A complete guide to your ultrasound internship!

Hey, sono students! We know what that pre-clinical anxiety feels like. Let us be your guiding mentors in all things "ultrasound internship." We've packed the Sonography Student Survival Guide with tips, tricks, insight, and wisdom to ensure you enter sonography clinicals prepared to achieve your maximum potential as a sonographer!  This bite sized guide covers everything from time management (struggling to balance a full-time clincal job with academics, anyone?), to technical pearls of scanning patients IRL.

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The ultimate guide to sonography clinical rotations

  • Discover what drives you, and how you can utilize this every day to improve the lives of your patients while finding maximum fulfillment from your career
  • Learn practical tips and tricks to improve your life in and around clinicals such as time management, communication, goal setting, reducing performance anxiety, and the technical aspects of ultrasound scanning
  • Discover ways you can prevent feedback from discouraging you, and instead learn to really channel it into improving the quality of your imaging
“As a new graduate just starting my career, I can honestly say this Survival Guide would have been SO helpful for me as a student. This is the best advice you can get when it comes to clinicals!”
-Morgan R.
Class of 2023
“This Survival Guide is full of exactly what you need to hear as a sonography student, exactly how you would want to hear it! Reading it is like talking to someone with first hand experience that you can trust over coffee."
-Sydnee B.
Class of 2023

Meet the contributors

Hayley O. Bartkus, MS-HPEd., BSDMS, RDMS

As a diagnostic medical sonography program director, the only thing that Hayley loves more than ultrasound is sharing her passion for it with students through sonography education. Hayley’s experience spans from the bedside to the classroom with clinical experience in general, pediatric, and high-risk obstetric sonography and having earned a MS in Health Professions Education from Boston University’s Chobanian & Avedisian School of Medicine. Recognized as AS Software’s 2023 Community Advocate Sonography Impact Award Winner, Hayley incorporates the importance of patient-centered care in ultrasound in everything she does with a focus on patient and healthcare worker advocacy, working to amplify voices of others.

Christina Werth, MHA, RDMS, RDCS

An accomplished sonographer, mentor, and educator, Christina has over a decade of clinical experience in high-risk obstetrics, gynecology, and fetal echo. Recognized as BB Imaging's 2023 Leader in Sonography award winner and Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania's 2021 Collaborative Award for Resident Teaching Excellence award winner, Christina has expertise in clinical lab accreditation, CME planning and compliance, and ultrasound education events planning. In addition to regular clinical time, speaking events, and sonographer education activities, Christina has previously served on staff at the AIUM providing leadership to the CME branch of the Education and Events team.

Chapters

01

The Why

In this chapter, we'll explore the goals and value of ultrasound clinical rotation while validating and acknowledging that this can be a scary and stressful time for a future sonographer! You'll learn tips and strategies for overcoming these fears by shifting your perspective to remembering your "why," the thing that drives you to this field and reminds you to be the best sonographer you can be. 

02

Fitting Into the Clinical Environment

The clinical environment is often as unique as the patients and communities who build it. This chapter details strategies to thrive anywhere, and how to use this time as an observer to plan the trajectory of your own career in the environment where you feel most a home. 

03

Prepping for Your Glow Up

Your clinical rotation is a time of tangible and intangible growth! Here we discuss practical steps to ready ourselves for growth by optimizing factors such as our mindset, our schedule, work-life balance, goals, and a whole lot more! 

04

Major Key: Communication

In this chapter, we'll discuss the ins and outs of professional communication, and how to reframe your perspective to view your clinical instructor as an ally in your journey, even if you receive constructive criticism or negative feedback. 

05

Sono Skills

It's all about the technique! Here we do a deep dive into the process of improving sonography skills and maintaining a dialogue that allows you to translate feedback into actionable technical modifications during your ultrasound scanning while addressing common hang-ups like performance anxiety. 

06

Growth Mindset

We're turning inward in this chapter to guide some self-reflection. We discuss overcoming "the tough stuff" whether it be being too hard on yourself, or unexpected challenges within your clinical learning environment. With all "eyes on the prize" we outline how to absorb the lessons and connections that serve us, and let go of those that do not.

07

Change the World!

Time for the big picture! This chapter provides a recap of the major takeaways and skills you'll need to survive clinicals while encouraging you on this amazing, exciting journey as you launch your career in the wonderful field of diagnostic medical sonography. 
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Authors
Hayley Bartkus & Christina Werth
Type
Student Guide
Layout
PDF
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