RADIATION THERAPY PROGRAM
MISSION STATEMENT AND PROGRAM GOALS

The Diagnostic Medical Sonography program mission is to provide the graduates with the knowledge, clinical skills, and effective behaviors for a career in sonography that will:

1. demonstrate knowledge in appropriate didactic areas and integrate this knowledge into competency-based clinical experience.

2. apply skills to exceed the standards of the profession.

3. analyze clinical data.

4. write effectively in more than one format as part of the writing across the professional curriculum initiative.

5. provide excellent quality care to enrich and support the community through engagement.

6. engage and maintain personal and national level professional relationships.

The program provides students opportunities to develop technical knowledge and personal skills necessary for a career in the sonographic sciences. The curriculum is designed to combine compassion with integrity in order to shape a student into a professional. The program provides a unique learning environment which includes state of the art equipment. By recruiting the help of highly qualified sonography faculty, students acquire skills necessary to become successful diagnostic medical sonographers. [The program mission statement was authored in 2005 by the inaugural Diagnostic Medical Sonography Classes of 2007 in General (Abdomen and Obstetrics/Gynecology) and Echocardiography.]

Program Goals

The graduate of the Diagnostic Medical Sonography programs will be able to:

1. perform beyond minimum entry-level diagnostic medical sonography skills according to the Society of Diagnostic Medical Sonographer' scope of practice for the diagnostic medical sonographer, American Registry of Diagnostic Medical Sonographers content specifications for their various examinations, and the minimum Standards for An Accredited Educational Program in the Diagnostic Medical Sonography of the Joint Review Committee on Education in Diagnostic Medical Sonography, SDMS Scan Document, ASE Outline of Sonography Core Curriculum in Echocardiography, SVU Standards for Undergraduate Educational Programs in Vascular Technology, and the ARDMS Content Specifications for Abdomen, Obstetrics-Gynecology, Adult Echocardiography, Pediatric Echocardiography, and Vascular Sonography.
This includes, but is not limited to the ability to:

      1.1 utilize oral and written communication with patients and colleagues.
      1.2 demonstrate knowledge and understanding of human gross and sectional
            anatomy.
      1.3 demonstrate knowledge of physiology, pathology ,and pathophysiology.
      1.4 provide patient care and comfort.
      1.5 demonstrate knowledge and understanding of acoustic physics, Doppler 
           ultrasound principles and ultrasound instrumentation.
      1.6 perform appropriate quality assurance testing and detect equipment malfunctions 
      1.7 recognize and identify the sonographic appearance of normal anatomic structures
           associated with each learning concentration.
      1.8 recognize and identify the sonographic appearance of abnormal anatomic
           structures associated with each learning concentration.
     1.9 provide patient education related to medical ultrasound and/or other noninvasive
          diagnostic vascular techniques, and promote principles of good health.
     1.10 analyze diagnostic data and other pertinent observations made during the
            procedure for presentation to the interpreting physician.
     1.11 integrate pertinent patient history and supporting clinical data to facilitate
            optimum diagnostic results.
     1.12 correlate topographical and sectional anatomy in localization of anatomical
            structures.
     1.13 provide basic patient nursing care and cardio-pulmonary resuscitation 
     1.14 perceive patterns of physical and emotional stress exhibited by patients
     1.15 recognize patient symptoms of disease progression, the complications,
            etiology, and prognosis
     1.16 consult with physicians as appropriate for total quality care of the patient
     1.17 interact in a professional manner with other health care personnel involved in the
            care of the patient

2. meet professional specifications established for national registration by the American Registry of Diagnostic Medical Sonographers in the speciality areas of study.

3. build upon sound principles of general education by learning how to communicate well, think analytically, be intellectually adaptive, integrate knowledge and experience from different disciplines, apply ethical standards and values to the practice of diagnostic medical sonography and appreciate social and cultural diversity.

4. function as an active member of the health care team.

5. participate in the advancement of knowledge through research.

6. engage in lifelong learning and service