Admission Requirements Diagnostic Medical Sonography

All Schools of Radiation and Imaging Technologies

1. Satisfactory physical, mental and emotional health.


2. Minimum age of 18 years.


3. Satisfactory graduation from an accredited high school with a college or vocational/technical diploma, with a minimum 2.5 GPA; or passing score on the General Education Development test (GED) of the American Council on Education.


4. Transfer students from other Diagnostic Medical Sonography programs will not be accepted.


5. Scholastic Aptitude  Reasoning Test (SAT I) – minimum math and critical reading (verbal) total score of 850 (writing section not included) or American College Test (ACT) – minimum composite score of 18.


6. A degree from an institution accredited by the Regional Association for Colleges and Schools (MSA/CAE, NEASE, NCE, NACS, SACS, WASC) or Distance Education and Training Council (DETC) may be considered in the selection process, but not in place of, SAT I or ACT scores.


7. College level courses including Math, English, Science, Computers, Psychology, and/or Sociology at an accredited college (with a minimum of grade if 2.0 in each course) will be considered in the selection process, but not in place of, SAT I or ACT scores.
   
   Courses excluded from consideration are:
   • Remedial courses
   • Developmental studies courses
   • Courses with essentially non-academic content (orientation, career courses, etc.)
   • Non-transferable courses (grades of “D” or lower)


8. A status of good standing (not on probation, suspension or expulsion) at the last institution attended.


9. Applicants are required to visit the hospital when invited. This includes a personal interview and a tour of the ultrasound department.

School of Diagnostic Medical Sonography

In addition to numbers 1 through 9 for all schools:

10. Graduate of a nationally or regionally accredited Radiologic Technology or other programmatic, nationally or regionally accredited two-year allied health education program that is patient care related (clinical education component is predominantly supervised direct patient care in a hospital environment), or graduate of a regionally accredited U.S. postsecondary institution with a minimum of an Associate degree and documentation of health-related experience.


11. Completion of postsecondary education at a regionally accredited U.S. postsecondary institution in:
    • Medical Terminology
    • Human Anatomy and Physiology I & II
    • Physics
    • Biology
    • Communications
    • Information Technology
    • Psychology
    • Statistics
    • Algebra or a higher-level mathematics.


12. Certification in good standing with the appropriate U.S. certification board or eligible to write, and subsequently pass, the appropriate U.S. certification examination by the end of the first quarter if provisionally accepted, as applicable.

Upon acceptance, the applicant must complete or submit:

1. Physical examination, immunizations (documentation of MMR, tetanus [Tdap], hepatitis B, and varicella), and PPD (TB).


2. Criminal background check and drug screen performed through www.advantagestudents.com.


3. Proof of professional liability insurance, prior to enrollment, that documents coverage for term of enrollment.


4. Documentation of CPR certification (Basic Life Support for Healthcare Provider) by American Heart Association.

Admission Requirements - Foreign Student

An applicant will be classified as a "Foreign Student" if the school credentials he/she submits for evaluation are from schools or colleges outside of the United States. This applicant, in addition to meeting the admission requirements outlined in the previous sections, must also meet the following requirements:

1. A non-citizen applicant is required to provide documentation from the Immigration and Naturalization Service (INS) of permanent resident status by presenting his/her alien registration card. The school is not approved by the INS to enroll non-immigrant status students.


2. The applicant must present official secondary and postsecondary (college or university) certificates, credentials, or diplomas. Official documents must bear authoritative signatures, seals and stamps. If possible, the institution issuing the document should send these. Certified original translation must accompany all documents not printed in English. Secondary grades should equal the equivalent of a "B" average. Applicants who completed postsecondary courses must have earned satisfactory grades in all courses attempted and be in good standing. The average score should be equivalent to a "C" or better.


3. If the applicant’s native language is not English, one of the following must be submitted:


• Proof of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) test with a minimum score of 210. The TOEFL test must have been taken within the last two years to be acceptable.


• Georgia State Test of English Proficiency with the minimum progress of "Intermediate".

Special Consideration

Felony and misdemeanor convictions, regardless of resolution, may cause a student to be ineligible to take the national certification examination given by the American Registry for Diagnostic Medical Sonography (ARDMS). All Joint Commission accredited hospitals require sonographers to be certified by the ARDMS.

An applicant who has a felony or misdemeanor conviction must determine if he/she will be eligible for the Registry examination before he/she applies to the program. It is the responsibility of the applicant to pursue this matter. The program is not and will not be involved in this process in any manner.

The American Registry for Diagnostic Medical Sonography will consider, for determination of eligibility, any felony or misdemeanor conviction of an applicant on a case-by-case basis. The ARDMS charges a fee for this service. To obtain Pre-application: Criminal information, contact the ARDMS at the following address:

Technical Standards

Students must be able to meet the physical and technical requirements necessary for the course of study in Radiation and Imaging Technologies. The physical and technical requirements are:

Student must have sufficient strength, motor coordination and manual dexterity to:

• Transport, move, lift, and transfer patients from a wheelchair or stretcher to an examination table or to a patient's bed;
• Move, adjust and manipulate a variety of imaging equipment, including the physical transportation of mobile imaging machines, in order to arrange and align the equipment with respect to the patient and the image receptor according to established procedures and standards of speed and accuracy;
• Frequently lift objects weighing 35 pounds or less; overhead is the highest point of any lift; and the floor is the lowest point of any lift;
• Continuously carry objects weighing 10 pounds or less; frequently carry objects weighing 49 pounds or less; and rarely carry objects weighing 50 pounds or more;
• Push or pull objects requiring continuous minimal, moderate and, occasionally, maximum effort;
• Stand in place 45 consecutive minutes; stand on feet 80% of the time; and
• Perform motor skills such as continuous reaching out, reaching up, and fast response; frequent bending, twisting, turning, squatting, wrist turning and grasping; occasional kneeling; and rarely crawling;

Student must be capable of:

• Handling stressful situations related to technical and procedural standards and patient care situations;
• Providing physical and emotional support to the patient during procedures, responding to situations requiring first aid and providing emergency care to the patient in the absence of or until a physician arrives;
• Communicating verbally in an effective manner in order to direct patients during examinations; giving and receiving verbal communications; writing patient information; and using basic computer skills;
• Reading and interpreting patient charts and requisitions for examinations;
• Hearing normal sounds with some background noise; distinguishing sounds, as in voice patterns; and
• Adequately viewing sonograms, including color distinctions (sonographers only).

Student must have the mental and intellectual capacity to:

• Calculate and select proper technical exposure factors according to the individual needs of the patient and the requirements of the procedure's standards of speed and accuracy;
• Review and evaluate the recorded images for the purpose of identifying proper patient positioning, accurate procedural sequencing, proper exposure and other appropriate and pertinent technical qualities; and
• Remember multiple tasks and assignments.

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