The limitations of access to continuing professional development amongst Australia's rural sonographers and its effect on job satisfaction: A pilot study

Introduction - Sonographers in Australia form an important component of health care within rural and remote communities. Being remotely located brings its own set of difficulties in accessing continuing professional development (CPD). There is little research investigating the rural sonographers' experience with access to CPD and how this affects job satisfaction. Method - The purpose of this research was to investigate if limited access to CPD is experienced in the rural setting, what barriers to participation exist, and if reduced access has a negative effect on job satisfaction. Data were collected via the Australasian Sonographers Association (ASA) members' forum, inviting rural and remote sonographers to participate in an anonymous online questionnaire. Results - This study showed that various barriers to CPD participation exist, with in‐person CPD participation seen as highly valuable. Conclusion - This study opens an opportunity for further conversations on how to improve CPD access amongst rural sonographers with the possible underlying solution being increased employer support.