these online forms to pay renewal fees or you will be creating a duplicate account.


Application fees (including new applications made in error) are not refundable, so please take care when you complete your application and check the accuracy of the information that you provide.


To remain on the Register, an accredited Student Sonographer MUST:

• Pay the prescribed annual fee, and
• Provide evidence of their student status every year when they renew their ASAR membership

Category 2A – Accredited Student Sonographer

To be eligible for admission under category 2A the applicant must meet the following criteria:

• Must be an Australian / New Zealand Citizen, or a Permanent Resident of Australia, or hold a valid visa to work / study in Australia, and
• Must be a student participating in an ASAR accredited program of study in medical ultrasound or enrolled in a legacy or previously accredited program of study in medical ultrasound subject to that enrolment having commenced during a period of full accreditation for that course.
• Make sure you have evidence of enrolment prior to completing your application. Acceptable evidence must be an official university document showing your FULL NAME, NAME OF COURSE and UNIVERSITY. It cannot be study plans, invoices, offer letters , screenshots or external links to documents.

Category 2C – Conditional Student Sonographer

This category of accreditation is for applicants who intend to undertake an ASAR accredited program within one year. These applicants will be granted entry on to the register on the condition that they supply ASAR with an employer’s letter stating that the applicant will enrol in an ASAR accredited program within one year of registering with ASAR.

To be eligible for this admission, the applicant must meet the following criteria:

• Must be an Australian / New Zealand Citizen, or a Permanent Resident of Australia, and
• Must provide ASAR with an employer’s letter stating that the applicant will enrol in an ASAR accredited program within one year of registering with ASAR

Note: The employer's letter is only applicable for initial application to ASAR and is valid for one year. Failure to enrol in an ASAR accredited program within the specified time frame will result in removal of that person from the Register.

Category 2P – Provisional Student Sonographer

This category of accreditation is for Sonographers who wish to return to clinical practice following a period of inactivity. These applicants will be granted entry on to the register provided they successfully comply with ASAR’s return to clinical practice policy and guidelines within the specified time frame. On completion, Sonographers will be placed in their appropriate AMS categories (subject to the Sonographer fulfilling the ASAR Regulations for Accreditation). Failure to comply with ASAR’s return to clinical practice policy within the specified time will result in removal of that person from the Register.

To be eligible for admission, a Sonographer must meet the following criteria:

• Must be eligible for admission on to the ASAR Register through one of the AMS Categories, and
• Must successfully comply with ASAR’s Return to Clinical Practice (RCP) requirements within the specified time frame

Upgrade from Student to Qualified Sonographer

Students who have completed their ASAR accredited course can upgrade their status from an Accredited Student Sonographer to Accredited Medical Sonographer by completing the Change of Status form.

Please have an electronically issued official document from your education institution or a certified copy of an original physical document ready as evidence of your completion of your course.

Please note:

• Do not make a new application to ASAR. All Student Sonographers who are active on the ASAR register or have previously been on the ASAR register must use the Change of Status form to apply for an upgrade of status to an Accredited Medical Sonographer.
• There is no fee applicable for Change of Status; unless a student has been removed from the register due to fee default or has deactivated registration.
• Students who have been removed from the register and wish to reactivate will need to complete a Reactivation form (see more information here), pay the appropriate fees and complete a Change of status form.
• Should any student sonographer on the ASAR register (Active or Inactive) apply for a new membership instead of utilising the Change of status form - the application will be rejected and we cannot provide refunds.
• All applications are processed within 2 business days and a confirmation email issued.
• Delays may occur to applications that are missing required information or appropriate supporting documents, or during periods of high volume.

Voluntary Deactivation and Reactivation

If you are taking leave both temporarily or indefinitely (for example: maternity, parental, travel, non-sonographer practice, or retirement) you MUST consider this. To practice as a sonographer in Australia under government/Medicare legislation, you must be on the Register of the ASAR and comply with the CPD requirements.

Sonographers may request to be voluntarily deactivated from the Register by completing the prescribed form below. We also ask for this form to be completed when you intend to retire as plans can change in the future.

To reactivate your registration, you must pay a prescribed fee to have your name placed back onto the Register.

If the period of voluntary deactivation is less than 12 months, the CPD triennium will continue unchanged. In this case, Sonographers need to maintain a log of CPD credits while they are deactivated. However, if the period is greater than 12 months, a new CPD triennium will commence following reinstatement to the Register. Accrued activities will not be credited to the new triennium.

If the period of deactivation is three years or more, Sonographers will need to comply with ASAR’s Return to Clinical Practice Guidelines requirements to return to the Register.

Deactivation will begin on the date that the Registry receives request for deactivation from the Sonographer. Similarly, subsequent reinstatement/reactivation will occur on the date that the Registry receives the application for reactivation. Medicare Australia will be notified when an individual’s name gets deactivated and reactivated on the ASAR Register.

Deactivations and Reactivations cannot be backdated.

It is the individual Sonographer’s responsibility to notify the Registry accordingly.

If you have any queries, it is important that you contact ASAR as soon as possible.

Return to Clinical Practice Guidelines

Updated October 2023

The following guidelines have been developed as a pathway for any Sonographer who wishes to re-enter the ASAR Register and who has been absent from the Registry for three years or more.

Definitions

• Register – the Register of Accredited Sonographers
• Clinical assessment – a three-month workplace clinical assessment
• Supervisor – the appointed clinical supervisor or senior Sonographer supervising the applicant

Clinical experience equivalent to six months full-time during the last three years
For those Sonographers who have been deactivated from the Register for three years or more (e.g. on travel, working overseas or working in a public hospital) and want to return to the ASAR Register, AND can show six months equivalent full-time clinical practice during the last three-year period (i.e. experience gained overseas) and can provide suitable evidence of their clinical practice during this time (e.g. letter from employer, VAT form), then re-entry on to the register is permitted.

The Reactivation Form together with required documentation and fee must be submitted to ASAR.

Clinical experience less than six months full-time equivalent during the last three years
For those Sonographers who have been deactivated from the Register for three years or more but do not have more than six-months full-time clinical experience and want to return to the ASAR Register OR for new applicants who are otherwise eligible for Category 1A/1B AND cannot show at least six months full-time equivalent clinical experience in the last three years, the Sonographer must undergo clinical assessment to gain re-entry/entry on to the Register.

This clinical assessment should be performed within the prospective workplace, with supervision from an AMS or medical practitioner with extensive experience in the field of general ultrasound. The assessment should be successfully completed within three months of gaining employment and applying to the Register.

During this assessment period, the Sonographer will be listed on the Register as a Provisional Student Sonographer.

Step 1: Clinical assessment process - 3 month transition period

• The Return to Clinical Practice Supervisor Consent Form must be completed and returned to ASAR prior to the Sonographer commencing their Clinical Assessment.
• Once submitted, download the corresponding Return to Clinical Practice Supervisor Assessment Form (see forms here), which needs to be completed and returned to ASAR within this three-month timeframe to enable entry on to the Register.
• Clinical supervisors are encouraged to refer to ASAR's Return to Clinical Practice Competency Checklist (within the Assessment Form) to assist in assessing the clinical skills of the Sonographer.
• Once the 3 month transition period has lapsed and a successful clinical assessment has occured, the Sonographer will be placed on the Register as an Accredited Medical Sonographer (AMS).

If notice of successful completion of the clinical assessment is not submitted to ASAR within three months of gaining employment and applying to the Register, the Sonographer must follow the RCP guidelines for Sonographers who have been inactive in clinical ultrasound practice for five years or more.

Inactive in clinical ultrasound practice for five years or more
For those Sonographers who have been deactivated from the Register for five years or more or inactive in clinical ultrasound practice for five years or more but otherwise eligible for AMS status (i.e. hold an accredited qualification), the Sonographer must enrol in an ASAR-approved Return to Clinical Practice program followed by a clinical assessment.

The Sonographer must successfully complete both the Return to Clinical Practice program and the clinical assessment process to gain re-entry on to the Register as an AMS. This whole process should be performed within the prospective work place by the supervisor (if possible) and be successfully completed within 12 months of gaining employment and applying to the Register.

During this period, the Sonographer will be listed on the Register as a Provisional Student Sonographer.

Step 1: Complete an ASAR-approved Return to Clinical Practice program

Step 2: Clinical assessment process - 3 month transition period

• The Return to Clinical Practice Supervisor Consent Form must be completed and returned to ASAR prior to the Sonographer commencing their Clinical Assessment.
• Once submitted, download the corresponding Return to Clinical Practice Supervisor Assessment Form (see forms here), which needs to be completed and returned to
• ASAR within the maximum twelve-month timeframe to enable entry on to the Register.
• Clinical supervisors are encouraged to refer to ASAR's Return to Clinical Practice Competency Checklist (within the Assessment Form) to assist in assessing the clinical skills of the Sonographer.
  A Sonographer who succcesfully completes both a Return to Clinical program and clinical assessment will then be placed on the Register as an Accredited Medical
• Sonographer (AMS).

During this assessment period (minimum 3 months, maximum 12 months), the Sonographer will be listed on the Register as a Provisional Student Sonographer.

Removal from the Register
If notice of successful completion of a RCP program and successful clinical assessment are not submitted to ASAR within 12 months of application, the Sonographer’s name will be removed from the Register and Medicare Australia will be notified. In this case, the Sonographer may return to the Register via category 2A, by enrolling in an ASAR accredited program.