News & Events

2020 JRC-DMS Self-Study Document Now Available

The Joint Review Committee on Education in Diagnostic Medical Sonography is pleased to announce the availability of the 2020 version of the self-study document on the JRC-DMS website. The self-study and associated documents can be viewed and downloaded at www.jrcdms.org/2020selfstudy.htm.

The 2020 self-study is an interactive and dynamic instrument which allows users to complete it as one Word document. Other features and enhancements of the 2020 self-study and associated documents include the following:

The framework of the self-study is in line with the 2020 CAAHEP DMS Standards.
Required Excel and PDF documents can be dragged and incorporated in the self-study
Curriculum Map templates are available to document didactic and clinical coursework to address required curriculum in Appendix B of the 2020 CAAHEP DMS Standards.
Worksheets are available to assist in completing the self-study.
The completed 2020 self-study version is to be e-mailed to the JRC-DMS as one Word document. Bookmarked PDF documents, self-study in parts and flash drives will no longer be accepted by the JRC-DMS. As a reminder, the following timetable will provide guidance on the accepted self-study version and the Standards version that DMS Programs will be evaluated on at their scheduled site visit:

** Cohort(s) of students who begin the core DMS program on or after August 1, 2021 are expected to follow the 2020 CAAHEP DMS Standards.
If you have any questions or encounter any technical difficulties, Gerry Magat, JRC-DMS Executive Director, is available to provide assistance via e-mail at magat@jrcdms.org.

JRC-DMS Accreditation Online Portal and Annual Report Information

The Joint Review Committee on Education in Diagnostic Medical Sonography is pleased to announce the launch of an accreditation online portal for submission of annual reports. DMS Programs will be required to complete and submit their annual report within their account on the accreditation portal. The JRC-DMS is in the initial stages of transitioning the 2020 version of the self-study to the online portal. Announcement of the availability of the 2020 self-study version on the portal will be made once fully implemented.

The annual report instrument on the accreditation portal was launched earlier this year for DMS programs in the March submission group. The following is a list of some essential information to help prepare you for the annual report process:

Contact your IT personnel to ensure the following domains and/or email addresses are whitelisted for your institution: @intersocietal.org, @jrcdms.org and @armaturecorp.org.
The annual fee invoices will be sent by Brandy Mertz (mertz@intersocietal.org), on or about the 1st of the month, one month prior to your submission group month (May 1st for the June group, August 1st for the September group and November 1st for the December group). The due date for the annual fee is the 15th day of your submission month.
All Program Directors will receive an auto-generated security e-mail from the online portal. The login page for the portal is: https://portal.jrcdms.org/#/auth/login.
Clinical Affiliate spreadsheets will be located in the document library of your program’s online account.
Linda Howard, JRC-DMS Accreditation Specialist, will send a reminder message detailing when programs can expect access to the portal, receive invoices and the new Annual Report process/timeline. Instructional resources will be provided. Programs in the June AR submission group may contact her with Annual Report or online portal concerns. If you have any questions or encounter any technical difficulties with the annual report or online portal, she is available to provide assistance via e-mail at howard@intersocietal.org or phone at 443-973-3250.

Definitions of Cohort and Re-Entry Students

The JRC-DMS is now requiring all DMS programs to report admission and graduation information on annual reports by cohorts. Student retention outcomes also take into account re-entry students. To provide a better understanding of this, the following are definitions of Cohort and Re-Entry Students (Policy 902.B):

Cohort:

A group of students who begin on the same date, follow a similar education plan, and share a designated completion date. Cohort is further defined based on designated groupings, such as, but not limited to, program track, multi-campus group, and/or award at completion.
Examples of designated cohorts: multi-campus group, day cohort, evening cohort, Certificate, AS degree, BS degree or by selected concentration areas (i.e., Abdomen/OBGYN, Adult Cardiac/Vascular, etc.).

Re-Entry Students:

Students who withdraw from a cohort are counted as part of the retention/attrition for the cohort in which the student started. Upon re-entry into the program, the student is counted in the cohort the student joined.

2020 DMS Standards, Timeline for Transition and Informational Webcast

New Standards Effective September 1, 2021

The Joint Review Committee on Education in Diagnostic Medical Sonography (JRC-DMS) is pleased to announce the approval of the 2020 Commission on Accreditation of Allied Health Education Programs (CAAHEP) Standards and Guidelines for the Accreditation of Educational Programs in Diagnostic Medical Sonography.

The 2020 Standards available for download below will become effective September 1, 2021.

Download >> 2020 Commission on Accreditation of Allied Health Education Programs (CAAHEP) Standards and Guidelines for the Accreditation of Educational Programs in Diagnostic Medical Sonography

Informational Webcast | To watch an information webcast, please click here.

The following timetable will provide guidance on the accepted self-study version and the Standards version that DMS Programs will be evaluated on at their scheduled site visit:

Self-Study

New JRC-DMS Fee Structure Effective January 1, 2020

MARCH 2019 | With the anticipated implementation of the proposed Standards, the JRC-DMS Board announces a new JRC-DMS fee structure effective January 1, 2020. This is the first major change to the fee structure in more than 10 years.The fee changes are as follows:

Annual Fee:

$1,500 for 1 or 2 concentrations
$2,000 for 3 or more concentrations
$500 for each satellite/multi-campus location reviewed, if applicable
The fees for addition of clinical sites for recognition will be eliminated.

Self-Study Fee:

$1,400 (initial or continuing and regardless of the number of concentrations)
$500 for recognition of each satellite/multi-campus location (if applicable)

Administrative Fee:

$50 for late material submission
$500 for failure to report substantive changes

Revised Annual Report Template

FEBRUARY 2019 | The JRC-DMS Annual Report Template has been revised and will be required beginning with the March 2019 due dates. Among the key features of the revised annual report template include the following:

Clinical Affiliates

Listing of clinical affiliates where accredited specialties are performed. Examples: Programs accredited in the general concentration only list abdominal and OB/GYN clinical sites. Programs accredited in the adult cardiac list their affiliates for adult cardiac student placement.
A column to indicate whether a current contract/agreement is on file.

Information Tab

Required signatures of the Program Director and Dean upon completion of the annual report.

Outcomes Tab

Reporting of student retention with revised threshold (see new policy below) and with codes to report reason(s).
Up to three years of reporting of action plans.

Supplemental Sites

Listing of supplemental clinical affiliates (i.e., inactive sites or sites used for student observation).
Examples: Programs accredited only in the general concentration may list vascular clinical sites that are used for student observation. Programs accredited in adult cardiac may list pediatric cardiac or vascular clinical sites used for student observation.

A copy of the revised JRC-DMS Annual Report Template as well as instructions on how to complete the annual report are available on the JRC-DMS website at www.jrcdms.org/maintain.htm. Accredited DMS Programs will receive the revised annual report template via e-mail at least one month prior to when their completed annual report and fees are due.

New Policy Announcement Effective Immediately

Policy of Reporting Student Retention in Annual Reports in Lieu of Attrition and Revised Threshold with Sliding Scale

The JRC-DMS Board of Directors announce a new policy related to the reporting of student attrition on the JRC-DMS Annual Report. Student retention (the inverse of attrition) will now be reported on all annual reports with a revised threshold of 70% (30% attrition). For programs with low student enrollment per year (< 9) the sliding scale below can be used to adjust the number of students required to meet the criteria resulting in an adjusted retention rate:

Comment Period for Proposed Changes to the CAAHEP Standards & Guidelines for DMS Now Open - COMMENT PERIOD NOW CLOSED

JUNE 19, 2017 | The formal 30-day period to submit comments to the proposed revisions of the CAAHEP Standards and Guidelines for the Accreditation of Educational Programs in Diagnostic Medical Sonography is now open.

The comment period may be accessed on the JRC-DMS website at jrcdms.org/comment_period.htm.

The JRC-DMS is seeking feedback from the communities of interest prior to the submission to the CAAHEP Standards Committee. All comments must be submitted using the comment period platform. The JRC-DMS will not accept comments that are e-mailed. The official comment period will end on July 19, 2017.

Gerry Magat, JRC-DMS Executive Director, is available to provide assistance via email at magat@jrcdms.org or by calling the JRC-DMS office at 443-973-3251.