I do not have an Ontario NT ID number
Please complete the following steps to get your Ontario NT ID number. Follow these instructions if you are a sonographer or a physician who has never performed, and would like to perform NT measurements and submit them to the Ontario MMS labs for first trimester screening.
If you are already performing NT measurements and submitting them to the Ontario MMS labs for first trimester screening, please register as an “existing NT sonographer.”
Step 1: Register with the Fetal Medicine Foundation |
Register with the Fetal Medicine Foundation (FMF UK) and get a certificate of competence in nuchal translucency scanning. This certificate requires you to complete the FMF UK online 11 ̶ 13 weeks scan course and to send three images to the FMF UK that demonstrate proper NT measurement protocol. The FMF UK will email you a certificate and an ID number once you have completed these requirements.
You can go to the next step when you have the following documents:
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Step 2: Register with PSO at BORN Ontario as a New NT Sonographer |
Register with PSO at BORN Ontario by filling out and sending in a “new sonographer” registration form. Complete all of the required fields. You will receive a confirmation email to the address you provided on the form after you submit your request. There will be a link to an application within this email with instructions on how to obtain NT measurement accreditation with the Ontario MMS labs. You can go to the next step when you have this confirmation email and the attached application form. New NT Sonographer Registration FormFill out this registration form if you are a sonographer or a physician who has never performed, and would like to perform NT measurements and submit them to the Ontario MMS labs for first trimester screening. If you are already providing NT measurements to the Ontario MMS labs for first trimester screening, please register as an "existing sonographer." Please note that we will not share your contact information without your consent. By submitting this registration form, you are agreeing to the following statement:
Tips for successfully completing your registration form
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Step 3: Collect 15 NT/CRL data points and submit your application to one of the three Ontario MMS labs |
Scan NT patients and collect 15 nuchal translucency (NT) and 15 crown-rump length (CRL) measurements to complete the NT data table found on the application form. Take these measurements over the CRL range as specified by the data table. Ask for help from an Ontario NT certified sonographerYou must get these measurements yourself; however, do not record these measurements on patients' first trimester screening requisitions. You will need to ask for help from an Ontario NT certified sonographer. Only Ontario NT certified sonographers are able to record NT and CRL measurements on patients' first trimester screening requisitions and send them to the labs. You cannot fill out patients' requisitions if you do not have an Ontario NT ID number. Fax your application form and your FMF UK NT certificate of competence to one of the three Ontario MMS labsOnce you have collected your 15 NT and CRL measurements, complete the accreditation application form and fax it to one of the Ontario MMS labs. Please fax your application to the lab that you selected on your PSO/BORN “new sonographer” registration form.
You can go to the next step once you have faxed the following documents to one of the three Ontario MMS labs:
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Step 4: Log in to the BORN Information System (BIS) and access your personalized NT performance distribution |
The Ontario MMS labs will review your application and assess your data point submission. Please allow up to four weeks for the labs to process your application and review your data points. The Ontario MMS labs will provide you with an Ontario NT ID number (usually the same as your FMF UK ID number) and a BORN login and password if your 15 data points generate an acceptable NT performance distribution. You will get two emails to the email address that you included on your “new sonographer” registration form. One will contain your BORN login and one will contain your BORN password. Please check your junk mail folder because sometimes these emails filter into this folder. You are now able to log in to the BIS, to update your contact details in our system, and to access your personalized NT performance distribution. Your name will be added to the roster of Ontario NT certified sonographers. You can now submit NT and CRL measurements on your patients' first trimester screening requisitions to the Ontario MMS labs under your own Ontario NT ID number. If your application is rejected by the Ontario MMS labsIf your 15 data points do not generate an acceptable NT performance distribution, the labs will contact you and request another set of 15 data points and/or will provide you with further direction on how to proceed. |
Do not share your NT data table or your Ontario NT ID number
Please do not share your NT data table. The Ontario MMS labs audit these paired measurements by plotting the NT on the vertical axis and the CRL on the horizontal axis, and compare the resulting distribution against the expected NT for gestation as represented by the FMF UK curve.
The NT/CRL distribution that results from this audit is personal to you and is representative of your individual NT practice; therefore, it is imperative that the measurements collected to create this data table are obtained by you.
Similarly, PSO/BORN and the Ontario MMS labs collect NT and CRL measurement data from patients' eFTS requisitions and record it under your Ontario NT ID number. This data is added to your baseline personalized performance distribution and is used to assess your ongoing NT measurement accuracy. The Ontario MMS labs use the information from sonographers' personalized NT performance distributions to generate patients' prenatal screening results.
Prenatal screening results generated using data that is not representative of a sonographers' individual NT practice are skewed.
NT data table and NT ID number sharing reduce the accuracy of patients' prenatal screening tests!
It is a privilege to perform NT scans and your personalized NT performance distribution reflects the quality of your work. Maintain the integrity of your distribution by making sure that you are the only one contributing to it.
Please protect your patients by protecting your Ontario NT ID number and your personalized NT performance distribution.
If you have any questions about the registration process or about Ontario's NTQA program, please email PSO at BORN Ontario or call 1-833-351-6490.