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Ultrasound Diagnostic Imaging Training |
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Sanford-Brown Institute
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Ultrasound Diagnostic Training Institutes by State
Ultrasound, Sonography, and Medical Programs
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Ultrasound Diagnostic Imaging Details
Diagnostic Medical Sonography Program
The Diagnostic Medical Sonographer
The Diagnostic Medical Sonographer is a skilled professional who uses equipment
producing high-frequency sound waves to create diagnostic images and data that
help health care professionals diagnose patients with disease. Ultrasound
imaging is used on many parts of the body, including the abdomen, blood vessels,
and the developing fetus of a pregnant woman.
When determining normal and abnormal findings, the sonographer must demonstrate
sectional anatomy through transducer manipulation. The sonographer uses
independent judgment in recognizing the need to extend the scope of the study
according to the diagnostic findings. These professionals participate in the
reading sessions with physicians, contributing technical and professional
knowledge and observation to the final diagnostic impression.
The sonographer spends extended time with the patient obtaining a thorough
history of symptoms, explaining the exam, answering questions, and performing
the exam. He or she must also recognize emergency patient care situations and
institute lifesaving first aid when necessary.
Extended patient contact and added professional responsibility are only a couple
of the many rewards found in the field of Diagnostic Medical Sonography.
Diagnostic Medical Sonography Program
The Diagnostic Medical Sonography Program consists of didactic and clinical
education integrated into 18 months of intensive, full-time study. The
curriculum includes courses and clinical experience in both general sonography
and vascular technology. Students spend 40 hours per week within the hospital
environment. Part of this time is spent in classroom instruction and laboratory
activities; the remaining time involves clinical instruction in patient care
areas. Clinical time is spent in many different areas of Hospitals and Clinics
including the Departments of Radiology, Obstetrics and Gynecology and Surgery.
Rotations to other clinical sites provide a variety of additional clinical
experiences. The program involves study and class preparation beyond the 40-hour
week.
Program Mission
The program offers high quality, enthusiastic students an ambitious education
that provides them with the information, resources, and environment necessary to
become compassionate, competent, responsible, and independent sonography
professionals. The program's mission is supported by a caring team of
educational staff, sonographers, and physicians with expertise in various
aspects of sonography and a commitment to education. An extensive array of
didactic resources and a wide variety of advanced clinical experiences at a
renowned academic medical center provide graduates with the skills and
versatility needed to function in a variety of health care facilities. The
program's mission is in concert with University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics'
mission of service to all Iowans.
Program Goals
Recruit highly qualified students into the Diagnostic Medical Sonography Program
Provide an educational experience to support and comply with the Code of Ethics
for the Profession of Diagnostic Medical Ultrasound and the Scope of Practice
for the Diagnostic Ultrasound Professional as developed by the Society of
Diagnostic Medical Sonographers
Build upon a core health science curriculum that includes Medical Terminology,
Ethics and Law, Pathophysiology and Patient Care
Provide academic activities that enable graduates to develop a thorough
knowledge base for the use of diagnostic ultrasound imaging and testing of the
human body
Provide a general and vascular sonography curriculum that will include
abdominal, obstetrics and gynecology, neurosonography, vascular technology
principles, physics and instrumentation
Provide students with the knowledge, clinical skills, problem-solving abilities
and interpersonal skills to practice in the profession of sonography
Make the students aware of the importance of professional life-long learning
Graduate sonography professionals that function as an important and competent
part of the health care team, and represent the commitment to excellence that
the program strives to achieve
Sample Curriculum
Orientation and Introduction
Seminars in Patient Care
Medial Ethics and Law
Introduction to Pathology
Obstetrical and Gynecological Sonography I and II
Abdominal Sonography I, II and III
Vascular Technology I and II
Neurosonography
Ultrasound Physics and Instrumentation
Advanced Sonography
Professional Development I, II, III, IV, V
Introduction to Research
Comprehensive Review
Clinical Education I, II, III, IV, V
Accreditation
The program is accredited by The Joint Review Committee on Diagnostic Medical
Sonography (JRCDMS) and the Commission on Accreditation of Allied Health
Education Programs (CAAHEP). Successful completion of the program qualifies the
student to sit for the national certification exam given by The American
Registry of Diagnostic Medical Sonographers in the specialty areas of abdomen,
obstetrics and gynecology, neurosonography and vascular technology.
Technical Standards
The Sonographer must have sufficient strength, motor coordination and manual
dexterity to:
Transport, move, lift and transfer patients from a wheelchair or cart to a
sonography table or to a patient bed; and
Move, adjust and manipulate a variety of sonographic equipment, including the
physical transportation of mobile sonographic machines, in order to complete
examinations on the patient according to established procedure and standards of
speed and accuracy; and
The Sonographer must be capable of:
Handling stressful situation related to technical and procedural standards and
patient care situations; and
Providing physical and emotional support to the patient during the sonographic
procedures, being able to respond to situations requiring first aid and
providing emergency care to the patient in the absence of, or until the
physician arrives; and
Communicating verbally in an effective manner in order to direct patients during
sonographic examinations; and
Visually recognizing anatomy on CRT screen; and
Reading and interpreting patient charts and requisitions for sonographic
examinations; and
The Sonographer must have the mental and intellectual capacity to:
Calculate and select proper technical factors according to the individual needs
of the patient and the requirements of the procedure's standards of speed and
accuracy; and
Review and evaluate the recorded images on a CRT and archiving system for the
purpose of identifying patient pathology if present, accurate procedural
sequencing, completion of a diagnostic examination, and other appropriate and
pertinent technical qualities.