Health Professions
Diagnostic Medical Sonography
Please contact RadSci@uwlax.edu with any questions regarding the new DMS program.
Diagnostic medical sonography uses ultrasound, or high-frequency sound waves, to identify and diagnose diseases in body organs and tissues. The diagnostic medical sonographer is a health care professional who performs diagnostic ultrasound examinations under a physician’s supervision. To perform imaging on patients in the clinical setting, sonographers are required to integrate medical knowledge of anatomy and physiology, pathology and ultrasound physics. Among the parts of the body most commonly viewed through ultrasound are the heart and blood vessels, abdominal organs, pelvic organs and pregnant uterus. Qualified diagnostic medical sonographers are needed in hospitals, clinics, physicians’ offices, medical laboratories, industry and public health. Teachers, managers and researchers in diagnostic ultrasound are also in demand.
The Society of Diagnostic Medical Sonograpahy (SDMS) provides further information regarding the profession on their website.
Accreditation
The UW Health School of Diagnostic Medical Sonography program and Mayo Clinic College of Medicine & Science Sonography and Echocardiography programs are accredited by the Commission on Accreditation of Allied Health Education Programs (CAAHEP).
UWL DMS Program Objectives
- Conduct themselves in a courteous and professional manner while in the hospital and clinical environment.
- Identify and describe sonographic terminology and use the terminology in an effective manner.
- Employ the use of medical terminology and abbreviations pertinent to diagnostic medical ultrasound.
- Identify and perform appropriate nursing care procedures and techniques used in the general care of patients in various states of health and various conditions demanding special needs.
- Demonstrate knowledge of the physical principles of diagnostic medical ultrasound and their applications to the clinical environment.
- Describe the principles and applications of Doppler ultrasound.
- Manipulate the technical controls on the equipment used in the ultrasound department to produce an optimum image for diagnostic purposes.
- Record and process for display the images necessary for a diagnostic medical ultrasound examination.
- Identify the biological effects of diagnostic medical ultrasound and take the necessary precautions to avoid excessive exposure of ultrasound in patients.
- Demonstrate the appropriate skills in performing a quality assurance test.
- Demonstrate the ability to mentally transform gross anatomy to cross-sectional anatomy relative to diagnostic medical ultrasound.
- Demonstrate the skills necessary to perform an ultrasound examination of any abdominal and pelvic organs, the gravid uterus, neurosonography, superficial structures and vascular hemodynamics routinely examined in a diagnostic ultrasound department.
- Identify normal and pathological conditions on a sonogram of the abdominal and pelvic organs, the gravid uterus, neurosonography, superficial structures, and vascular structures routinely examined in the diagnostic medical ultrasound department.
- Assist the attending physician/sonographer in the differential diagnosis process of a pathological entity.
- Demonstrate the ability to maintain a sterile field while assisting with an invasive ultrasound study
The Diagnostic Medical Sonography (DMS) major offers two tracks:
- echocardiography/vascular track
- general/vascular track
Students in either track will complete their pre-professional and general education courses on the UWL campus, then attend UW Health or Mayo Clinic for a 21 month program of specific didactic courses and clinical experiences. After the successful completion of the clinical experience, students earn a Bachelor’s of Science degree in Radiologic Science Major: Diagnostic Medical Sonography-General/Vascular Emphasis or Echocardiography/Vascular Emphasis. Graduates of the program are eligible for certification through the American Registry of Diagnostic Medical Sonography (ARDMS).
The general sonography curriculum stresses anatomy, physiology, hemodynamics, and pathology. In addition to anatomy, the knowledge of ultrasound physics is also critical to the performance of ultrasound examinations and the generation of diagnostic medical images.
The program is now pleased to offer placement with two clinical partners: UW Health in Madison and the Mayo Clinic in Rochester. We encourage students to apply to both clinical partners as admission to the program is on a competitive basis. The number of students admitted to the major is dependent on the student capacity at the current clinical sites.
Application Process
- UW Health outlines its application process, admission requirements, and provides a timeline at UWHC DMS Application Process Outline. An additional resource UWHC provides is a UWHC DMS Student Application Checklist
- Students are responsible for satisfying the Pre-Professional Course Requirements
- When ready to apply, please contact Pete Amann (pamann@uwlax.edu) for a UWHC DMS application. Applications are due to Pete Amann (4033 HSC) by December 1.
- UW Health requires applicants have previous Patient Care Experience. Students are required to submit a completed Verification of Patient Care Experience Form
- Students are required to submit a completed Verification of Job Shadow Form
- Students are required to submit an Autobiographical Statement. Autobiography Statement Instructions and Rubric
- Students will submit the required $50 application fee payment via credit card directly to UW Health using the DMS Application Fee Credit Card Payment Authorization Form
- Completion of UWL Ethics Module in Canvas. UWL students can self-enroll in the Canvas course. Non-UWL students please contact Pete Amann at pamann@uwlax.edu for assistance. Applicants will submit their certificate of completion as part of their supplemental materials in the application.
- UW Health will hold one in-person Open House and one virtual Open House for 2024 applicants during the Fall 2023 semester. UWHC Open House Invitation Fall 2023
- Mayo Clinic requires separate applications for the General Vascular Program and the Echocardiography Program.
- Supplemental application materials include:
- CV/Resume
- Essay - applicants will receive prompts as they complete the application process
- Certified nursing assistant or other health care certification, licensure, or registry
- Unofficial college transcripts from all institutions attended, including PSEO or AP coursework. Uploaded transcripts must contain a GPA and reflect all Fall 2023 grades, as well as any prerequisite coursework planned for Spring 2024. Please include a copy of your Ethics certificate with your UWL transcript as a single file when uploading to the Mayo online application.
- One Academic Recommendation: Choose a person familiar with your educational qualifications and your potential for success in the field of sonography. References may include current or former teachers or professors.
- One Professional Recommendation: Choose a person familiar with your professional qualifications and your potential for success in the field of sonography. References may include employers, teachers, or supervisors.
- Completion of UWL Ethics Module in Canvas. UWL students can self-enroll in the Canvas course. Non-UWL students please contact Pete Amann at pamann@uwlax.edu for assistance. Applicants will submit their certificate of completion as part of their supplemental materials in the application. Please include a copy of your Ethics certificate with your UWL transcript as a single file when uploading to the Mayo online application.
- Mayo Clinic will hold an in-person Open House on Saturday, October 14. Mayo Clinic Radiology Imaging Programs Open House
Selection Process
The size of the program is limited by the clinical internships. Students must make formal application to the UW Health and Mayo Clinic programs in December. Refer to the appropriate sample degree plan posted on the "Program" page.
The UW Health and Mayo Clinic programs maintain a selection committee composed of representatives from the university, healthcare community, and the clinical affiliates. The committee evaluates each application on the basis of the applicant’s past academic performance (a minimum cumulative GPA of 3.0 is required for admission into the professional program), their references, their past work experience, and the results of a formal interview. Based on these factors, the applicants are ranked and accepted for entry into the professional program.
Students who successfully meet program requirements in the professional core courses will interview with the clinical internship sites and upon selection by one of the sites will be placed for the clinical internship.
Acceptance is effective at the beginning of the third year and conditional upon successful completion of courses in progress at the time of notification of acceptance. Selection is also conditional upon students’ compliance with state laws for caregivers including submission to a criminal background check.
Tuition and costs of professional education
While at the clinical internship, which spans two academic years, students will pay the base tuition rate to UWL, in addition to a “clinical experience fee” which will be assessed each semester in the program. These fees are a percentage of the base tuition rate and may fluctuate slightly and are approximately $6,500 per academic year. Additionally, students may have fees, assessed by the clinical internship program, which are associated with professional costs like textbooks, caregiver background checks, scrubs, etc.