A.S. in Diagnostic Medical Sonography

Mt. San Jacinto College

The Diagnostic Medical Sonography program is a non-transfer AS degree program, consisting of a cohort group completing 4 semesters + 1 summer semester which includes a 12-month clinical internship. This program is competitive in nature due to the greater number of applicants as compared to the number of available clinical internships. This degree program provides an opportunity for students to be educated and trained in the healthcare career of Diagnostic Medical Sonography. The objective of the program is to graduate students who are competent and confident in providing excellent patient care in the field of sonography.

The mission of the DMS program is to prepare competent entry-level sonographers in the cognitive (knowledge), psychomotor (skills), and affective (behavior) learning domains. Students will demonstrate a high competency in anatomy and pathology, as seen on the ultrasound exam. Students will be evaluated on didactic learning in Ultrasound Physics and Instrumentation, hands-on scanning skills, communication skills, patient care, and critical thinking ability.

Students will practice ultrasound scanning skills with ultrasound equipment in the campus lab. Those skills will be applied and enhanced in an affiliated medical center by training on the job with a licensed sonographer scanning patients. The DMS program prepares the student to work in an ultrasound department performing abdomen, superficial structures (thyroid, breast, and testicular), gynecology, and obstetric ultrasound exams. Additional vascular didactic and lab training is included in the program curriculum, although our program has not pursued vascular accreditation at this time.