Program Specific Policy
Clinical Internship Overview
The purpose of clinical internship is to provide practical, "hands-on" experience in diagnostic ultrasound. In order to comply with ARDMS and JRC-DMS guidelines, clinical internship consists of a full calendar year (12 months) of full-time clinical experience (40 hours/week). Arrangements for clinical internship are made through the Department of Diagnostic Ultrasound by the Clinical Coordinator. STUDENTS ARE NOT PERMITTED TO ARRANGE THEIR OWN CLINICAL INTERNSHIPS.
Students in the Department of Diagnostic Ultrasound (DIUS) program are subject to all academic policies set forth by Seattle University, the College of Science and Engineering, the information in the Seattle University Catalog,Diagnostic Ultrasound Student Handbook, Diagnostic Ultrasound Clinical Internship Handbook , including the following program specific requirements for the degree of Bachelor of Science in Diagnostic Ultrasound (BSDU).
General Clinical Information
Clinical experience can include education in general vascular ultrasound or cardiovascular ultrasound. Students study ultrasound specialty for the entire12 month period. Scheduling of clinical internship rotations will be based on the following criteria:
- Availability of JRC-DMS accredited clinical affiliate sites.
- Student interest and aptitude in each specific ultrasound discipline. Aptitude will be largely determined by student performance in DIUS required course work, (DIUS 304, 325, 326, 327, 331, 332, 342, 343, 346, 347, 350, 360, 361, 370, 375, 391-393 and 396). While grades in these courses will be considered, problem-solving skills, ability to integrate course material and motivation to take responsibility for learning will be considered. The quality of written and oral work facilitates assessment of these characteristics.
- Student maturity and professional behavior.
- Enthusiasm for a specific ultrasound discipline. All clinical sites expect students to be enthusiastic about the specialties offered at that site and actively participate in their own learning.
Internships are arranged for those students who meet the general criteria listed below.
- The student must be officially listed as a degree-seeking Diagnostic Ultrasound major with the Registrar and the Department of Diagnostic Ultrasound.
- All course work related to the ultrasound courses and their prerequisites must be satisfactorily completed before a student may begin clinical internship. (This also applies to repeated courses)
- Students with incompletes that have not been removed may not progress into clinical internship.
- Internships are arranged for those students who are in compliance with the performance and progression criteria for diagnostic ultrasound majors and College of Science and Engineering Policies.
- Students who do not begin internship immediately upon completion of the ultrasound and ultrasound related courses, the summer or fall quarter following the junior year will be expected to demonstrate competency in these courses prior to commencing clinical internship. Competency in these subjects will be assessed in an appropriate manner by the Department and are somewhat dependent upon the reason for delaying internship. Similarly, students who are out of the program for an extended period of time, but have already taken part or all of the above ultrasound courses, must demonstrate proficiency in these areas before progressing into other courses or internship.
- Recommendation of program faculty. Professional demeanor, maturity and ability to take responsibility for learning and academic aptitude will be assessed by all faculty in all courses as part of this recommendation.
- Students will receive seven hours of education in AIDS/HIV within the Diagnostic Ultrasound curriculum. This will meet the requirement of WAC 246-8268-230. Students will be assessed on their proficiency in these topics by a written examination. Successful completion of this exam must take place prior to scheduling internship.
- All Medical and Health requirements and documentation must be in department file by the specific deadlines indicated.
- All student interns must hold current certification in Adult and Pediatric CPR before the start of internship and throughout the entire 12 months of clinical rotation.
- Scheduling of an internship is contingent upon a declaration of "No Evidence of Criminal History" as determined by the Washington State Patrol. This is required by our clinical affiliates and complies with RCW 43.43, 830-842.
- All student interns must hold membership with SDMS and carry professional liability insurance prior to beginning internship.
- It is each student's responsibility to verify that all course work including core is completed and/or planned for and that all the above criteria have been met.
Clinical Affiliates
As a CAAHEP program, all of our clinical affiliates meet specific requirements and are capable of providing excellent clinical experiences. Some of our affiliates have departments that perform cardiac, general, or vascular examination, but the majority performs one specialty. Each affiliate site has its own unique philosophy and personality, and may have "site-specific" requirements that need to be taken into consideration when scheduling a clinical internship rotation. Students and sites are matched by the Department's Clinical Coordinator. Every effort is made to take into consideration the students selection in a specific ultrasound specialty, and to make site assignments as convenient as possible.
In State Clinical Affiliates
Seattle University has excellent clinical affiliate sites in the greater Seattle area, as well as throughout Washington including sites as far north as Bellingham and as far south as Tacoma and Bremerton. Internship assignment in-state may require the student to provide their own transportation, or commute by bus or train. Before an internship arrangement is finalized, the student must interview with the Clinical Instructor and present transcripts for review. No site is obligated to accept a student or any particular student.
Out of State Clinical Affiliates
Students should strongly consider taking advantage of the opportunity to perform part, or all, of their clinical internship out of state. Seattle University is fortunate to have many excellent affiliate sites across the United States. Students are responsible for securing housing out of state, incurring all the costs of that housing and travel to and from out of state locations. Out of state student interns do not physically attend weekly seminar classes on campus. (Attendance through a web-based class Angel) All out of state student interns are visited by the Clinical Coordinator sometime during their rotations; however multiple evaluation visits are not scheduled. Due to conditions presented by distance locations, a student considering out of state internship must demonstrate superior understanding of didactic knowledge, professionalism, judgment, maturity, and work ethic. Students who earn an overall cumulative and ultrasound-specific GPA of 3.0 will be considered for out of state internship. Before an internship arrangement is finalized, a phone interview is necessary along with sending the Clinical Instructor a "Letter of Introduction", including transcripts. Each student is required to have a background check before starting their internship rotation
Professional Liability
Seattle University does not carry general or professional insurance for its students. Students must obtain professional liability insurance through the SDMS prior to entering internship. This coverage holds for activity directly connected with clinical internship requirements while under the supervision of a clinical instructor. It does not cover the student while employed as a health care worker in any capacity. Therefore, student concurrent employment should inquire about coverage through the hiring agency. For more information on the Diagnostic Medical Sonography profession, go to the Society of Medical Sonography website at: www.sdms.org. Additional information regarding the National certifying examination can be found at the American Registry of Diagnostic Medical Sonographers' website. At this time, the program is accredited by the Commission on Accreditation of Allied Health Programs, the curriculum content is based on the Standards and Guidelines set forth by (CAAHEP) and the Joint Review Committee on Education in Diagnostic Medical Sonography (JRCDMS). More information about program accreditation can be found at: www.caahep.org and www.jrcdms.org. The Department of Diagnostic Ultrasound has a limited number of clinical affiliate sites available in the Seattle area and in Washington State. Therefore, we do not guarantee that your 12 months of internship will be located in the Seattle area, or in Washington State.
For a list of the College of Science & Engineering Diagnostic Ultrasound Program Policies and Procedures please use this link and/or select from the list below for program specific policies.
Program Specific Policy
Clinical Internship Overview
Clinical Competency Guidelines
Clinical Internship Attendance Policy
Clinical Internship Dress Code Policy
General Requirements
Student Intern Performance Guidelines
Stopped Out Policy
SDMS Code of Ethics