AAS in Diagnostic Medical Sonography

The profession of diagnostic medical sonography includes general sonography, cardiac sonography, vascular technology, and various subspecialties. The profession requires judgment and the ability to provide appropriate health care services. General sonographers, adult cardiac sonographers, pediatric cardiac sonographers, and vascular technologists are highly skilled professionals qualified by education to provide patient services using diagnostic techniques under the supervision of a licensed doctor of medicine or osteopathy. The general sonographer, adult cardiac sonographer, pediatric cardiac sonographer, and vascular technologist may provide this service in a variety of medical settings where the physician is responsible for the use and interpretation of appropriate procedures. General sonographers, adult cardiac sonographers, pediatric cardiac sonographers, and vascular technologists assist physicians in gathering data necessary to reach diagnostic decisions.

Transfer Potential: Thomas Jefferson University, Misercordia University, and Adventist University of Health Sciences.

State licensing

If you are a Northampton Community College student living outside of Pennsylvania or intending to complete an internship or clinical placement outside of the state in an NCC program leading to professional licensure, you should review the requirements on the state board website to make sure that the program qualifies.

Licensure requirements vary from state to state and you may require additional authorization from the professional licensing agency in that state. Participating in a program from outside of Pennsylvania, if not properly authorized by that state's professional licensing board, could result in loss of licensing eligibility. If you need help or have questions, please contact the Program Director for more information.

The Associate in Applied Science Degree in Diagnostic Medical Sonography at NCC is a 24-month competency-based program beginning in the fall semester of each year. This program is designed for the individual without an Allied Health background. Practice in scanning and instrumentation is done in the lab facility on NCC's campus. The clinical education component of the program is conducted at various clinical affiliates in the Lehigh Valley, Poconos, Bucks County, and New Jersey. There are approximately 1560 hours of clinical education.

First Semester

• COLS101College Success
• BIOS204Human Anatomy & Physiology I
• DMSG101Essentials of Patient Care
• DMSG102Introduction to Diagnostic Medical Sonography
• DMSG103Introduction to Acoustical Physics
• DMSG104Introduction to Clinical Education
• DMSG125Sectional Anatomy for Medical Imagers
• ENGL101English I
• MATH140College Algebra

Second Semester

• BIOS254Human Anatomy & Physiology II
• DMSG105Acoustic Physics & Instrumentation I
• DMSG110Abdominal Sonography- Anatomy, Physiology, Imaging & Critique I
• DMSG115OB&GYN Sonography- Anatomy, Physiology, Imaging & Critique I
• DMSG124Clinical Education I

Summer Session

• DMSG174Clinical Education II
• Elective

Third Semester

• CMTH102Introduction to Communication
• DMSG155Acoustic Physics & Instrumentation II
• DMSG160Abdominal Sonography- Anatomy, Physiology, Imaging & Critique II
• DMSG163Fundamentals of Fetal Scanning
• DMSG224Clinical Education III
• ENGL151LEnglish II

Fourth Semester

• DMSG165OB&GYN Sonography- Anatomy, Physiology, Imaging & Critique II
• DMSG215GSmall Parts and Special Topics
• DMSG234Clinical Education IV
• DMSG235Introduction to Vascular Sonography
• PSYC103Introduction to Psychology
• Social Science: Societies and Institutions over Time Elective (SIT)

Summer Session

• DMSG244 Clinical Education V

Human Anatomy and Physiology I is substituted for one of the Human Knowledge courses.

Computer competencies are included in various courses in this program. Thus, completing the program automatically satisfies the computing requirement for this program.

To produce graduates:

• To prepare competent entry-level general sonographers in the cognitive (knowledge), psychomotor (skills), and affective (behavior) learning domains.
• with a broad knowledge base that enables them to embrace life-long learning.
• who are able to adapt to the ever-changing technology in the health care industry.
• who are competent to pass the certification examination.
• who meet or exceed the needs of their employers.

According to the United States Department of Labor's Bureau of Labor Statistics (bls.gov), employment of diagnostic medical sonographers is expected to grow by 44 percent by 2020, much faster than the average for all occupations. As ultrasound technology evolves, it will become a more common method used to assist in diagnosing medical conditions, favored over more invasive procedures.

Future Career Paths

• Sonographer (RDMS)
• Vascular Technologist (RVT)
• Echocardiographer (RDCS)