Program Details

The Diagnostic Medical Sonography Program is designed to prepare competent entry-level general, vascular, or cardiac (echocardiographic) sonographers by providing didactic and laboratory instruction as well as clinical site experiences through rotations at participating hospitals and medical affiliates.This curriculum is designed to prepare students for a career as a health science professional who produces diagnostic images of the human body using special equipment to direct high frequency sound waves into different anatomic structures in a patient's body. The sonographer is a central member of the healthcare team and assists the radiologist in gathering diagnostic data for interpretation. NOVA's program emphasizes didactic and 'hands-on' practice of sonographic techniques in a well-equipped scanning laboratory at the Medical Education Campus in Springfield, Virginia. Clinical experience is acquired at numerous area hospitals and private medical affiliates.

Students in the Diagnostic Medical Sonography degree program are prepared as competent entry-level General (Abdomen/Small Parts/OB/Gyn), Vascular or Echocardiographers (Adult Echo) in the cognitive (knowledge), psychomotor (skills), and affective (behavior) learning domains. Students select their specific DMS domain (General, Vascular, Echocardiography) and upon successful completion of the degree requirements, the program graduates are eligible for professional certification by the American Registry of Diagnostic Medical Sonography (ARDMS) in the following areas: General (RDMS), cardiac (RDCS), and vascular (RVT).

Program Accreditation

The Diagnostic Medical Sonography General Program is accredited by the Commission on Accreditation of Allied Health Education Programs (CAAHEP) upon the recommendation of the Joint Review Committee on Education in Diagnostic Medical Sonography (JRC-DMS). Additional information on the DMS program accreditation status and the standards and guidelines may be obtained online at www.caahep.org or by submitting a request to: CAAHEP, 9355 113th St. N, #7709, Seminole, FL 33775. Requests for information can be sent to: JRC-DMS, 6021 University Boulevard, Suite 500, Ellicott City, MD 21043.

The Vascular and Echocardiography specializations are not accredited yet. The DMS program has submitted a self-study report to CAAHEP and is awaiting an evaluation site visit to request accreditation for the Vascular and Echo specializations.

It is highly advised that prospective DMS students take the full 15-week semesters of BIO 141 and BIO 142 for their prerequisite courses. Students who have taken the 8- or 10-week sessions have demonstrated a high degree of difficulty with DMS 207 and DMS 217. Diagnostic Medical Sonography requires a superior level of working knowledge in the field of cross-sectional anatomy. The preparation for the sectional anatomy classes, DMS 207 and DMS 217, directly impacts student success in the DMS program. The DMS program requires that students must have a 79.5% or higher in all DMS classes to progress to the next semester.

Information Session

Please note that the information presented in the DMS video is only valid for the 2022 application.

• Workshops
• Eligibility
• Documents and Useful Resources