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
The newest iteration of the Della Keats Health Sciences Program focuses on serving Alaska Native/American Indian high school students interested in healthcare careers.
WWAMI, a University of Washington medical school program that serves five western states, including Alaska, recently received a $25 million endowment for scholarships to increase the number of physicians in rural and Indigenous communities.
Dr. Jean Snyder’s career in family medicine has spanned decades, continents, and nearly every corner of patient care. Now, after years of serving communities across Alaska and beyond, she has been recognized as the Alaska Family Physician of the Year by the Alaska Academy of Family Physicians.
In January 2026, students from the College of Health showcased their public health research at the Alaska Public Health Association Summit’s annual poster session. Their projects spanned topics ranging from food security to environmental contamination, contributing valuable insights that help shape the evolving conversation around Alaska’s public health landscape.
Laura Aspelund is a second-year medical student in the Alaska WWAMI program. As a medical student mentor in the Alaska Native into Oncology (ANION) program, she helps guide Alaska Native high school and college students exploring careers in medicine.
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
