Austin Lantz studies diagnostic medical sonography through the only program of its kind in the state offered by NDSU and Sanford Health. “It’s an opportunity to work with technology, while still having direct contact with patients,” said Lantz.

NDSU is recognizing students in this field during Medical Ultrasound Awareness Month. Diagnostic medical ultrasound uses high frequency sound waves that pass through the body to create images in real time.

“Being part of the first line of defense in detecting pathologies is very interesting and rewarding to me. NDSU has created a great partnership with Sanford Health where they have combined the didactic course work with the experiential experience,” said Lantz.

“I feel that by simultaneously learning the course work and being able to apply it to real world experiences, it really helps to solidify the concepts that we learn,” said Lantz, who will complete his degree in May 2021.

“Learning about the various type of pathologies that you see as a sonographer has been the most interesting, but also the most challenging,” said Lantz. “With healthcare constantly improving and changing there is also more to learn and that excites me going forward.”

The demand for diagnostic medical sonographers is expected to grow by 12 percent through 2029, much faster than the outlook for all occupations which is 4 percent, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Visit the NDSU Allied Sciences website to learn more about opportunities in this field.

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