Meet Emily Downs and Michelle Sima | Owner & Sonographer

We had the good fortune of connecting with Emily Downs and Michelle Simaand we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Emily & Michelle, can you walk us through the thought-process of starting your business?
We recognized a need for access to high quality veterinary ultrasound exams. Ultrasound exams are highly dependent on the operator and it is extremely important that sonographers have the training necessary to take images of complex disease processes. Our sonographers are all nationally credentialed by the American Registry of Diagnostic Medical Sonographers (ARDMS). This registry is the gold standard in human medicine and requires years of full-time training, solely in ultrasound. Aside from veterinary radiologists, many people perform ultrasound exams on animals with minimal or no formal training. This is mostly due to limited veterinary guidelines which outline who can perform ultrasound exams.

We recognized the underutilization of ARDMS sonographers in veterinary medicine, but also the lack of formal training needed to transition to practicing in veterinary sonography. To bridge that gap, our company has created a formal training program tailored for ARDMS sonographers; one of the first of its kind. Our vision for Focused Ultrasound Resources (FUR) is to improve the accuracy of exams by utilizing standards that are already in place in human medicine. We believe that utilizing ARDMS credentialed sonographers will contribute positively to the field of veterinary medicine by increasing exam accuracy and improving treatment outcomes for animals and their families.

What should our readers know about your business?
One of the most important factors that we believe has led to the success and individuality of our company is the skillset that our sonographers have brought to the veterinary community. Every FUR sonographer takes pride in their abilities to perform high quality exams and is passionate about using their expertise to contribute to a new field. We have found that our experiences in the human field, communicating with patients, providers and radiologists, has created trusting relationships with our clients. We value a team-based approach for caring for animals and we know our compassion and kindness allows us to build professional relationships and mutual respect with our referring veterinary doctors and technicians.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
We love the mountains! Colorado is known for it’s beautiful scenery, and outdoorsy activities. We love to get away and enjoy these activities in Colorado with our FURry friends.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
We would love to dedicate our shoutout to to our entire team, including our veterinary sonographers, radiologists, cardiologists, internal medicine specialists, legal, financial, and business mentors. We could not have done any of this without them!

Website: www.focusedultrasoundresources.com

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