Diagnostic Medical Sonography (DMS)

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DMS-Specific Handbook

Program Description

See About the Profession and Our Program for complete descriptions of the Diagnostic Medical Sonography program.

Program-Specific Policies & Procedures

All DMS students will be required to sign the Student Responsibility Statement.

Supervision of Students

Clinical Supervision of Students: All Diagnostic Medical Sonography students must have adequate and proper supervision during all clinical assignments as specified by individual institutional, program, and accreditation policies. The following conditions constitute adequate and appropriate supervision.

Procedure:

1. During the fall semester, direct one-on-one supervision with a staff sonographer will be provided to the student for all examination procedures regardless of type of exam or degree of difficulty. One-on-one supervision involves having a staff sonographer present during the entire procedure if a student is observing or performing an examination.
2. During spring semester, students will receive one-on-one supervision for examination procedures which, in the opinion of the supervising staff sonographer, are beyond the student’s capacity to perform without full supervision. If a procedure is determined to be within the student’s capacity to perform, partial direct supervision will be provided to the student. Partial direct supervision involves periodic checks on the student’s progress during an exam and assistance with the exam as requested by the student or at the discretion of the sonographer.
3. During the summer semester, students will receive one-on-one, partial, direct, or indirect supervision depending on the student’s capacity to perform an examination. If indirect supervision is deemed appropriate by the supervising staff sonographer, the student may perform the examination in its entirety without sonographer supervision. Sonographer assistance will be available at the student’s request. The supervising sonographer will scan after the student has completed the exam.
4. Any sonographic exam performed by a DMS student must also be scanned by a staff sonographer.

The DMS Program uses non-clinical scanning labs as a component of the program. These labs are performed under the supervision of a registered sonographer. All volunteers, including DMS students are required to sign the Volunteer Authorization Form if they volunteer as a scanning model.

Procedure for Clinical Evaluations

1. Clinical evaluations also include the three domains of learning: cognitive (knowledge), affective (professional behaviors), and psychomotor (technical skills).
   1. The student will receive a minimum of two evaluations for affective, psychomotor, and cognitive areas in the program before the midpoint of the clinical component of the program. Any ongoing issues will be identified immediately, discussed, and verbal counseling will be documented.
2. Students who perform at a non-acceptable level as defined by the program, in any of the three domains, may be placed on academic probation.
   1. Students will be notified of the nature of the problem and discuss ways to improve.
   2. The length of the probationary period will be clearly defined on an individual basis.
   3. At a defined time the student will receive another evaluation. If improvement is not demonstrated, the student will be removed from clinic and a failing grade can be issued for the clinical course. A committee of program directors in the division will assess and determine if dismissal from the program will be recommended.
   4. If improvement is shown the student may either be removed from probation or probation may be continued for a defined time.
   5. If the behavior is noted again at any time during the remainder of the program, the student will immediately receive a failing grade for the course and be recommended for dismissal.

Clinical Compliance

Accidents/Incidents: As general policy, MITS students will comply with the policies and procedures with the clinical site at which they are assigned. It is the policy that there be written reports of all unusual incidents/accidents.

An incident is an unusual occurrence which is not consistent with the routine operation of the institution or clinical rotation which may or did cause harm, involves possible negligence, requires some immediate consideration or action by a supervisor.

A student enrolled in a program in the Department of Medical Imaging and Therapeutic Sciences is expected to provide prompt, complete and accurate written documentation of the details related to any accidents/incidents, thus enabling corrective actions and/or programs for prevention. The program adheres to the Infection Control Policy for University Hospitals and Clinics. Students with signs and symptoms of an infectious process should report immediately to the program director for appropriate referral.

All accidents/incidents must immediately be reported to the clinical supervisor or immediate person in charge. Proper report forms must be completed.

Equipment Use and Operation: The professions in the Department of Medical Imaging and Therapeutic Sciences employ the use of highly specialized equipment. Any equipment failure or equipment that is not in proper working order must be reported immediately to the clinical supervisor. Do not place any calls to equipment representatives. Do not attempt to repair.

Blood Borne Pathogens Exposure Plan for Students Campus Blood Borne Pathogen Exposure (on and off campus): Students must call the Medical Communication Center at 402-559-6824 or the OUCH pager at 402-888-6824 (24 hours a day, 7 days a week) ASAP and report to the nearest emergency room for appropriate blood borne pathogen procedures. On the next work day, please call the Student Health office at 402-559-5158 with information regarding your ED visit.

Pregnancy

The pregnancy policy is a voluntary program intended to provide safety for pregnant students and their fetus. In the event of a suspected or confirmed pregnancy, it is the responsibility of the student to advise her program director in writing of her condition. Pregnancy will not affect the student’s enrollment in the academic courses in the program. The student will:

1. Provide the program director with written indication of intent to:
   1. continue in the program, or
   2. take a medical leave of absence with intent to complete the program (form available from CAHP Academic & Student Affairs), or
   3. withdraw from the program (form available from CAHP Academic and Student Affairs).
2. The student should provide the program director with written consent from her physician providing medical advice for any limitations placed upon the student while enrolled in the program.

MITS Dress Code Policy

All students will dress in a professional manner, appropriate for the situation and according to the following guidelines.

1. All MITS students will wear Caribbean Blue scrubs with or without a Caribbean Blue lab jacket for both class and clinic.
2. The uniform top will have the UNMC/Nebraska Medicine logo on upper left chest. All uniforms should be purchased online here.
3. A solid white or gray shirt may be worn under the scrub top and must be tucked into the scrub pant.
4. Pant hemlines should not touch or drag on the ground.
5. Simple jewelry may be worn with the uniform, i.e., small earrings, wedding rings, and watches.
   1. Visible piercings and transdermal implants must be removed or covered except ear piercings.
   2. Ear gauges must be plugged with flesh colored plugs while in clinic.
   3. Earrings must be small and not touching the neck.
   4. Bandanas are not permitted.
6. Visible tattoos that are larger than 2” x 2” or clearly offensive, including but not limited to anything hateful, violent, profane and/or containing nudity, must be completely covered.
7. Flat, enclosed-toe, neutral colored shoes are acceptable. Socks must be worn at all times.
8. Students assigned to a surgery rotation will follow the surgical dress code policy of the clinical facility in which he or she is rotating.
   1. Students are to wear from home their uniform or proper street clothing and then change into clean scrubs after they arrive at the hospital/clinic. At the end of the shift, the students are to change back into their uniform or proper street clothing.
   2. All scrub clothing provided by the hospital/clinic may not be removed from the property. Scrubs must not be worn outside of the hospital/clinic buildings.
9. Proper UNMC photo ID and personnel monitoring devices must be worn at all times. The ID must be visible at all times to identify student status.

Students are held responsible for their appearance and will be dismissed from clinic if inappropriately attired, groomed, or adorned per faculty standards. (Ex: artificial fingernails are not allowed, hair worn longer than shoulder length must be pulled back, etc.). If a student is sent home from clinic due to a dress code violation, the amount of time missed from clinic will be deducted from the student comp time allotment.

Use of Technology

1. Personal phone calls during clinic hours must be kept to a minimum.
2. No personal long distance calls are permitted on department telephones.
3. Personal technology such as iPods and cell phones may not be carried or used during clinic or class. Technology used for educational purposes may be used as approved by class instructors.
4. Only department computers may be used for documenting clock in and clock out procedures via Trajecsys. Personal cell phones may not be used for this function.
5. Computer use is permitted for the purpose of academic endeavors only with supervisor approval.

Student Leave Time

Personal Time Students enrolled in the Department of MITS are given 16 hours of leave time for personal affairs each semester. It is intended to provide necessary time for planned or unplanned events without jeopardizing the student’s attendance record. Regarding the use of student leave time, the following guidelines must be followed:

1. Unused time allotted is not transferrable to a successive semester.
2. Allotted hours may be used for such things as illness, funerals, medical and dental appointments, job interviews, or vacations.
3. All leave time for reasons other than illness must have prior approval of the program director.
4. Students taking more than the allotted number of hours will be required to make up the time according to the discretion of the program director.
5. Unauthorized absenteeism may result in disciplinary actions.
6. A student may be required to furnish satisfactory medical proof of illness, disability or dental work.
7. Students must contact the person in charge of the assigned clinical area and/or the program director 30 minutes prior to time assigned for arrival if they are unable to attend the scheduled day unless directed otherwise by their program director.
8. It is recommended that suspected and confirmed pregnancy be reported to the program director. Time lost due to pregnancy must be made up according to the decision of the program director.
9. Full time students may request up to 5 days of funeral/bereavement leave in the event of a death of an immediate family member. Documentation may need to be provided upon request.

Personal time for professional meetings The Department of MITS supports participation in professional organizations relevant to the student’s professional growth and development. Therefore, students may qualify for time for documented attendance and involvement in these activities. See program director for more information.

Student Employment Guidelines

Opportunities for student employment may exist in the clinic departments and may be initiated and/or discontinued as dictated by manpower needs.

1. Students may not take the place of regular staff in the clinical areas to which they are assigned. It is appropriate, however, for students to assume the responsibility for performing defined activities and tasks, with adequate direction and supervision, after demonstration of clinical competencies.
2. Students may be employed in a clinical setting outside regular educational hours, provided this work does not interfere with their academic responsibilities. In addition, student employment in the clinical setting is non-compulsory and is subject to standard employee policies.

Personal Property

UNMC, the Department of Radiology or Radiation Oncology or your respective programs are not responsible for your valuable possessions. All valuables and money should be monitored closely by each individual.

Policy for Authorship of Student/Scientific Papers and/or Presentations

It is a tradition and common accepted practice amongst academic institutions that scientific papers and posters submitted for consideration of publication or presentation include as an author the student’s advisor, program director, professor, department chairperson, or any other similar individual that had a direct relationship to the student and the material being presented.

Dean’s List Policy

The Dean's List policy is in the Academic_Policies_and_Procedures section 1.15.

Inclement Weather Policy

Official cancellations of clinical assignments and/or MITS classes at UNMC due to inclement weather will be concurrent with that announced on the radio and TV for UNO. In the event of cancellation during the day because of weather, students will be notified by their program director. In situations other than official UNO closings, students electing not to travel due to inclement weather conditions must contact their program director (or designee) and time will be deducted from their personal leave bank. Students that are at distance education sites will follow local community college or university cancellations.