Diagnostic Medical Sonography

2,160 Clock Hours –
660 Lecture Hours, 540 Lab Hours, 960 Externship Hours

60 Weeks: 20 hours per week (Morning & Evening Class)
24 Weeks: 40 hours per week (Clinical Practicum)

Instructional Schedule:
Monday through Thursday - lecture and laboratory
Morning through Friday - clinical practicum

Program Description:
The Diagnostic Medical Sonography Program consists of lecture, lab, and externship activities. The program is designed to thoroughly prepare the student, through quality didactic, laboratory, and clinical instruction, in the theoretical knowledge, tasks, skills, and responsibilities required of an entry-level sonographer. Course components include:

Diagnostic Medical Sonography Program
Course Descriptions

DMS 201- Introduction to Ultrasound Imaging
This twelve week instructional course is required to be taken prior to taking DMS 210, 220, 230, or 240. Included in the course are both lecture and laboratory components. The course provides the basic need-to-know information required for the beginning student in the Diagnostic Medical Sonography Program. Educational material contained within the scope of the course is a history of diagnostic ultrasound, the role of the sonographer in the imaging department, ultrasound terminology and anatomy, the sonographer’s role in patient care and safety, ethics, scope and standards of practice, HIPPA and OSHA guidelines. The laboratory component will focus upon development of skills pertinent to patient-sonographer interaction.

DMS 210- Abdominal and Small Parts Ultrasound Imaging
This twelve-week course covers the aspects of abdominal and small parts ultrasound scanning required for employment as an entry-level sonographer. This course will include both lecture and laboratory components. The lecture component will focus upon normal ultrasound appearances of the organs of the abdominal cavity, breast, thyroid, prostate, and testes, and on the pathological conditions that may affect those organs. In the laboratory portion of the course the student will learn proper ultrasound scanning techniques for imaging the organs of the abdomen and small parts, and preparation of the necessary information for an initial written or oral presentation to the radiologist.

DMS 220- Obstetrics and Gynecology Ultrasound Imaging
This twelve-week course will confer a basic understanding to the student of the normal and abnormal conditions that affect the organs of the female pelvic cavity and the developing fetus. The lecture portion will center upon the normal and pathological conditions of the uterus, ovaries and fetus. During the laboratory component the student will learn proper scanning techniques and protocols used in ultrasound imaging of the gynecologic and obstetric patient. Emphasis is placed on recognition of normal anatomy, ultrasound documentation, biometry measurements, and preparation of initial preliminary reports to the reading radiologist.

DMS 230- Introduction to Vascular Ultrasound Imaging
This twelve week introductory course in vascular ultrasound will introduce the student to the hemodynamic considerations of the arterial and venous vascular systems. The lecture portion of this course will cover the anatomy of the arterial and venous systems of the body, and the pathologies commonly encountered in those systems. During the laboratory sessions, the student will receive instruction in scanning techniques for the carotid arteries, lower extremity arteries, lower extremity veins, and abdominal vessels. This course is designed to introduce the student to the most common ultrasound studies performed in the practice of vascular ultrasound imaging.

DMS 240- Physical Principles and Instrumentation of Ultrasound
This twelve-week course covers the basic physical principles of ultrasound and the instrumentation relating to the ultrasound unit. The information covered in the course will include the basic acoustic principles of ultrasound, the physics of pulsed ultrasound, Doppler principles, the components of the ultrasound imaging unit, common artifacts in imaging, and safety in operation of the ultrasound imaging system. In the laboratory component, emphasis will be placed upon the instrumentation controls required for optimum operation of the ultrasound machine.

DMS 250- Clinical Practicum I
During this twelve-week course the student will be assigned, and directly supervised in a Diagnostic Medical Ultrasound imaging facility such as a hospital, clinic or imaging center. The student will be introduced to the clinical setting and departmental organization. Under direct supervision by a supervising sonographer or supervising physician, and the school’s Clinical Coordinator, the student will begin to acquire the hands-on skills necessary for the sonographer in a clinical site. This is accomplished through observation and participation in clinical cases studies of patients undergoing ultrasound examinations.

DMS 260- Clinical Practicum II
This twelve-week course is designed as a more advanced continuation of Clinical Practicum I. The student will continue to perfect his skills in the clinical environment and learn more advanced imaging techniques required of the sonographer. The student will gain more experience in performing ultrasound imaging of the patient undergoing abdominal, small parts, gynecologic, obstetric, or vascular ultrasound examinations.



 

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