DIAGNOSTIC MEDICAL SONOGRAPHY (DMS), Associate degree

Diagnostic medical sonography (DMS) — also sometimes referred to as ultrasound or diagnostic imaging — is the process of operating specialized medical equipment that uses high-frequency sound waves to create images of the body’s organs and tissues.

They work in concert with physicians and the broader health care team to assess a patient’s symptoms and ultimately develop a medical diagnosis. They are often in charge of preparing and maintaining equipment, prepping patients for the procedure, and answering any questions.

They also review the ultrasound images to check for quality and coverage of the areas needed, analyze information to provide physicians with an overview of their findings and record all their findings for patients’ medical records.

It is an area that is fast-growing in healthcare and increasingly used to detect a wide range of conditions, including heart disease, heart attack, and vascular disease.

Becoming a diagnostic medical sonographer generally requires a formal education — most often an associate degree from a qualified, accredited school — and often professional certification.

Ideally, you will want a program like the one we offer at Casa Loma College, which combines in-depth classroom coursework in medical concepts and terminology with hands-on clinical experience.

A Diagnostic Medical Sonography, associate degree program will prepare you to complete the certification exams to help you in your future job search. For example, upon successful completion of our DMS program, Casa Loma graduates are eligible to apply for national certification examinations of the American Registry of Diagnostic Medical Sonographers (ARDMS) in the areas of Abdomen, Obstetrics, and Gynecology and Sonography Principles and the American Registry of Radiologic Technologists (ARRT) in the Sonography Primary Pathway Certification.

At Casa Loma College, our Associate of Science degree in Diagnostic Medical Sonography is a seven-semester program that combines classroom instruction with practical experience in labs and clinical work in a wide variety of healthcare settings. It is a blended learning program, so while some of your coursework is completed online, you also benefit from hands-on training with experienced professionals.

Topics covered in our diagnostic medical sonography classes include:

Human anatomy and physiology

Medical terminology

Fundamentals of sonography

Abdominal and small parts imaging

Obstetrics and gynaecology imaging

Professional aspects of sonography

Vascular imaging

Patient/sonographer interactions

Physical principles and instrumentation of imaging