State Fair Community College’s Diagnostic Medical Sonography (DMS) Program Director Alice Kiburz Townsend and Clinical Coordinator Breanna Wells are pleased to announce that the college’s DMS program has been awarded accreditation in general, vascular, and cardiac ultrasound modalities by the Commission on Accreditation for Allied Health Education Programs (CAAHEP).
To become accredited, the program underwent rigorous evaluation including a self-study and site visit. CAAHEP accreditation assures that the program provides students with a quality education that prepares them to be skilled and successful professional ultrasound technologists. Accreditation also secures students’ eligibility to sit for the American Registry for Diagnostic Medical Sonography (ARDMS) national credentialing exams during their final semester of the program. Students who earn ARDMS credentials enhance their job prospects and earning potential.
Diagnostic medical sonographers utilize advanced ultrasound imaging equipment to obtain real time images of the body’s organs, tissue, and blood vessels to aid in the diagnosis and treatment of patients. Employment is available in labs, clinics, health care centers, or hospitals. In Missouri, yearly sonography salaries range from $51,830 for entry-level positions to $78,460 for experienced technologists. The Bureau of Labor statistics estimates a 17 percent job growth in DMS by 2026, due to increased care needs of the Baby Boomer population.
Graduates of the SFCC DMS program care for their patients by performing abdominal, OB/GYN, vascular, and cardiac ultrasound procedures.
“CAAHEP accreditation ensures that our graduates are prepared to provide their patients with a high standard of care and competency,” said Townsend.
For more information about SFCC’s DMS program, visit www.sfccmo.edu/sonography.
