Earn your degree from our diagnostic medical sonography program (ultrasound) in just two years.
Our Sonography Program Will Make You a Vital Part of a Medical Team.
Ultrasonography is an advanced technology that uses sound waves to generate images used for assessment and diagnosis of various medical conditions. The two-year accredited sonography program at NMC provides students with the knowledge and hands-on clinical training to become a certified sonographer.
The curriculum at NMC focuses on different parts of the body. The obstetrics and gynecologic portion focuses on imaging of the female reproductive system and includes one of the more well-known uses of sonography - examining the fetus of a pregnant woman to follow the baby's growth and development.
The abdominal portion of the curriculum involves learning the anatomy of the abdominal cavity to help diagnose and treat conditions primarily involving the aorta, gallbladder, bile ducts, kidneys, liver, pancreas and spleen. During the program you will also focus on the breast, thyroid and male reproductive system.
Multispecialty Sonography Program Info
- This Associate of Science degree in sonography is a two year program.
- Students are able to sit for abdomen and obstetrics/gynecology examinations by the American Registry of Diagnostic Medical Sonographers (ARDMS).
- In addition to student-focused instruction and laboratory learning experiences, students gain hands-on experience through supervised clinical training at hospitals and clinics throughout the greater Omaha area.
Sonographer Salary & Job Outlook
The Bureau of Labor Statistics indicates the U. S. median salary in 2010 for diagnostic medical sonographers was $64,380 per year, with a forecast of faster than average job growth until 2020 of 44 percent.
Professional Organizations
To learn more about the field of echocardiography, please visit the websites below
Program Accreditation
The Cardiovascular Sonography program is accredited by the Commission on Accreditation of Allied Health Education Programs upon the recommendation of the Joint Review Committee on Education in Diagnostic Medical Sonography.
Commission on Accreditation of Allied Health Education Programs
1361 Park Street
Clearwater, FL 33756
727-210-2350
www.caahep.org
Tuition & Fees
Attending Nebraska Methodist College represents a major investment in your future. For most students, attending college takes planning and sacrifice. NMC recognizes that and is committed to helping you find every avenue to finance your education. View the Tuition by Program & Degree page for a comprehensive list of all fees.
| Tuition per credit hour: $528 |
First Time Freshmen:
Financial Assistance
At NMC we offer financial aid to our students, and help you understand what financial resources are available to you. View our Financial Assistance page to learn about the Financial Assistance process, policies and options.
Scholarships
Nebraska Methodist College scholarships consist of funds generously provided by the Methodist Hospital Foundation to assist our students. View our Scholarships page to learn more.
All students are required to complete specific coursework. This list should only be used as a curriculum guide. Course listings and required curriculum are subject to change.
Included within this list is the Educated Citizen Core Curriculum. All students seeking to complete an undergraduate degree at Nebraska Methodist College must complete this set of Arts & Sciences requirements. As an educated citizen, NMC graduates are competent practitioners and respond productively to the complex dynamics of the world, utilizing a diversity of disciplines and perspectives.
Program Prerequisites
First Year - Fall Semester
There is a strong relationship between thinking clearly and expressing thoughts in formal writing and public speaking. Using the skills of logic and critical thinking, students will examine ideas, analyze and evaluate the arguments of others, and advocate for their own ideas. Students will be introduced to the NMC Portfolio process.
- Credits: 3.0
- Prerequisites: HUM 150 is to be taken in the first semester
This survey course begins with a major focus on cellular function and pathology, including inflammation, infection, immune response, metabolism, and fluid disequilibria. These concepts serve as the foundation for the course as alterations in various bodily functions are examined. Alterations in body fluid and electrolyte homeostasis; fluid acid/base balance; gastrointestinal, urinary, respiratory, cardiac, endocrine and neurological functions are emphasized. The student will be introduced to pharmacological principles of commonly used classes of medications. The various drug classifications and general characteristics of drugs within a class are examined. These characteristics include the pharmacokinetics, pharmacodynamics, side effects, adverse effects and drug interactions of common drugs within each class.
- Credits: 4.0
- Prerequisites: SCI 200
Course work will include information concerning documentation sonography, sonographic images, basic patient care techniques, infection control and universal precautions, emergency conditions, body mechanics/ergonomics, history taking and lab values. Physical principle taught will include; elementary principles (including the acoustic variables and acoustic parameters), basic transducer construction and function, recognition of simple artifacts, introduction to Doppler, and adjusting system controls for image acquisition. Teaching methods will include lectures / discussions and practical scanning labs.In addition to the above mentioned, gross anatomy, physiology, and sonographic anatomy of the abdominal organs to include great vessels, portal system, liver and biliary systems will be taught. Normal anatomy and ultrasound evaluation of the female pelvis and reproductive system as well as obstetrical applications of ultrasound will be discussed. The student will be required to complete a course in cardiopulmonary resuscitation (BCLS).
- Credits: 5.0
- Prerequisites: DMS 102, SCI 116, SCI 225 and 226 (with labs), SCI 215, COM 101, SCI 110
This laboratory course will be used to enhance and reinforce material taught didactically in DMS 108. Students will learn scanning techniques in the laboratory on real-time ultrasound equipment. Correlation of theory to practice will be measured through attendance, scanning assignments and competency exams over the protocol of the above mentioned sonographic anatomy taught in DMS 108.
- Credits: 2.0
- Prerequisites: DMS 102, SCI 116, SCI 225 and 226 (with labs), SCI 215, COM 101, SCI 110
First Year - Spring Semester
Students may choose a Humanities elective course.
This course provides an introduction to the basics of cross-sectional anatomy of the head, neck, chest, abdomen and pelvic anatomy with emphasis on structures visualized in diagnostic medical sonography, computerized technology (CT), and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and nuclear medicine. The anatomy will be evaluated in multiple planes. The cadaver lab will be used to emphasize the relationships between anatomic structures.
This course addresses a broad range of topics related to professional ethics and law including application of ethical principles, professionalization of medical imaging disciplines, theories and models related to incidence and prevention of medical mistakes and state and federal laws that affect medical imaging.
- Credits: 1.0
- Prerequisites: Instructor permission required for those not enrolled in the Sonography Program
Students are assigned to the clinical setting to begin performing sonographic procedures, practice basic patient care skills including patient mobility and practice fundamental operation of the ultrasound machine. Correlation of theory to practice is measured through attendance, clinical logs, and rotation evaluations.
- Credits: 2.0
- Prerequisites: DMS 108, DMS 108L
DMS 233 is a continuation of SO 108. Lecture content includes gross anatomy, physiology, pertinent lab values, and sonographic imaging of the abdominal organs to include the spleen, GI tract, renal and small parts. First through third trimester obstetrical applications of ultrasound to include embryology, the developing fetus, and sonographic imaging and measurement of the normal fetus will be taught. The laboratory is used to enhance and reinforce material taught didactically. The essential components of the case presentation are introduced. Students present cases in an open forum for discussion and evaluation. Information presented includes patient history, sonographic findings, and patient follow-up. The examinations are also critiqued for technique, artifacts, and demonstration of anatomy and pathology. Students are evaluated based on their in-class written and oral presentations, and overall participation. Students also participate in journal club exercise.
- Credits: 5.0
- Prerequisites: DMS 108, DMS 108L, SCI 206
Principles of sound propagation and tissue interaction are addressed. These include reflection, refraction, absorption and attenuation, the piezoelectric effect, transducer characteristics, focusing and resolution.
- Credits: 2.0
- Prerequisites: SCI 110, DMS 108/118
Second Year - Summer Semester
Students are assigned to various clinical rotations where they gain hands-on experience under the direction and supervision of clinical instructors. While students will observe and participate in all areas of sonography, the specific areas of emphasis are abdominal and gynecological applications.
- Credits: 4.0
- Prerequisites: DMS 115
This course focuses on the sonographic appearance of pathologic conditions related to the abdomen, female pelvis and first trimester. The laboratory setting is used to enhance and reinforce material taught didactically. Students will also present interesting cases in a small group setting. Patient's medical history, pertinent lab values, medical procedures, and sonographic images comprise a complete case review to be followed by an open discussion. In addition, the essential elements of technical report writing will be reinforced through written case reports and technical writing exercise.
- Credits: 6.0
- Prerequisites: DMS 233
Building on material taught in DMS 214, this course continues with the principles Doppler and hemodynamics. In addition to classroom lecture and discussion, students will participate in practical exercises involving setting up and performing Doppler examinations
- Credits: 1.0
- Prerequisites: SCI 110, DMS 108/118, DMS 214
Second Year - Fall Semester
This course explores the ways in which human beings make and remake the meaning of their social world through the production of culture. It employs sociological methods to explore the construction of the dominant, white subculture in the United States. The same methodologies are employed to examine the construction of subcultures in the United States, including those based on race, ethnicity, gender and sexual orientation.
Course material includes anatomy, pathology, and sonographic imaging used in the care of the high-risk obstetric patient. Pathology of the thyroid, breast, male pelvis and scrotum as well as superficial imaging will be covered. Pediatric topics will also be discussed. This course puts more emphasis on technical report writing and film critique.
- Credits: 6.0
- Prerequisites: DMS 108, DMS 233, DMS 239
A continuation of Clinical Practicum I and II this course will allow students to broaden their hands-on experience in the clinical setting to include obstetrics/gynecology as well as abdominal sonography. Students continue to perform examinations under direct supervision of clinical instructors and, as the semester progresses, they are given more clinical responsibility.
- Credits: 5.0
- Prerequisites: DMS 115, DMS 237
Building on material taught in DMS 214 and DMS 216, this course continues with the principles of pulse-echo imaging, image storage and display, image features and artifacts, quality assurance and bioeffects.
- Credits: 2.0
- Prerequisites: SCI 110, DMS 108/118,DMS 214, DMS 216
Second Year - Spring Semester
Access to healthcare is greatly affected by one's command of language. Students in this course engage in the exploration of language and culture then apply these concepts to the healthcare environment through service-learning and community engagement. Students develop practical communication skills that enable effective cross-cultural work with health professionals and clients with backgrounds different from their own.
This clinical course continues to provide the opportunity for students to provide quality patient care while performing supervised sonographic examinations in all areas of practice. Professional judgment, patient care and critical thinking skills are further developed through interaction with patients and health care providers.
- Credits: 5.0
- Prerequisites: DMS 115, DMS 237, DMS 248
This course will introduce the multispecialty sonography student to vascular sonography. It will include the hemodynamics and physiology of the vascular system. The student will be introduced to normal l vasculature and the differentiation between the venous and arterial systems. Discussion will include the clinical signs and symptoms and the appropriate diagnostic testing and treatment of various vascular diseases. Emphasis will be placed on the functional workings and settings associated with vascular procedures. Students will participate in an on-line discussion forum by posting case studies and responding to peers case studies and questions according to the discussion format guidelines and rubric.
- Credits: 3.0
- Prerequisites: DMS 108, DMS 233, DMS 239, DMS 243
This course is designed to help prepare students for the ARDMS board examinations in Sonography Principles and Instrumentation (SPI), Abdomen and OB/GYN. Methods include the use of computer assisted instruction (CAIs), case review, simulated registry examinations and class discussion. Students also work with an application skill specialist on effective test-taking techniques for exams on the computer. Students will also be required to take the SPI examination as part of this course prior to graduation in May. This course will assist students in the transition from student sonographer to professional sonographer, including ARDMS registry exam preparation. Additional topics such as resume writing, interview and negotiation skills, understanding benefits and different avenues of the sonography career ladder are also discussed.
This course is designed to prepare associate degree students for the required portfolio presentation they deliver in their final semester. Students will apply the reflective process to the goals of the Educated Citizen Core Curriculum in online assignments and in an in-person presentation. A complete portfolio, successful completion of the course, and successful presentation are required as the culminating assignment before graduation.
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Jean Munger
