Students get extensive hands-on training in the sonography and simulation laboratories on UAA’s campus, as well as through clinical experiences in hospital and outpatient settings.
diagnostic medical sonography
The Diagnostic Medical Sonography (DMS) program provides education and training to prepare students for employment as a general sonographer. The program also prepares students for national certification exams from the American Registry for Diagnostic Medical Sonography and the American Registry of Radiologic Technologists, which many health care employers require.
Sonographers use a transmitting device called a transducer to send out high-frequency ultrasound waves into a patient. The reflected sound forms echoes, and those echoes generate a visual representation of the patient’s internal organs, vasculature, and other soft tissue structures. The images produced are used to diagnose, treat, and screen for medical conditions. Sonographers work under the supervision of a radiologist or other physician in a variety of medical settings and health facilities.
The diagnostic medical sonography profession has three primary career paths: general sonography (abdominal organs, pregnancy, female reproductive system, and most of the other body systems), cardiac sonography (heart), and vascular technology (blood vessels).
WHY CHOOSE diagnostic medical sonography AT UAA?
The UAA DMS program boasts a 100 percent pass rate on the American Registry of Diagnostic Medical Sonographers’ Sonographic Principles and Instrumentation Exam.
The average hourly wage for diagnostic medical sonographers in Alaska is $46 (Alaska Department of Labor and Workforce Development).
Receive individualized instruction and attention with expert faculty in the classroom and labs.
The diagnostic medical sonography program at UAA is the only CAAHEP accredited program in Alaska.
NEWS & Stories
Tara Schmidt is an alumna of the Division of Population Health Sciences Master of Public Health program. In this spotlight, she reflects on how her time at UAA shaped her career path—from the relationships that opened doors and guided her forward to the unexpected milestones.
Human Services alumna Billie Slaikeu knows a thing or two about what it means to start over. A retired certified nursing assistant, Billie returned to school in her sixties after being inspired by her daughter’s experience with mental illness. She graduated with her bachelor’s degree in 2025.
A College of Health alumna and current employee of the Alaska Justice Information Center, Rus’sel Sampson has had a rich educational and professional journey. Her story exemplifies how a sense of curiosity in higher education can open unexpected doors that lead to meaningful careers.
School of Nursing alumna Kristen Alcorn turned clinical expertise into entrepreneurial success. In this spotlight, Kristen shares a few of the experiences that shaped her journey in nursing, the things she loves about her job, and how her education at UAA helped her achieve her goals.
Dacia Davis, a clinical assistant professor in the School of Social Work and a graduate of UAA's MSW program, finds inspiration in teaching and community.
PROGRAM INFORMATION
Contact Us
Phone: (907) 786-4346
Email: uaa.sonography@alaska.edu
UAA School of Allied Health
Allied Health Sciences Building
3500 Seawolf Drive, AHS 148
Anchorage, Alaska 99508
Mailing Address
UAA Diagnostic Medical Sonography
3211 Providence Drive, AHS 148
Anchorage, Alaska 99508
