Meeting the technical standards is a prerequisite for entry and continued enrollment in the UMBC Diagnostic Medical Sonography Program.
Academic and Cognitive Standards
- 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.
Professionalism and Behavioral Standards
- 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 and Technical Skills
- 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.
Physical and Health Standards
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.
Learn More About UMBC DMSP
UMBC values safety, cultural and ethnic diversity, social responsibility, lifelong learning, equity, and civic engagement. Consistent with these principles, the University does not discriminate in offering equal access to its educational programs and activities or with respect to employment terms and conditions on the basis of a UMBC community member’s race, creed, color, religion, sex, gender, pregnancy, ancestry, age, gender identity or expression, national origin, veterans status, marital status, sexual orientation, physical or mental disability, or genetic information.