This version of the Diagnostic Medical Sonography program will no longer be accepting new students effective Fall 2021.
Please visit the new Diagnostic Medical Sonography program webpage for the revised program.
DOCUMENT SUBMISSION
Upload Through Your Future Student Account
If you do not have a Future Student Account or require assistance, please contact our Student Service Centre at 204-632-2327.
Internationally Educated Applicants - visit www.rrc.ca/credentials for credential assessment information.
Before applying:
Print out this handy Admission Requirements Checklist
This is a special selection program. Offers of admittance will be made based on CASPer results in descending order until all available seats are filled. Therefore, not all applicants who meet admission requirements will be offered a seat. Applicants who meet admission requirements but do not receive an offer of admittance may reapply for a future academic year by submitting a new application and application fee.
Annual application deadline: April 15
Admission Requirements
Program Progression Requirements
Program progression requirements are not due within 30 days of applying and should be submitted after you start classes.
All Allied Health programs have CASPer® as part of their admissions process.
WHAT IS CASPer?
CASPer® is a selection tool used by academic programs to help assess applicants for non-academic attributes or people skills. The CASPer test is completed online.
CASPer is a form of situational judgement test. Situational judgement tests are a type of psychological test which presents the test-taker with realistic, hypothetical scenarios and may ask the individual what they would do in the dilemma and why they would do it. Situational judgement tests tend to determine behavioral tendencies, assessing how an individual will behave in a certain situation, and knowledge instruction, which evaluates the effectiveness of possible responses.
Red River College Polytechnic’s CASPer is made up of two parts:
CASPer Test: The CASPer online test is approximately 90 minutes in length and is comprised of 12 sections. Test takers have 5 minutes to type their responses to questions.
CASPer Snapshot: The CASPer Snapshot is 3 video questions. During the video questions, you have 2 minutes to answer the question verbally and record yourself on video. The CASPer Snapshot can be done at any time before or after your CASPer test. Instructions on how to complete this will be on your account on the CASPer website after you register for the CASPer.
Once completed, the applicant is rated in predetermined areas using a rubric and rating scale. In the end, the scores from all questions are totaled for an overall score for each applicant. Your scores are sent to Red River College Polytechnic by CASPer. Applicants are then ranked accordingly and offered a seat in the program. Applicants who have applied to more than one AHS program will only participate in one CASPer test. Applicants are responsible for the cost of the CASPer test.
The dates for the CASPer test in 2022-23 will be listed here in July 2022.
For more information and to register for the CASPer test, please visit takealtus.com.
Please note:
An applicant requiring accommodation for a documented disability for the CASPer may apply through CASPer for accommodations.
Red River College Polytechnic’s Assessment Services will offer optional Workshops / Information Sessions for CASPer. Please check their website for dates: https://www.rrc.ca/assessment/casper/
NON-COGNITIVE QUALITIES OF A HEALTHCARE PRACTITIONER
Being a healthcare practitioner is a moral undertaking, and our admission process aims to admit students:
Who will in their behaviors reflect the following attributes
Who will in their professional relationships
We aim to admit students who will
English Language Assessment | Minimum Required Levels | |||
---|---|---|---|---|
L - Listening, S - Speaking, R - Reading, W - Writing | L | S | R | W |
CAEL and CAEL Online (Canadian Academic English Language) | 70 | 70 | 70 | 70 |
CanTEST
(Canadian Test of English for Scholars and Trainees)
As of October 20, 2021 the RRC CanTEST is no longer offered at RRC Polytechnic. RRC Institutional CanTEST results dated within 2 years of your application date will still be accepted to meet English language proficiency requirements. Please note the Medical Laboratory Sciences (MLS)program requires the Official CanTEST (The RRC Institutional CanTEST will not be accepted) | 4.5 | 4.5 | 4.5 | 4.5 |
Communication for Health Professions
(RRC Pathway)
Canadian Citizens: LINC programs are not available. | 8 | 8 | 8 | 8 |
Communication for Internationally Educ Health Prof
(RRC Pathway)
Canadian Citizens: LINC programs are not available. | 8 | 8 | 8 | 8 |
Duolingo
(Duolingo English Test)
* MINIMUM OVERAL SCORE OF 115 REQUIRED. There are no minimum required levels for L,S,R,W. Due to closures related to COVID-19, RRC is temporarily allowing applicants to provide Duolingo English Test results to meet RRC's English language requirements. Red River College Polytechnic will accept Duolingo assessments up to December 31, 2022. | 0* | 0* | 0* | 0* |
IELTS - Academic (International English Language Testing System) | 7.0 | 7.0 | 7.0 | 7.0 |
PTE - Academic Online Assessment (Pearson Test of English) | 65 | 65 | 65 | 65 |
TOEFL-iBT
(Test of English as a Foreign Language - internet Based Test)
To meet the needs of students who are unable to take the TOEFL iBT® test at a test center due to public health concerns, ETS is temporarily offering the TOEFL iBT Special Home Edition test in selected areas. | 24 | 23 | 24 | 27 |
You may be interested in a career in Ultrasound - Diagnostic Medical Sonography if you:
When working in the health care profession, there are many physical and emotional demands. As a Diagnostic Medical Sonographer, you must:
Additionally, you may:
Red River College Polytechnic is a participating institution in the HigherEdPoints program. Through this program, students are able to convert Aeroplan® Miles and TD Points into funds to help cover their tuition. Family members and friends can also contribute to a student’s education by converting their loyalty points - anyone can donate their points to an individual student.
Visit the HigherEdPoints website for more information about the program and/or to set up an account to convert your points.
A clear understanding of interprofessional relationships is necessary for effective patient care in the clinical setting. Interprofessional education will develop the learners’ understanding of their role and the role of other professions in the health care team. The course covers topics such as health sciences professions, collaboration, consultation, team-building, and developing partnerships through active presentations, discussion, and interaction between all students registered in programs of the department of Allied Health Sciences.
A clear understanding of interprofessional relationships is necessary for effective patient care in the clinical setting. Interprofessional education will develop the learners’ understanding of their role and the role of other professions in the health care team. The course covers topics such as health sciences professions, collaboration, consultation, team-building, and developing partnerships through active presentations, discussion, and interaction between all students registered in programs of the department of Allied Health Sciences.
This course introduces abdominal sonography and abdominal scan technique. It is designed to enable to the student to recognize and understand the normal anatomy, physiology, and sonographic appearance of the great vessels, liver, spleen, pancreas, kidneys, and adrenals. Pancreatic pathology will also be introduced.
This course introduces the physics and instrumentation relevant to the safe and effective practice of diagnostic medical sonography. The following topics will be covered: sonographic terminology, the physics of sound, pulsed ultrasound, sound amplitude, power and intensity, sound attenuation, the interaction of sound in tissue, diagnostic ultrasound transducers, ultrasound sound beams and focusing, spatial and temporal resolution, real-time scanning and real-time timing, and ultrasound instrumentation.
This course will begin with an introduction to the basic principles of gynecological and obstetrical ultrasound. The normal female pelvis and menstrual cycle will be introduced, followed by an overview of abnormalities to the female reproductive tract including pathology and congenital anomalies. Various miscellaneous topics of sonographic interest including IUCDs and infertility will also be discussed. Obstetrical topics covered will include normal early pregnancy as well as fetal posture.
These topics will be reinforced in ULTR-1003 DMS
Techniques Laboratory 1, ULTR-2003 DMS Techniques Laboratory 2, and ULTR-3003
DMS Techniques Laboratory 3.
This lab course will introduce basic principles of ultrasound scanning. The course will cover abdominal vessels, pancreas, biliary system, liver, kidneys, bladder, spleen, female and male pelvis, history taking, as well as ergonomics.
These topics will be reinforced in ULTR-2003 DMS Techniques Laboratory 2 and ULTR-3003 DMS Techniques Laboratory 3, as well as the clinical practicum.
This is an introductory course to vascular ultrasound. It will introduce the student to ultrasound investigation of the carotid arteries and the peripheral veins. This course is NOT designed to prepare the student to pass the certification exams in Vascular Ultrasound (either Sonography Canada or ARDMS). These topics will be reinforced in ULTR-2003 DMS Techniques Laboratory 2 and ULTR-3003 DMS Techniques Laboratory 3, as well as clinical practicum.
This clinical course will apply all the skills learned in DMS techniques Laboratory 1, 2, and 3, as well as all didactic knowledge obtained in terms 1, 2 and 3 to a clinical setting.
The focus in Term 4 is to build on the theoretical knowledge and practical skills learned in the didactic phase of the program and to apply them in a clinical setting. The main focus of this course will be introduction to scanning patients and visualizing pathology previously learned didactically. It will also reinforce and strengthen patient care skills, history taking, writing technical impressions, presenting cases to a radiologist, and overall patient management.
This course is designed to develop the student’s awareness and demonstration of safety practices when performing ultrasound exams and transporting equipment. It will identify the principles and application of Routine Practices, Medical Techniques, patient care, patient transfers, cultural awareness, and ethics and professionalism as per Sonography Canada.
This course builds upon the material in
ULTR-1000. It is designed to enable to the student to recognize and
understand the sonographic appearance of pathologies of the liver, portal
system, spleen, kidneys, bladder, scrotum, prostate, retroperitoneum, adrenals,
GI tract, thyroid, parathyroid, and salivary glands.
This course builds upon the content in ULTR-1001 covering the physics and instrumentation relevant to the safe and effective practice of diagnostic medical sonography. Specific topics covered included Instrumentation, Doppler, Artifacts, Quality Assurance, and Bioeffects.
This course will expand on the topics introduced in ULTR-1002 Obstetrical & Gynecological Sonography 1. Topics covered will normal fetus, normal extra-fetal anatomy, biometry and fetal growth, pregnancy failure, ectopic pregnancy, and abnormal fetus. These topics will be reinforced in ULTR-2003 DMS Techniques Laboratory 2, and ULTR-3003 DMS Techniques Laboratory 3.
This lab course will introduce basic principles of ultrasound scanning. The course will cover thyroid, scrotum, early obstetrics, late obstetrics, as well as an introduction to vascular examinations such as lower extremity venous scanning and carotid ultrasound. These topics will be reinforced in ULTR-3003 DMS Techniques Laboratory 3, as well as clinical practicum.
This course builds upon ULTR-1004. It will focus on the pathologies of the extracranial arteries and the peripheral veins. This course is NOT designed to prepare the student to pass the certification exams in Vascular Ultrasound (either Sonography Canada or ARDMS).
This clinical course will apply all the skills learned in DMS Clinical Practicum 1, lab techniques, and all Didactic knowledge obtained in the college and continue to apply them in a clinical setting.
The course will cover all the topics covered in DMS Clinical Practicum 1. The main component of this course will be building on the skills in DMS Clinical Practicum 1 such as: scanning, pathology, taking a patient history, writing technologist impressions, presenting case to a radiologist, and dealing with patients and their family.
This course is designed to complement the material taught in Term 1 and provide the students with tools/techniques they can utilize in their hospital training and future roles as sonographers. The content in this course will cover Department communication procedures and how to handle an emergency situation; Differing hospital codes; Aseptic techniques; Geriatrics and Pediatrics; Communication skills; Sensitive practices; Recognizing signs of sexual abuse, Ethics and Professionalism as per Sonography Canada.
This course builds upon the material in ULTR-1000 and
ULTR-2000. It is designed to enable to the student to recognize and
understand the sonographic appearance of the normal anatomy and pathologies of
the breast, abdominal wall, chest, diaphragm and abdominal vessels.
This course will expand on the topics introduced in ULTR-2002 Obstetrical & Gynecological Sonography 2. Topics covered will be extra-fetal abnormalities, multiple pregnancy, maternal disorders affecting pregnancy, antepartum fetal assessment, and prenatal diagnosis. These topics will be reinforced in ULTR-3003 DMS Techniques Laboratory 3.
This lab course will cover an introduction to breast
ultrasound, arm veins, appendix and advanced abdominal skills. The course will
also focus on final preparation for the clinical rotations with an emphasis on
professionalism and guidance on writing technologist impressions and presenting
cases to a radiologist. These topics will be reinforced in clinical practicum
1.
This clinical course will apply all the skills learned in DMS Clinical Practicum 1 & 2, lab techniques, and all Didactic knowledge obtained in the college and continue to apply them in a clinical setting.
The main component of this course will be focused on scanning as a sonographer, integrating all of the necessary skills and knowledge to be able to scan as an entry level sonographer. Emphasis will be on completing cases effectively and in a timely manner to prepare you for the Sonography Canada competencies (CCSAs) which are a requirement for completing the program.
This is an on-line shell to provide diagnostic medical sonography students with additional resources that may be useful during their two years in the program.
This is an on-line shell to provide diagnostic medical sonography students with additional resources that may be useful during their two years in the program.
This is an on-line shell to provide diagnostic medical sonography students with additional resources that may be useful during their two years in the program.
The Diagnostic Medical Sonography Program arranges clinical placements for each student. Clinical placements are located in a variety of accredited facilities throughout Manitoba. Students are responsible for travel, accommodation arrangements and costs to, during and from their clinical experience. Students continue with their didactic studies thru on-line learning while on their clinical placement and stable internet access is required.
Note: For clinical site assignment, students input their preferences for clinical placements. However, there is no guarantee that students will receive a clinical assignment from their list of preferred sites. Students must be prepared to attend their assigned placement at any of the clinical sites in the province.
The following facilities are potential sites for the clinical education.
Winnipeg clinical sites:
Clinical sites outside of Winnipeg:
Online learning is a critical component of course delivery in all Red River College programs. To ensure each student has the tools they need to achieve their academic goals, all Red River College students require, at minimum:
1. Off-campus access to a current computer with a webcam
2. A high speed internet connection
• Recommended minimum speed: 10 mbps for download, 3 mbps for upload
• Slower internet connection speeds may result in audio and video issues. Please keep in mind that if others in your home are using the same internet connection at the same time as you are, you may also experience audio and video issues.
• Please refer to https://www.rrc.ca/future-students/computer-requirements/ for further information on Computer Requirements for Students.
Please note that any anticipated costs are not included in Books and Supplies estimates.
Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL) is a process which documents and compares an individual's prior learning gained from prior education, work and life experiences and personal study to the learning outcomes in College courses/programs. For more information, please visit www.rrc.ca/rpl.
Red River College Polytechnic surveys its graduates on an annual basis to collect data related to the graduates’ employment status, salary, occupation and skill use. In addition, graduates are asked to indicate their level of satisfaction regarding the education they received at Red River College Polytechnic.
Visit www.rrc.ca/numbers/reports/graduate-satisfaction for graduate satisfaction and employment reports.
Ultrasound is practiced in major urban and rural hospitals. In Manitoba there is also mobile ultrasound, where the sonographer travels with a portable ultrasound machine to service smaller rural communities. In other provinces there are also private clinics.
Some graduates are working in related teaching, management, and research positions. Others are employed as application specialists, technical advisors, or representatives for diagnostic imaging equipment and supply manufacturers.
In 2013, an entry level technologist in Manitoba could expect to make approximately $31.56 per hour as a starting wage.
Red River College Polytechnic is committed to student success and provides valuable support services to assist in helping students make the most of their time at RRC Polytech.
Visit www.rrc.ca/supports for more information.