| What is Diagnostic Medical Sonography? |
Diagnostic medical sonography uses high frequency sound waves (ultrasound) to produce visual images of organs, tissues, or blood flow inside the body. Sonographers provide direct patient care by performing diagnostic tests, and may work in hospitals, private doctor’s offices, specialty clinics, or laboratories. Graduates of our DMS program will sit for the ARDMS Sonographic Principles and Instrumentation exam. Learn more about the career at www.sdms.org. GTC’s sonography program is accredited by the Commission on Accreditation of Allied Health Education Programs (www.CAAHEP.org) upon the recommendation of the Joint Review Committee on Education in Diagnostic Medical Sonography (JRC-DMS).
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Length of Program
Semester Program Begins
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5 semesters (not including prerequisite courses); Program courses must be taken in sequence within the prescribed time frame
Fall Semester; Full time; Day classes only
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| General Admission Application Process |
- Apply to Gwinnett Technical College at www.gwinnetttech.edu submit all transcripts from high school and previous college work, and take the Accuplacer test if required (You must be accepted into Gwinnett Tech prior to applying to a program of study.)
- Applicants are initially accepted into the Interdisciplinary Studies degree program while completing the required prerequisite courses
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| Program Application Process |
- All applicants are required to submit a program application packet after completing all requirements (prerequisites and ATI TEAS exam). Program packet forms are available online at http://www.gwinnetttech.edu/enrollment/forms- documents/.
- For Fall semester admission, the program application, TEAS for Allied Health Exam (minimum score accepted is 80%) and all prerequisites must be completed by June 8th with a 3.2 GPA.
- One Monthly Information session attendance is required to apply to the program.
- Top applicants will be required to attend a mandatory meeting in person at the Lawrenceville Campus during the 3rd week of June. The exact date will be stated in the program application packet.
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Prerequisite Courses
(3.2 GPA minimum)
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All of the following must be taken prior to applying to the program: |
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*Courses may not be more than 5 years old at time of program application
**Courses may not be more than 10 years old at time of program application
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| Additional Required Course |
One of the following: |
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Additional Required Course: Preferred to be taken before program start date, but can be taken during program
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Program Deadlines
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For Fall semester admission: application file, TEAS exam, and prerequisites must be completed by June 8th . |
| Competitive Admissions |
- Candidates are scored and ranked based on: prerequisite courses GPA on all attempts and TEAS exam.
- One Monthly Information session attendance is required to apply to the program.
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| Program Costs and Requirements |
Uniform scrubs, shoes, books; liability insurance; criminal background check and drug screening; immunizations (e.g. COVID19 vaccine) for hospital clinical; exam fees for certification. More costs may be added as the program is developed.
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| For more information: |
Josh Vejar, Program Support Specialist, Health Sciences Department,
Jvejar@Gwinnetttech.edu or 678-226-6404 or Building 200, Room 212, of the Lawrenceville Campus. To schedule volunteer lab hours, please email: jvejar@gwinnetttech.edu |
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Information Sessions
Everyone is welcome to attend our information session held on the 2nd Tuesday of each month*
at 4:00 p.m. in building 200, Room 104, Lawrenceville Campus.
*There will not be an information session in July and December*
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Quick Facts
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| 2021 Median Pay |
$77,740 per year/ $40.50 per hour |
| Entry level education |
Associate degree |
| Number of jobs, 2020 |
75,900 |
| Job growth 2020-2030 |
14% (much faster than average) |
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Nature of the Work
Sonographers use special equipment to direct high frequency sound waves into areas of the patient’s body. Sonographers operate the equipment, which collects reflected echoes and forms an image that may be videotaped, transmitted, or photographed for interpretation and diagnosis by a physician. Viewing the screen during the scan, sonographers look for subtle visual cues that contrast healthy areas with unhealthy ones. They decide whether the images are satisfactory for diagnostic purposes and select which ones to store and show to the physician. In addition to working directly with patients, diagnostic medical sonographers keep patient records and adjust and maintain equipment. They also may prepare work schedules, evaluate equipment purchases, or manage a sonography or diagnostic imaging department.
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| Work Environment |
| Sonographers typically work in healthcare facilities that pass stringent national cleanliness requirements. They work with diagnostic ultrasound imaging systems in darkened rooms, but they may also perform procedures at the bedside and during surgical procedures. Sonographers may be on their feet for long periods of time and may have to lift or turn disabled patients. Full-time sonographers work 40 hours a week, and many facilities now employ full-time sonographers for night and weekend hours. Some sonographers are on-call for emergency procedures and must be ready to report to report to work on short notice. |
| Employment |
| Diagnostic medical sonographers held about 75,900 jobs nationally in 2020. About 60 percent of all sonographer jobs were in public and private hospitals. The remaining jobs were typically in offices of physicians, medical and diagnostic laboratories, and outpatient care centers. Employment of diagnostic medical sonographers is expected to increase by about 14 percent from 2020 to 2030. The demand for certified sonographers is due to the increased variety of sonographic exams and the number of sonographers that will retire. |
| Earnings |
| The median annual wage for diagnostic medical sonographers was $77,740 in May 2021. The lowest 10 percent earned less than $59,640, and the highest 10 percent earned more than $101,650. Median annual wages of diagnostic medical sonographers in 2021 were $77,760 in offices of physicians and $77,770 in hospitals. |
| Research the Career |
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sdms.org/ ardms.org aium.org
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Bureau of Labor Statistics, U.S. Department of Labor, Occupational Outlook Handbook, 2012-13 Edition, Diagnostic Medical Sonographers
http://www.bls.gov/ooh/healthcare/diagnostic-medical-sonographers.htm (visited May 4, 2022). |
Gwinnett Tech does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, creed, national or ethnic origin, sex, religion, disability, age, political affiliation or belief, genetic information, veteran status, or citizenship status. For compliance concerns, contact Lisa Richardson, Section 504/ADA, Title IX and Equity Coordinator, at lrichardson@gwinnetttech.edu, 678-226-6691, Building 100, Office 407.
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