Diagnostic Medical Sonography (DMS) Department

To be eligible for enrollment in either the Associate of Science or Certificate of Achievement in Diagnostic Medical Sonography, the student must meet the following criteria:

• Associate in Science degree (human health preferred), or higher, from a U.S. accredited college.
• 400 hours work/voluntary experience hours with a minimum of 200 hours of paid or volunteer patient care experience and a minimum of 200 hours in positions demonstrating ancillary skills of empathy, service, ethics, responsibility, appropriate interaction with clients/patients.
  • Patient care hours must be documented within an official volunteer or internship program or paid position where you report to a licensed/credentialed health care provider (i.e., RD/RDN, PharmD, PT, RN, PA, RDMS, RT, DMD, DDS, MD or DO).
  • Documentation of hours should include the official job title and job description and validation of hours completed (e.g., timesheet and/or pay stub).
  • Patient care is not the same as observing or shadowing. An observer may be directly in the room watching care being provided. Patient care requires interaction with clients/patients and the medical professional.
  • Examples of patient care hours can be completed:
    • Employed as a Certified Nursing Assistant (CNA)
    • Employed as a Medical Assistant (MA)
    • Work as a Hospice Volunteer
    • Work or volunteer as an Emergency Medical Technician (EMT)
    • Some places will allow individuals to volunteer with no experience to start. These include places such as Angel Care, Visiting Angels, and private in-home care businesses. Hospitals also take volunteers through the auxiliary departments. The key is direct patient care. The DMS Program requires basic care for patients such as grooming, feeding, and performing activities of daily living. Caring for a family member or a single patient is not acceptable; the care must be provided to strangers.
  • If a pay stub or timesheet is not available, document and submit your work/volunteer hours with your application using this guideline (PDF).
  • CRC does not have any contracts or agreements with facilities to provide to the applicants. Applicants must seek out and arrange their own volunteer/work experience.
  • For any questions on what qualifies as direct patient care, please contact the DMS Program Coordinator at (916) 691-7345.
• Be able to perform the physical demands in the externship.
• Communicate effectively with English-speaking individuals.
• Complete the application process for enrollment in the DMS program.
• Fulfill all requirements set forth by the CRC Allied Health Practicum Guidelines including but not limited to background clearance, physical examination, CPR Certification, immunization clearance, and drug screening.
• Successfully complete with a B or better all program prerequisite courses.

Upon acceptance into the DMS Program, students must:

• Comply with technical standards and Clinical Experience Requirements section of this handbook upon acceptance
• Be Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation (CPR) Certified
• Pass a background check and drug screen
• Provide proof of immunization as required by the clinical practice sites. The following immunizations must be kept up-to-date for the full 2 years and/or while in the program:
  • A negative result on the TB skin/chest x-ray test
  • Tetanus
  • Diphtheria
  • Pertussis
  • Rubella
  • Rubeola
  • Varicella (or has positive titers)
  • Hepatitis B series
  • Influenza
  • COVID-19 vaccine when available

Students must successfully complete with a B or better all program prerequisite courses.

If you are completing a prerequisite course during the semester that you are applying to the DMS Program, complete and submit a Current Grade Status Form (PDF) with your application.

* course previously numbered as AH 110

The program prerequisites do not apply to physicians who have an approved foreign transcript evaluation.