Update re: January 2024 Entry-to-Practice Exam

February 27, 2024

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Ottawa, ON, February 27, 2024 – On February 15^th, 2024, Sonography Canada was devastated to learn from its examination administrator that an error had occurred in the reporting of results of the national Generalist Entry-to-Practice certification exam written in January 2024.

After a thorough review of all other examinations written in January 2024, we have confirmed that this error was isolated to 140 candidates who wrote one iteration of our Generalist exam. The attached information from our provider confirms that the outcomes of the CORE, Cardiac and Vascular exams held in January 2024 were not affected.

How this Affects Candidates

This discovery resulted in adjustments to the numerical scores for 140 candidates who wrote the January 2024 Generalist exam. Of these, the pass/fail outcomes of 28 candidates were reversed:

• 14 candidates who had been notified they had been unsuccessful, had actually passed the exam and qualified for certification, and
• 14 candidates who had been told they had passed the exams, actually failed.

We acted immediately to correct the error and are currently reviewing the entire examination process with our provider to prevent a mistake like this from happening again.

All those whose results changed have been contacted and their candidate records corrected at Sonography Canada. For those who must re-write the certification exam, we have arranged a supplemental examination date.  We have offered additional support to all 28 candidates whose pass/fail result changed.

Sonography Canada’s top priority throughout this process is the safety of the public and vigorous upholding of the practice standards for the profession.  Provincial regulators have been informed of the situation so that they may confidently proceed with the registration of the newly certified sonographers in their jurisdictions.

We were shocked to learn of this error and deeply regret the impact it has had on our candidates, and our stakeholders. We understand the significance of this error and are making every effort to ensure the due diligence of our processes and that those few candidates who need to retake their exams are accommodated rapidly through supplemental examinations that maintain the rigour expected from our certification.

Sonography Canada takes its role as the national certifying body for sonographers very seriously. It is imperative that the public, medical professionals, regulators, educators, and our members have confidence in the accuracy and integrity of our examination and certification process. As such, we are taking steps to evaluate our systems and processes to ensure errors do not occur in the future.

If you have any questions, please contact Susan Clarke, Executive Director, at sclarke@sonographycanada.ca.

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