Our scholarship committee has selected Grand Valley State University’s Joyanna Osborne as the Spring 2021 sonography student scholarship award recipient!Please join in in congratulating Joyanna and the rest of this term’s finalists.
Why I Selected Grand Valley State University to earn my DMS Degree
Applicants for this Spring’s scholarship were asked the question “Why did you select your particular college or university to earn your degree in medical imaging? Share a story about what sets your program apart”.
The Winning Essay from Joyanna Osborne
I decided to earn my degree in Diagnostic Medical Sonography at Grand Valley State University (GVSU) in Grand Rapids, MI. I love this essay prompt because it gives me the opportunity to boast about how amazing my DMS program is! I know that the program at GVSU will prepare me to not only be a competent and skilled sonographer, but also a healthcare personnel who shows compassion, empathy, and understanding to every patient that I have the privilege to serve. Becoming a sonographer who is committed to continuous learning and patient care is what I strive for, and I saw GVSU as the place that could help me develop these passions. Within my decision-making process, there were several important reasons that I eventually chose to pursue my DMS degree at GVSU.
One reason is that the program ensures that their students are eligible to sit for the ARDMS boards prior to graduation. Passing the boards before graduation is crucial because it allows me to line up a job that I can start right away once I graduate. The program qualifies us to take several boards, such as Abdomen, Ob/Gyn, Vascular, and Breast, and the program boasts a high success rate for their students passing the boards on their first try. Based on this, I knew and valued that the program fully equipped students with the knowledge to perform well on those exams.
Doing well on the boards is key, but good clinical education experience is where great sonographers begin, and GVSU possesses notable clinical opportunities for their students. For our first semester, we learn didactic and affective content that prepares us with the knowledge, behaviors, and scanning skills to be successful student sonographers during clinicals. Then, we rotate between three clinical sites for four semesters, where we create relationships with and learn from registered sonographers. The variety of clinical sites, from large hospitals in the heart of Grand Rapids to smaller healthcare facilities throughout Michigan, offers a rich hands-on experience that prepares me to be a sonographer in varying medical environments with diverse patient populations and scanning opportunities.
Yet, one of the best aspects of the program so far, and why I would choose GVSU again if I had to start over, is the professors. After having the privilege to learn under the guidance of my sonography professors this past semester, I am not hesitant to say that they are amazing individuals and teachers. They stepped up to the plate during this pandemic to ensure that the education their students received did not suffer. I have never learned more in my academics than I have in this past semester, and that’s all due to the diligence of my professors and their creativity in educating us in a mostly remote classroom environment. Their enthusiasm for teaching is evident, and their energy has made me excited and passionate about sonography. In this program, I feel valued and cared for as a student and an individual by those who teach me, and I hope my patients will feel the same way when I interact with them. My professors push me to be a critical-thinking and empathetic sonographer who advocates for the patient.
I could not imagine myself at any other university during this significant beginning stage of my career. My experience at GVSU has undoubtedly shaped me into the person I am today and the DMS program continues to help me grow into the promising sonographer that I hope to become. I cannot wait to graduate next year and proudly say that I’m a “Laker for a lifetime!”
🏫 Are you a current, or soon to be enrolled student in an accredited medical ultrasound program? 👩🎓 Find out if you qualify to apply for the Ultrasound Schools Info – Sonography Student Scholarship!
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