General Information

Students must maintain a “B” or better average in all prerequisite, core education related professional requirement courseswork and maintain a "C" or better average in all sonography technical coursework to continue in the program.

Note:

Applicants will be allowed only one "C" grade in the prerequisite courses and must maintain a minimum 3.0 GPA overall.

There are restrictions on students who wish to replace a grade of "C"on their transcript. Please contact the program director for specific criteria.

Graduation Requirements & Certification Information:

Graduation from the Diagnostic Medical Sonography Program requires satisfactory completion of required clinical internship hours and clinical competencies, an overall grade point average of “C” or higher, payment of all fees and no clinical or academic probations. Students must also pass an end of program mock examination. Failure to pass the examination may prevent a student from completing the program regardless of previous academic standing in program courses.

The Diagnostic Medical Sonography program is accredited through CAAHEP. Upon successful completion of this program, students are eligible to take the national registry examinations administered by the American Registry of Diagnostic Medical Sonography (ARDMS) in Ultrasound Physics & Instrumentation, Abdominal and OB-GYN Sonography as well as the American Registry of Radiologic Technologists (ARRT) – Sonography credential. Registry applicants must pass both the Physics and at least one specialty exam to become a Registered Diagnostic Medical Sonographer by the ARDMS.There is a $200 - $250 fee for each specialty exam. Graduates of the DMS program are eligible to receive funds from the program to apply for ARRT and ARDMS credentials according to program policies.

NOTE: Students convicted of a misdemeanor or felony may be ineligible to sit for national certification exams or for employment in the medical field.

Fees:

Tuition information is listed in the DACC catalog and schedules and varies depending on your residency. Additional program fees include:

• Uniforms, name tage & appropriate shoes for clinical internship
• Textbooks – this varies since many students purchase extra books throughout the program, but the required texts are expected to be approximately $700 for the entire program. Textbooks can be obtained at the DACC Bookstore.
• $150 course fee will be assigned to DMS 120, 122, 124, 126

Clinical Site Internships & Assignments:

Each student is assigned to a primary hospital or medical facility where he/she will stay for the duration of the clinical internship portion of the program.  The clinical experience is extremely important in providing students with the appropriate skills and consequently comprises a large portion of the program curriculum. In some instances, rotation into other facilities may be necessary during this internship for additional experience with certain exams. Rotations are to be determined by the Program Faculty.

Applicants are given the opportunity to indicate their first 5 choices of clinical sites at the time of application. When more students choose a site than can be accommodated by that site, clinical assignments will be determined by the program faculty based on clinical site selection indications and the ranking of the student within the student selection criteria process. Final acceptance into the program is dependent on the student’s acceptance of his/her clinical site assignment.

Background Checks and Drug Screens:

Applicants who have any misdemeanor or felony record must meet with the program director; a criminal record may prevent employment in the medical profession.

Yearly DWI and drug screening may be required. Students who do not pass required drug screening or have acquired a new DWI will be dismissed from the program.

Housing & Transportation:

Housing and transportation are the responsibility of the student. Students may prefer to locate near their assigned clinical site.

Attire:

Class attire is casual (jeans, T-shirts, etc). Clinical attire is navy blue scrube and closed toed white, black or navy blue shoes. Students must also abide by clinical site dress code policies.

Computers:

Students must have access to a computer and to the internet using Explorer since some assignments and research for case reports will be web-based. Students must have basic computer skills.

Health Requirements:

Applicants must present evidence of good physicial and mental health and be able to meet the physical and emotional requirements of the program. Shoulder, wrist, and back problems may prohibit the ability to perform ultrasound studies. Left handed students may have difficulties with scanning skills. A Health Profile Form must be completed as part of the application documents. Once accepted into the program and prior to starting clinical rotations, students will be required to have up-to-date vaccinations, particularly rubella, varicella titer, TB and hepatitis B. Current CPR certification by the American Heart Associationis also required prior to clinical experience. Students are required to have personal health insurance in order to attend clinical sites.

Required Physical & Cognitive Skills:

The following are required skills of sonographers and sonography students:

• Read, write and communicate effectively in English.
• Possess emotional and physical health sufficient to meet the demands of the profession.
• Position, move and lift patients in wheelchairs and stretchers
• Maintain prolonged arm positions necessary for scanning.
• Position and move ultrasound equipment on wheels (up to 500 lbs)
• Effectively operate sonographic equipment.
• Evaluate sonograms in order to acquire appropriate diagnostic information. 
• Integrate diagnostic sonograms, laboratory results, patient history and medical records, and adapt sonographic examination as necessary.
• Use independent judgment to acquire the optimum diagnostic sonographic information in each examination performed.
• Evaluate, synthesize and communicate diagnostic information to the attending physician.
• Communicate effectively with the patient and the health care team, recognizing the special nature of sonographic examinations and patient's needs.
• Establish and maintain effective working relationships with the public and health care team.
• Follow established departmental procedures.
• Work efficiently and cope with emergency situations.