Goals & Outcomes
To assure that St. Mary’s Medical Center School of Medical Imaging is effective in providing the highest quality educational opportunities to students as set forth in the Standards of an Educational Program in Sonography by the Joint Review Committee in Diagnostic Medical Sonography, the SOMI has developed an assessment plan based on the goals and expectations listed below.
The sonography program goals and expectations include preparing competent entry-level general sonographers in the cognitive (knowledge), psychomotor (skills), and affective (behavior) learning domains. Prepare competent entry-level adult cardiac sonographers in the cognitive (knowledge), psychomotor (skills), and affective (behavior) learning domains. Prepare competent entry-level vascular sonographers in the cognitive (knowledge), psychomotor (skills), and affective (behavior) learning domains
The assessment plan and goals are evaluated on an annual basis and are published in an annual report to the advisory committee members.
Program Goals
I. Goal: The program will graduate competent imaging professionals to meet community healthcare needs
Program effectiveness outcomes:
A. ARRT/ARDMS pass rate
B. Retention
C. Job placement
D. Employer satisfaction
E. Graduate satisfaction
Student learning outcome:
F. Students will demonstrate technical proficiency
- Students will be technically competent
- Students will demonstrate procedural competence
G. Students will practice ALARA (As Low As Reasonably Achievable) principles
H. Students will demonstrate fluency in the use of tools, technologies and methods common to the field
- Students will demonstrate proper equipment operation/care
II. Goal: Graduates will develop analytical and critical thinking skills.
Student learning outcome:
A. Students will demonstrate analytical inquiry though practical approaches to problem solving.
- By making procedural adjustments to individual patients as needed
- By demonstration of image analysis methods
B. Students will demonstrate critical thinking skills in the use of information resources.
- Students will critically analyze written materials from diverse sources
- Students will demonstrate knowledge of evidence based practice in medical imaging
C. Students will demonstrate quantitative literacy (QL) skills.
- Students will demonstrate the ability to reason and solve quantitative problems from a wide array of contexts and everyday “life” situations.
III. Goal: The graduate will model professionalism.
Student learning outcome:
A. Students will recognize the need for and the ability to engage in lifelong learning.
B. Students will demonstrate a set of cognitive, affective and behavioral skills and characteristics that support effective and appropriate interaction in a variety of cultural contexts.
IV: Goal: Graduates will exhibit effective communication skills in the healthcare setting.
Student learning outcome:
A. Students will demonstrate communication fluency by engaging in diverse perspectives.
- Students will be competent in oral and written communication
- Students will effectively engage with patients, staff and other members of the healthcare team
St. Mary’s Medical Center School of Medical Imaging Program/Sonography Effectiveness Data ARDMS registry results demonstrate one measure of progress in meeting university and programmatic outcomes:
| Year | SPI SOMI/national Pass rate First time attempt | Abdomen SOMI/national Pass rate First time attempt | OB/GYN SOMI/national Pass rate First time attempt | VT SOMI/national pass rate First time attempt | Adult Echo SOMI/national pass rate First time attempt | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2019 | 100% | 73% | 79% | 81% | 100% | 73% | 100% | 79% | ||
| 2020 | 100% | 76% | 74% | 100% | 84% | 100% | 73% | 100% | 81% | |
| 2021 | 100% | 88% | 100% | 69% | 100% | 79% | 100% | 68% | 100% | 67% |
| 2022 | 100% | 71% | 100% | 70% | 100% | 77% | 100% | 67% | 100% | 77% |
| 2023 | 80% | 71% | 100% | 71% | 100% | 78% | 66% | 100% | 77% | |
Students take the SPI exam at the end of the junior year.
Goal of five-year average job placement rate of not less than 75% within twelve months of graduation*
| Year | No. Graduates | % Graduate Survey Response | % Employer Survey Response | # and % Employed (known) | 3 year average |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2019 | 1 | 1 (100%) | 1 (100%) | 1 (100%) | 100% |
| 2020 | 4 | 4 (100%) | 3 (75%) | 4 (100%) | 100% |
| 2021 | 5 | 5 (100%) | 5 (100%) | 5 (100%) | 100% |
| 2022 | 6 | 6 (100%) | 3 (50%) | 6 (100%) | 100% |
| 2023 | 4 | 2 (50%) | 2 (50%) | 4 (100%) | 100% |
*Graduate and employer surveys will be sent for the class of 2023 in April 2024. Those results will be made available after.
Program Completion Rate
Program completion rate is defined as students who complete all aspects of the program within 24 months after entering the sonography program.
| Year of graduation | % completion | Abdomen OB/Gyn | Cardiovascular |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2019** | 25% (1/4) | 0 | 1 |
| 2020 | 100% (4/4) | 2 | 2 |
| 2021 | 100% (5/5) | 2 | 3 |
| 2022 | 100% (6/6) | 4 | 2 |
| 2023* | 80% (4/5) | 1 | 3 |
**Two junior cohort students determined after the first semester they wanted to pursue a different career choice. The program implemented a plan in May 2018 to address the low completion rate which has been considered to be successful according to May 2019 survey results from clinical affiliates, students, and advisory committee members.
*One student of the 2023 failed their physics exam twice and was tutored. She also retook the physics class and failed the exam again two times and could not go on to her senior year.