Technical Standards

Meeting the technical standards is a prerequisite for entry and continued enrollment in the UMBC Diagnostic Medical Sonography Program.

  • Prerequisite Knowledge:
    • Students must demonstrate knowledge of all prerequisite courses.
  • Learning and Comprehension:
    • Learn and perform at the college level.
    • Develop mastery of academic and clinical instruction as demonstrated through written and other testing.
    • Demonstrate ability to read and understand written materials required in clinical practice (exam orders, patient reports, etc.).
  • Communication Skills:
    • Exhibit adequate English skills, both written and verbal.
    • Interact and communicate proficiently with other students, instructors, patients, sonographers, medical personnel, and physicians.
  • Professional Conduct:
    • Exhibit professional conduct (respect, positivity, integrity, accountability, teachability, cultural competency, emotional intelligence) during class and clinical time. 
  • Patient Care:
    • Demonstrate and effectively use the basic patient care skills required of an Allied Health Professional.
  • Clinical Rotations:
    • Attend and participate in full-day clinical rotations as assigned.
    • Complete the minimum number of clinical hours required (1070).
  • Equipment Operation:
    • Operate ultrasound equipment competently with program training.
    • Perform standard ultrasound views according to protocols taught by the program.

Accepted students are required to provide a physician’s certification of their ability to meet the physical standards outlined below.

  • Fine Motor Skills:
    • Master fine muscle control of arm and hand (required to obtain precise, detailed sonographic images).
    • Use both upper and lower extremities to operate the equipment, simultaneously typing with one hand and scanning with the other.
    • Cardiac students must master fine muscle control of the left arm and hand.
    • Abd-Ext, OB/GYN, and Vascular students must master fine muscle control of the right arm and hand.
  • Endurance and Stamina:
    • Have sufficient physical health to meet the demands of the profession.
    • Routinely bend, turn, twist, reach, sit, and/or stand for long periods of time.
    • Have the ability to maintain prolonged arm positions necessary for scanning.
  • Strength and Lifting:
    • Have sufficient strength to lift patients of all sizes and conditions when necessary and move patients in wheelchairs and stretchers.
    • Assist in lifting/sliding patients for bed-to-stretcher transfer.
    • Assist patients in moving from chair/wheelchair to bed.
    • Turn patients in bed/stretcher; assist patients in moving from bed to toilet.
    • Have sufficient strength to move heavy equipment on wheels (up to approximately 500 lbs.) over long distances and in tight spaces.
  • Sensory Capabilities:
    • Have adequate visual acuity (with or without correction).
    • Be able to discern color and B/W on the ultrasound machine monitor.
    • Be capable of hearing within the normal audible range to perceive all exam (Doppler) information.