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.
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).
The UAA DMS program boasts a 100 percent pass rate on the American Registry of Diagnostic
Medical Sonographers’ Sonographic Principles and Instrumentation Exam.
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.
Nursing students from UAA and UNH joined South Peninsula Hospital in Homer to share insights on public health issues like shellfish poisoning and tick-borne illness.
Alaska 529 has awarded its 2024 $25,000 scholarship account to Matalyn Dart, an adult student and long-time Alaska resident. Dart was selected from the nearly 13,000 Alaskans who chose to direct half of their Permanent Fund Dividend to their Alaska 529 accounts.
While working towards her nursing degree, Kaycelyn Gajonera received the UAA 2024 Consortium Library Award and plans to pursue a doctorate degree in advanced nursing practice with an emphasis in rural and underserved populations.