Diagnostic Medical Sonography

Accreditation:

St. Philip's College is regionally accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges (SACSCOC) to award associate degrees and certificates. Contact information for the Commission on Colleges is, 1866 Southern Lane, Decatur, Georgia 30033-4097 or call 404-679-4500 for questions about the accreditation of St. Philip's College.  For more information on institutional accreditation please click here. 

The Diagnostic Medical Sonography program is nationally accredited by the Commission on Accreditation of Allied Health Education Programs (CAAHEP) upon the recommendation of the Joint Review Committee on Education in Diagnostic Medical Sonography (JRC-DMS). Contact information for CAAHEP is, 9355 113th Street N., #7709, Seminole, FL 33775-7709 or call 727-210-2350 for questions about the program's accreditation.  For more information on programmatic accreditation please click here.

Awarded Degree:

Associate of Applied Science Degree (AAS)

Registry:

The American Registry of Radiologic Technologists (ARRT)

The American Registry of Radiologic Technologists (ARRT) is a credentialing organization that seeks to ensure high-quality patient care in radiologic technology.

The St. Philip’s College Diagnostic Medical Sonography Program is an ARRT approved, educational program. Upon graduating from the program, the students are eligible to follow the Primary Eligibility Pathway to seek the ARRT(S) credential.

For more information, please click here: ARRT(S)

American Registry for Diagnostic Medical Sonography (ARDMS)

The American Registry for Diagnostic Medical Sonography is a globally recognized organization that raises the standard of diagnostic medical ultrasound practice and promotes best practices for enhanced patient safety.

ARDMS awards RDMS credentials to diagnostic medical sonography professionals who meet the examination requirements and pass physics and the corresponding specialty examination within 5 years. 

Upon graduating from the St. Philip’s College Diagnostic Medical Sonography Program, students seeking RDMS credentials met prerequisites in education and clinical experience and are eligible to sit for the ARDMS examinations, to earn Abdominal or Obstetrics and Gynecology Specialties credentials under Prerequisite 2.  For more information, please click here: ARDMS

THECB Statutory Requirement

Information: 

FAQs

Full-time Faculty

Yvette Senovsky, Program Director/Instructor
Charles University of Prague, MD
RDMS (AB, OB/GYN, BR)

Jennifer Arevalo, Clinical Coordinator/Instructor
Del Mar College, AAS
RVT, RDMS
210-486-2718

Individuals interested in applying for admittance into the Sonography Program must first apply for admission to the College at the website:

College Admissions

Program students are selected once a year (spring/summer) for fall admission. Only one Cohort are admitted per year.

The program is 5 semesters (21 months) long.

The program is not an open enrolment program or an online program. Courses are sequential and can’t be completed randomly.

Program courses are scheduled M - F, 8:00 AM – 4:00 PM, evening and weekend hours may be required during the clinical portion of the program. Clinical sites are assigned by the program, students can’t choose where they complete their clinical education.

• The TEAS test is not required to apply.
• Volunteering is not required to apply.
• No consideration is given to previous education or experience.

Application Period:

January 1 (first day to mail application) – March 31 (last day to mail application). Applications mailed outside of the application period will not be considered. No “walk-in” or emailed applications are accepted.

Diagnostic Medical Sonography Program Application Requirements:

1. Applicants who are not Alamo Colleges District students must first apply to the college and be accepted (see above). Do not confuse being accepted as a college student with being accepted by the program.
2. ACES email: the application must include the applicant’s official Alamo Colleges District email (xxxxx@student.alamo.edu). Applications not containing the official email will be marked incomplete and not considered for admission.
3. GPA: an overall GPA (GPA from all higher education institutions combined into a single GPA) of 3.0 or higher. Applicant must submit hard copies of official transcripts from all higher education institutions attended, including Alamo Colleges).
4. Academic Prerequisite Courses must be completed with a grade of “C” (2.0) or higher within the past 5 years (application year – 5 years). No exceptions. Transcript/s must confirm completion. Applications with academic prerequisite courses in progress will not be considered.
   1. College Algebra (MATH 1314) 
   2. Introductory Physics (PHYS 1305)
   3. Human Anatomy and Physiology (BIOL 2401 & BIOL 2402 or BIOL 2404). Courses must include a lab. The Diagnostic Medical Sonography program is heavily Anatomy based, students are encouraged to take face-to-face courses over online courses, and BIOL 2401 and BIOL 2402 over BIOL 2404.
      
      All remedial courses must be completed prior to applying to the program. Effective Fall 2013, and based on new federal regulations, students are not allowed to repeat previously passed courses more than once. It is the student’s responsibility to check with the Office of Student Financial Services to inquire how a repeated course may impact their financial aid or veteran’s assistance.
      Pre-application completion of the Medical Terminology course and all core courses is recommended, however, not required. No extra points towards program acceptance are awarded for completion of the courses.
      
      
5. USA (Ultrasound Student Assessment) Exam.
   Include the completion date on the application! The exam is an aptitude test and therefore there is no book or any other material available to prepare for the exam. It is an assessment of skills that are essential for success in the program as well as in the sonography profession. Two categories are tested: physics (spatial resolution, logic, graph interpretation, and problem-solving skills) & clinical category (visualization, judgment, dexterity/hand-eye coordination, and persistence). 
   
   The USA Exam may only be completed between December 1st - and March 15th (no exceptions, schedule early, as exam appointments are filling quickly).
   
   Only one exam pro-student - pro lifetime, no repetition.
   
   Fee (applicant’s responsibility):  $70.00, including a $20.00 proctoring fee (proctoring is required). Alamo Colleges' student ID number and ACES email address is required for registration.
   
   To schedule:

1. 1. Call Pegasus Lectures at 972-564-3056 (Monday-Friday, 9 am – 5 pm Central Time). Testing Times are Monday thru Friday, 9 am CST – 3 pm CST.
   2. Schedule exam day/time. Identify the program as receiving results.
   3. Pay for exams and proctoring (Visa/MC/AMEX or Discover are acceptable forms of payment). You will receive an email from Pegasus Lectures confirming the appointment date/time once payment is made. You will receive an additional email on the day of testing with exam instructions.

Exam requirements: PC with Windows operating system, web camera, and an external mouse. The exam will not work on a MAC, Chromebook, Tablet, or phone. If you have any technical questions, please contact Ms. Davis at echsupport@pegasuslectures.com.

• Picture ID

The exam does not have a time limit, the testing time is generally 1.5 – 2 hours. Students don’t receive scores upon exam completion, the scores are uploaded into the program account and reviewed by the program admission committee. DO NOT CONTACT Pegasus Lectures or Dr. Senovsky for scores.

Cohort Selection:

1. After the end of the application period, the program admission committee reviews all applications.
2. Applicants who submitted valid applications are rated in accordance with the program’s point system (weighted points).
3. Highest-ranking applicants  receive an invitation to a panel interview (via ACES email)
4. Final selection (based on applicant’s rank and interview results).

Students are responsible for monitoring their email for program communication regarding their application or program acceptance.

The time frame for acceptance/non-acceptance notification:

MEETING THE CRITERIA DOES NOT GUARANTEE ADMISSION TO THE PROGRAM.

Only 20-25 students will be accepted (based on space available within the approved clinical education affiliate centers).

Acceptance to the program is conditional, contingent on the satisfactory results of a mandatory criminal background check and drug screen required of all Health Sciences students. Students with a felony conviction would not be eligible for admission into the program until a declaratory order process is completed with the certification boards (ARRT and ARDMS), and proof of eligibility for certification is provided.  To determine the impact of previous criminal or disciplinary matters on eligibility to apply for certification contact www.ardms.org and www.arrt.org. The compliance pre-determination process may take up to 6 months and should be completed before applying to the program.

Conditionally accepted students are further required to provide the program with physician-validated proof of Physical Examination and Immunization record (including Covid – 19 vaccine), proof of personal health insurance, and proof of American Heart Association BLS (Basic Life Support) for Health Care Professionals certification. Information in their conditional acceptance email. Please do not mail documentation related to any of the above-mentioned requirements with your application.

No waitlist is maintained.

To Apply - Required Steps:

1. Review all items on the website to assure a complete understanding of the application requirements.
2. Obtain hard copies of official transcripts from all educational institutions attended, including St. Philip's College and/or other Alamo District Colleges.
3. Download and complete the Diagnostic Medical Sonography Application.
4. Mail the application package containing the completed program application and official transcripts (in original, unopened envelopes) no later than March 31st to:

Diagnostic Medical Sonography Program
Attention: Yvette Senovsky, MD, RDMS, Program Director
1801 Martin Luther King Drive, CHP 130
San Antonio, TX 78203