Diagnostic Medical Sonography

Hands-on, industry-relevant training

By the end of the Sonography program, you’ll be confident with ultrasound imaging and skilled in obstetrics and gynecology, abdomen and superficial structure scanning and cardiac sonography and vascular studies.

Due to practicum placements, you can expect much of the program to be completed off campus, and may involve working evening and weekend shifts in hospitals and community care clinics.

The Sonography program has a heavy course load – you should expect 54 hours per week of in-class and out-of-class learning.Your clinical rotation will be comprised of 40-hour work weeks. Students receive theoretical and clinical training in the Diagnostic Medical Sonography program. A number of course hours are completed off campus and may involve working evenings and weekends. In addition to the more traditional lecture and laboratory settings, students also gain clinical experience in a variety of locations both on and off campus. Selected seminars and labs may be scheduled in the evenings and on weekends.

Students in the Diagnostic Medical Sonography program work in labs equipped with state-of-the-art ultrasound equipment, including:

• 2D ultrasound systems with Doppler
• 3D/4D ultrasound systems 
• dedicated echocardiography scanning systems 
• portable point of care (emergency response) systems
• physiological peripheral arterial testing systems 
• simulators that can be programmed to display normal or abnormal cases for abdomen, obstetrics, gynecology,and cardiac
• picture archiving computer systems

Program goals:

• Foster an environment of clinical and academic excellence that prepares students to be competent, active members or leaders in the healthcare community.
• Graduate students who possess competencies and behaviours required for entry-level sonographers in accordance with the prevailing competency profiles of Sonography Canada.
• Provide an education experience that promotes a graduate's commitment for continued professional development.
• Develop students' communication, critical thinking, problem solving and leadership skills.
• Graduate students who demonstrate compassion and ethical, safe, quality health care to a diverse population. 
• Provide a learning experience in which graduates will be highly satisfied.
• Graduate students with whom employers will be highly satisfied. 

Students will have the opportunity to attain all the required skills in the Sonography Canada National Competency Profile (NCP). and complete the Sonography Canada Canadian Clinical Skills Assessments (CCSA) for the Generalist and Cardiac Sonographer during the program.

Enter the workforce with confidence

As a member of a health-care team, an ultrasound technologist (sonographer) uses a variety of hand-held scanning probes and imaging techniques in order to differentiate between technical artifacts and questionable clinical appearances from pathology. 

Diagnostic Medical Sonography is highly operator-dependent and requires a logical self-directed approach to scanning, on-the-spot critical thinking and good judgment.

For more information about career options, duties, working conditions and salaries, visit Alberta Occupational Profiles - Diagnostic Medical Sonographer 

Please refer to the Sonography Canada website to learn more about requirements for licensing/mandatory registration and declaration of conduct, which may include disclosure of information related to criminal convictions and professional misconduct or incompetence as well as any personal factors that could impact the ability to practice safely.

Post Graduation Affiliation

After successful completion of both the didactic and clinical components of the program, graduates are eligible to write the specific registration examinations set by Sonography Canada and/or the American Registry of Diagnostic Medical Sonographers (ARDMS) and become members of several professional diagnostic ultrasound associations.

Continuing your studies

Continuing Education is mandatory for this profession. Competence is maintained by taking a minimum number of continuing education credits every three years. Diagnostic Medical Sonography graduates are eligible for credit toward:

• Bachelor of Technology (BTech), NAIT
• Bachelor of  Science in Human Sciences, Athabasca University
• Bachelor of Health Sciences, Thompson Rivers
• Bachelor of Applied Management, University of New Brunswick
• Please note: Post-secondary articulation agreements within Alberta are approved by the Alberta Council on Admissions and Transfer (ACAT). To view the details of specific agreements, please visit transferalberta.ca or contact articulations@nait.ca
• For questions regarding transfer agreements or to obtain a course description/outline that is no longer available on our website, please contact articulations@nait.ca

Industry standard credentials

After successful completion of both the didactic and clinical components of the program, you will be  eligible to write the registration examinations set by Sonography Canada and American Registry of Diagnostic Medical Sonographers (ARDMS)

As a NAIT graduate, you will be eligible to become a member of a variety different professional diagnostic ultrasound associations.

Please note: Post-secondary articulation agreements within Alberta are approved by the Alberta Council on Admissions and Transfer (ACAT). To view the details of specific agreements, please visit transferalberta.ca or contact articulations@nait.ca

Please contact the Student Service Centre for general inquiries such as:

• Student application support
• Program entrance requirements, tuition & fees, and how to apply
• Program admissions process
• Enrolment support
• Student funding options
• Fee and refund inquiries
• General program and course withdrawal procedures
• Navigating nait.ca and MyNAITPortal

Contact Student Service Centre

Please fill out the form below if you have any program-specific questions relating to:

• Program details
• Work-integrated learning and cooperative education
• Advance credit and Prior Learning Assessment & Recognition (PLAR)
• Program and course withdrawal