Diagnostic Medical Sonography Certificate Program - Minimum Technical Standards for Admission and Continuation

Introduction

Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 and the Americans with Disabilities Act require that no qualified individual with a disability be excluded, by reason of that disability, from participation in or denied the benefits of SUNY Downstate Health Sciences University's services, programs, or activities, or be subjected to discrimination by SUNY Downstate.

A “qualified individual with a disability” is a person who, with or without reasonable modifications to rules, policies, or practices, the removal of architectural, communication, or transportation barriers, or the provision of auxiliary aids and services, meets the essential eligibility requirements for receiving services or participating in programs or activities.

The Committee on Admissions and Academic Standing will not discriminate against qualified individuals with disabilities. At the same time, students must be able to perform the essential functions of the program in order to meet certain minimum academic and technical standards. In carrying out its functions, the Committee is guided by the technical standards set forth here, which are necessary for admission, continuance, and successful completion of the program. This information should be read together with the policies and procedures in the Diagnostic Medical Sonography Information and Policies student handbook.

Technical Standards

A candidate for the Diagnostic Medical Sonography Certificate Program must possess the intellectual ability to learn, integrate, analyze, and synthesize data, along with functional use of the senses of vision, hearing, and equilibrium. Candidates must also have the motor function capabilities to meet the demands of Diagnostic Medical Sonography education and patient care.

Applicants to the program must possess the following capabilities, attributes, and skills:

• Observation
• Communication
• Motor Coordination and Strength
• Intellectual abilities, including conceptual, integrative, and quantitative reasoning
• Behavioral and Social Attributes

1. Observation

The ability to observe is required for demonstrations and visual presentations in lectures and laboratories. The ability to discriminate between shades of black, gray, and white, and among the color combinations that indicate blood flow and hemodynamics on display devices and recorded images (film and paper), is critical for mastering scan interpretation. Students must also be able to observe patients accurately and completely, both at a distance and up close.

2. Communication

Diagnostic Medical Sonography students must be able to communicate effectively through speech, reading, and writing. They must be able to hear and observe clinical staff and patients in order to elicit information, perceive nonverbal communication, describe changes in mood or posture, and recognize and respond to an emergency or urgent situation.

In addition to communicating with patients and clinical staff, students must be able to communicate orally and in writing with physicians, faculty, peers, and other healthcare professionals. This requires sufficient auditory perception to receive communication from physicians, allied health personnel, and patients in both routine and emergency situations.

3. Motor Coordination and Strength

Diagnostic Medical Sonography students must have the gross and fine motor function, manual dexterity, and physical strength to:

• Apply general care and emergency treatment to patients.
• Help lift patients who are unable to move themselves between a wheelchair or bed and the examination table (up to 10–25 times per day), and lift or move objects or instruments weighing 50 pounds or more on a routine basis.
• Manipulate ultrasound equipment, computers, and peripherals.
• Move with sufficient mobility to position patients for diagnostic-quality images.
• Push and maneuver ultrasound imaging equipment weighing up to approximately 500 pounds, and, during mobile procedures, manipulate that equipment alongside patient equipment on the nursing unit.
• Organize and accurately perform the individual steps of a sonographic examination in the proper sequence.
• See and function adequately in a semi-dark environment.
• Distinguish audible sounds well enough to interpret Doppler shifts and color designations on film and paper images.
• Stand for approximately 80% of the workday, with full use of the hands, wrists, and shoulders, and with coordinated muscular movement, equilibrium, and sensation.

4. Intellectual Abilities

Conceptual, integrative, and quantitative abilities are required of all prospective sonography students. Problem-solving is a critical skill for sonographers and draws on all of these abilities. Students must be able to comprehend multi-dimensional and spatial relationships among anatomic structures, and to measure, calculate, reason, analyze, and synthesize data. Problem-solving and diagnosis, including obtaining, interpreting, and documenting data, are critical skills that require these same intellectual abilities.

Students must be able to maintain professional conduct and appearance, protect client confidentiality, and operate within the scope of practice. They must also be able to act assertively, delegate responsibilities appropriately, and function as part of a medical team, while recognizing the limits of their own skills and legal authority and seeking appropriate supervision and direction when needed.

5. Behavioral and Social Attributes

Students must be emotionally healthy and able to use sound judgment to complete all responsibilities involved in obtaining a quality ultrasound study and providing patient care. They must be able to develop mature, sensitive, and effective relationships with patients and colleagues, and to tolerate physical and emotional stress while continuing to function effectively.

Students must also be adaptable and flexible, and able to function in the face of uncertainty. A high level of empathy, motivation to serve, integrity, and awareness of social responsibility is expected, along with sufficient interpersonal skills to interact positively with people from all levels of society and all ethnic and religious backgrounds, even under the stress of a heavy workload.

Students must minimize ultrasound exposure to patients, themselves, and others, while remaining honest, compassionate, ethical, and responsible. They must develop, maintain, and demonstrate ethical behavior toward coworkers, preceptors, faculty members, patients, patients' families, and other stakeholders in healthcare training and delivery.

Conclusion

SUNY Downstate Health Sciences University's Diagnostic Medical Sonography Program, and the University as its sponsoring institution, will continue to look for creative ways to open the program to competitive, qualified individuals with disabilities. In doing so, the Program and University must maintain the integrity of the curriculum and preserve the elements considered essential to the field of medical sonography, and cannot compromise the health and safety of patients. An applicant or student who is unable to meet the minimum academic and technical standards described above is not qualified for the practice of the profession.