Diagnostic Medical Sonography
Start your journey to a thrilling career in diagnostic medical sonography. Sonographers use high-frequency sound waves to produce images of the body to diagnose and monitor various medical conditions without invasive produces.
The Carthage College 3+1 Diagnostic Medical Sonography is a partner program that starts students at Carthage College for three years before taking their last three semesters of classes and clinical placements at Northwestern Memorial Hospital. Upon successfully completing program requirements, students are awarded a B.A. in Allied Health Science and a certificate of completion in Diagnostic Medical Sonography. Because the Diagnostic Medical Sonography program has a 3-semester clinical placement, resulting in a 4 ½ year program.
Students are eligible to be certified through examination by the national certifying agency, the American Registry for Diagnostic Medical Sonography. Students are prepared to take the Sonography Principles & Instrumentation, Abdomen, Obstetrics & Gynecology, and Vascular Technology examinations.
Prerequisites
Students complete three years of allied health science undergraduate requirements and prerequisite coursework at Carthage College. Applications will be accepted beginning October 1 of the student’s junior year and must be received by February 15. The following prerequisite courses require a minimum grade of “C” and a cumulative prerequisite course GPA of at least 2.7/4.0.
- Human Anatomy & Physiology for the Healthcare Professional I
- Human Anatomy & Physiology for the Healthcare Professional II
- College Algebra or higher
- General Physics I
- English Composition
- Medical Terminology
Upon acceptance into Northwestern Memorial Healthcare’s School of Diagnostic Medical Sonography, the student will begin the didactic, laboratory, and clinical education training at Northwestern Memorial Hospital and other clinical sites. The 16-month program (68 weeks) begins every August and accepts up to 12 students per year. The program is scheduled for eight hours a day, five days per week.
Northwestern Memorial Healthcare’s School of Diagnostic Medical Sonography (NM DMS) is a full-time hospital-based training program dedicated to preparing students for the clinical, theoretical, technical, and professional aspects of a career in sonography. The program integrates mastery learning models into didactic instruction, laboratory application, and clinical experiences with a competency-based training format.