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Diagnostic Medical Sonography

Diagnostic Medical Sonography

This program is available at the Springfield - Leffel Lane location. DMS courses are composed of traditional lecture, online courses, and hands-on skills labs. Technical courses will be offered either onsite on campus or online. Clinical rotations are off-site in clinical facilities in the greater Springfield, Dayton, Columbus, and Lima regions.

Diagnostic Medical Sonography (DMS) is the non-invasive use of high frequency sound waves to image anatomic structures within the body. Sonographers are specially trained individuals who work under the close supervision of radiologists, cardiologists, and vascular surgeons in order to assist them in determining a medical diagnosis and treatment plan for patients. The sonographer is responsible for acquiring diagnostic images of normal and abnormal structures and reporting findings to the appropriate supervising physician. Upon graduation, sonographers may be employed by hospitals, private physician practices, diagnostic imaging centers, research departments, and ultrasound machine manufacturers.

The Diagnostic Medical Sonography program combines didactic and clinical learning experiences that are within the legal scope of responsibility of sonographers.

The Diagnostic Medical Sonography Program at Clark State accepts a limited number of students per year with technical classes beginning each fall.

The DMS program at Clark State College is a competitive, space limited program. If there are more applicants than available spots, students will be offered a seat based on the qualifying criteria (aggregate of calculated GPA in the required curriculum, the number of general education courses completed at Clark State College, and points for successfully submitting the required documents found below). If the qualifying criteria aggregate score of two applicants is equal, the calculated GPA in the required courses will be used to rank those applicants.

The application deadline for any given year is the first Friday in February. All application materials must be received on or before the deadline. Any application materials received after this date will not be considered. In addition, the Admissions Committee must be able to verify that the applicant has made application to Clark State and that official transcripts from other institutions have been received by the deadline when possible. Transfer students should submit their Clark State applications and official transcripts early  to avoid this problem. Notification of acceptance into the program will  occur after spring semester has ended. Once accepted, the student must maintain the required GPA.

A checklist for required documents for the DMS program can be found here.

Program Mission

In accordance with the mission of Clark State College, the mission of the Diagnostic Medical Sonography program is to educate students in the technical and procedural abilities in diagnostic medical sonography in order to serve a diverse patient population as competent, safe and professional entry-level general and vascular sonographers.

Program Goal
The primary goal of the Diagnostic Medical Sonography (DMS) Program is to prepare competent entry-level general and vascular sonographers in the cognitive (knowledge), psychomotor (skills), and affective (behavior) learning domains.

Technical Standards

All applicants accepted into the Diagnostic Medical Sonography program must be able to meet the essential functions, skills, and abilities required to provide safe patient practice with or without reasonable accommodations. The essential functions, skills, and abilities may be found through following this link Technical Standards.   Applicants are required to sign a form, found here indicating they have reviewed these essential functions, skills, and abilities and submit that form as part of the program application process. The required form must be completed and returned to the Diagnostic Medical Sonography program at DMSprogram@clarkstate.edu.  

In addition to completing the standard procedures for admission to the College, students must apply to the DMS program separately. Students must be 18 years or older for admission into the DMS program.

Students must have completed or be enrolled in courses in spring semester of the application year to complete the following academic requirements and be eligible to apply to the Diagnostic Medical Sonography Program:

  • A grade of C or higher in a college level physics course (PHY 1100 Fundamentals of Physics or its equivalent within five years of beginning DMS coursework).
  • A grade of C or higher in a college level composition course (ENG 1111 English I or its equivalent).
  • A grade of C or higher in a college level Anatomy and Physiology course (BIO 2121 Anatomy and Physiology I or its equivalent within five years of beginning DMS coursework ).
  • A grade of C or higher in a college level mathematics course (STT 2640 Elementary Statistics I or its equivalent within five years of beginning DMS coursework).
  • A combined GPA of 2.5 in the above required curricular courses.

In order to be accepted into the Diagnostic Medical Sonography courses, students must maintain the required cumulative grade point average in the required courses in the curriculum.

At Clark State, progression in healthcare programs requires course grades of C or higher.

In addition to the academic requirements above, students are required to choose one of the following to be completed prior to application submission:

Option 1:

Observation hours

Complete between 4-6 hours of observation in a hospital-based sonography department. Observation must be documented on the student observation form, found here. The completed form must be scanned and emailed to DMSprogram@clarkstate.edu prior to admission into the program.

Option 2:

Interview with a healthcare worker

Students are required to interview a healthcare worker using the student interview form, found here.  The healthcare worker does not need to be a sonographer, but interviewing a sonographer is recommended. The completed form must be emailed to DMSprogram@clarkstate.edu prior to admission into the program.

Student Achievement Data

Program Effectiveness Data

Liability Insurance
Students will be billed for liability insurance for the academic year of clinical coursework.

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Outcomes and Curriculum

Upon completion of an Associate of Applied Science degree in Diagnostic Medical Sonography, a graduate will be able to:

  • Practice sonography while demonstrating professional, caring, and empathetic behaviors.
  • Correlate clinical signs and symptoms with pathology.
  • Identify, describe, interpret, and apply the basic concepts of Sonographic Physics and Instrumentation.
  • Practice sonography in an ethical manner in alignment with organizational policies and procedures.
  • Demonstrate competency in abdominal, gynecological, obstetrical and vascular sonographic imaging.
  • Apply critical thinking to real patient scenarios and choose an appropriate course of action.
Course Title Credits
Spring
BIO 2121 Anatomy and Physiology I 4
FYE 1101 College Success 1
STT 2640 Elementary Statistics I 3
PHY 1100 Fundamentals of Physics 4
ENG 1111 English I 3
 
Fall
BIO 2122 Anatomy and Physiology II 4
PSY 1111 Introduction to Psychology 3
DMS 1110 Principles of Sonography * 3
DMS 1120 Abdominal Sonography I * 3
DMS 1150 Vascular Sonography * 3
 
Spring
DMS 1130 Obstetrical and Gynecological Sonography * 3
DMS 1140 Clinical Sonography I * 4
DMS 2210 Physics & Instrumentation I * 3
MST 1101 Introduction to Health Care 3
DMS 2241 Abdominal Sonography II * 2
 
Summer
DMS 2220 Clinical Sonography II * 4
MST 1105 Medical Terminology *** 2
DMS 2250 Obstetrical and Gynecological Sonography II * 2
 
Fall
DMS 2261 Sonography Registry Review * 3
DMS 2270 Clinical Sonography III * 4
ENG 1112 English II 3
DMS 2291 Sonography Capstone * 1
 
  Total credit hours 65
*Students must be accepted into the technical phase of the program to take classes that are starred.

The following prerequisite courses: STT 2640, BIO 2121, and PHY 1100 must be successfully completed with a grade of C or higher within five years of beginning DMS technical courses.

**MST 1101 must be successfully completed with a grade of C or higher within five years of beginning DMS technical courses or while enrolled in the DMS program. If older than five years, the course must be repeated. 

***MST 1105 must be successfully completed with a grade of C or higher within five years of beginning DMS technical courses or while enrolled in the DMS program. If older than five years, the course must be repeated.

The program schedule is designed for full-time students who have completed all pre-requisites and who have no college preparatory recommendations. Many individuals, especially part-time students and those taking college preparatory courses, will require additional semesters of study.  Students who plan to continue to work are strongly encouraged to complete all or most non-core DMS courses prior to starting the technical phase of the program. Students should consult an Academic Advisor or the Program Coordinator for help in planning their schedules.

Academic Requirements

A 2.0 cumulative grade point average (GPA) on a 4.0 scale and grades of C or higher in the major courses in the DMS curriculum are required to graduate.

Clinical Requirements

Prior to beginning DMS courses, a physical exam, a two-step Mantoux test, Hepatitis B immunization or waiver, a health history including record of childhood immunizations or adult titers, a flu shot, and professional CPR are required. A criminal records check must be completed within the three months immediately prior to entry into DMS coursework. A federal (FBI) and drug screening will be required.  Additional medical tests and other requirements may be necessary depending on clinical site requirements.

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Accreditation

The Clark State College Diagnostic Medical Sonography program is accredited by the Commission on Accreditation of Allied Health Education programs (CAAHEP) upon the recommendation of the Joint Review Committee on Education in Diagnostic Medical Sonography (JRC-DMS).

Commission on Accreditation of Allied Health Education Programs (CAAHEP)

9355 113th St N. #7709   Seminole, FL  33775    (727)-210-2350

www.caahep.org

Joint Review Committee on Education in Diagnostic Medical Sonography (JRC-DMS)

6021 University Boulevard, Suite 500,  Ellicott City, MD 21043  (443)-973-3251

https://www.jrcdms.org/

Questions? We're here to help!

Megan Platfoot Instructor, Health Technologies

937-328-7970 platfootm@clarkstate.edu