OB/GYN Sonography II

Course Description

SON2122C – OB/GYN Sonography II is the second obstetric and gynecologic sonography course in a Florida diagnostic medical sonography program. Daytona State College titles it OB/GYN Sonography 2 and Lab. The C suffix reflects an integrated scanning laboratory; institutions also carry the content as SON2122 (3 credits) plus SON2122L (1 credit).

Obstetric and gynecologic sonography is the highest-volume specialty in the field and, in several respects, the most demanding. The sonographer is imaging two patients at once during pregnancy, obtaining measurements on which gestational age and growth assessment depend, and performing an examination whose findings are frequently emotionally significant in a way that an abdominal scan is not.

Where the first course establishes normal anatomy and first-trimester scanning, this course typically covers second and third trimester obstetrics — the detailed fetal anatomic survey, biometry and growth assessment, amniotic fluid evaluation, and placental assessment; fetal anomalies by system and their sonographic appearance; multiple gestation and its complications; obstetric complications — growth restriction, placental abnormalities, preterm labor assessment, and hypertensive disorders; fetal well-being — biophysical profile and Doppler assessment of umbilical and middle cerebral arteries; gynecologic pathology — uterine, adnexal, and ovarian abnormalities; infertility imaging and follicular monitoring; postmenopausal evaluation and endometrial assessment; and protocols, documentation, and preliminary findings.

Offered at approximately 11 Florida institutions with CAAHEP-accredited sonography programs.

Learning Outcomes

Required Outcomes

• Perform a complete second and third trimester obstetric examination to protocol.
• Complete a detailed fetal anatomic survey and document required structures.
• Obtain accurate fetal biometry including BPD, HC, AC, and femur length.
• Estimate gestational age and fetal weight and interpret growth percentiles.
• Assess amniotic fluid volume using accepted methods.
• Evaluate placental location, appearance, and relationship to the cervical os.
• Evaluate cervical length and describe its clinical significance.
• Recognize sonographic appearances of common fetal anomalies by system.
• Evaluate multiple gestation including chorionicity and amnionicity.
• Recognize sonographic findings of fetal growth restriction and macrosomia.
• Perform and score a biophysical profile.
• Perform Doppler assessment of the umbilical and middle cerebral arteries and interpret indices.
• Evaluate the uterus and adnexa for gynecologic pathology.
• Recognize sonographic appearances of leiomyoma, adenomyosis, and endometrial abnormalities.
• Evaluate ovarian masses and describe features suggesting malignancy.
• Perform transvaginal scanning technique with appropriate patient care and consent practice.
• Optimize instrument settings for obstetric and gynecologic imaging including thermal and mechanical index awareness.
• Document examinations completely and communicate preliminary findings appropriately.

Optional Outcomes

• Describe genetic screening markers and their interpretation.
• Describe 3D and 4D obstetric imaging applications.
• Describe sonohysterography and infertility procedures.
• Describe fetal echocardiography at an introductory level.
• Describe interventional procedures requiring sonographic guidance.
• Prepare for the ARDMS OB/GYN specialty examination.

Major Topics

Required Topics

• Second and third trimester protocol — required images and documentation.
• Fetal anatomic survey — cranial, spinal, thoracic, cardiac, abdominal, renal, and extremity.
• Biometry — measurement technique, planes, and sources of error.
• Growth assessment — estimated fetal weight, percentiles, and interval growth.
• Amniotic fluid — AFI, deepest pocket, oligohydramnios, and polyhydramnios.
• Placenta — location, previa, abruption, and accreta spectrum findings.
• Cervix — measurement technique and preterm birth risk.
• Fetal anomalies — central nervous system, cardiac, abdominal wall, renal, and skeletal.
• Multiple gestation — chorionicity, amnionicity, and twin complications.
• Growth restriction and macrosomia — findings and surveillance.
• Fetal well-being — biophysical profile and umbilical artery Doppler.
• Gynecologic anatomy review — uterus, endometrium, ovaries, and adnexa.
• Uterine pathology — fibroids, adenomyosis, and endometrial thickening.
• Ovarian pathology — functional cysts, neoplasms, torsion, and risk features.
• Infertility imaging — follicular monitoring and tubal assessment.
• Transvaginal technique — probe handling, infection control, consent, and chaperone practice.
• Bioeffects and safety — thermal and mechanical index and ALARA in obstetric imaging.
• Scanning laboratory — supervised practice and competency demonstration.

Optional Topics

• Genetic screening markers.
• 3D and 4D imaging.
• Sonohysterography and infertility procedures.
• Introductory fetal echocardiography.
• Sonographically guided procedures.
• ARDMS specialty examination preparation.

Resources & Tools

• Callen's Ultrasonography in Obstetrics and Gynecology, Elsevier — the field's comprehensive reference.
• Diagnostic Medical Sonography: Obstetrics and Gynecology (Stephenson), Wolters Kluwer — the standard student text.
• Ultrasonography in Obstetrics and Gynecology or the Ultrasound Review series for examination preparation.
• AIUM — the American Institute of Ultrasound in Medicine; practice parameters defining the required examination components, and bioeffects statements.
• ARDMS — content outlines for the Obstetrics and Gynecology specialty and the SPI physics examination.
• SDMS — professional standards, ergonomics guidance, and student membership.
• Scanning laboratory — ultrasound systems with curvilinear and endovaginal transducers; obstetric phantoms where available.
• CAAHEP — program accreditation, which gates credentialing eligibility.

Career Pathways

• Diagnostic Medical Sonographer (SOC 29-2032) — the occupational category.
• OB/GYN Sonographer — credentialed as RDMS (OB/GYN); the highest-volume specialty.
• Maternal-Fetal Medicine sonographer — high-risk obstetric practices; specialized and well compensated.
• Fertility clinic sonographer — follicular monitoring and IVF support.
• Hospital and outpatient imaging — Florida health systems hire continuously.
• Lead sonographer and laboratory manager — with experience.
• Applications specialist — equipment manufacturers.

Special Information

⚠ The sonography sequence is numbered and weighted inconsistently — check locally

Worth confirming against your own program, because both the numbering and the credit values move between Florida institutions:

• Abdominal runs as SON2111C and SON2112C (Abdominal Sonography I and II), with SON2111C carried at 4 credits in some programs and SON2112C at 3 credits in others.
• Obstetrics and gynecology runs as SON2121C and SON2122C. Tallahassee lists SON2121C at 3 credits, 30 lecture and 45 laboratory hours; other programs carry the OB/GYN courses at 4 credits.
• Physics appears as both SON1210 (Introduction to Sonographic Physics and Instrumentation) and SON2211C (Medical Sonographic Physics), at different levels.
• Clinical courses carry the L suffix — SON1804L, SON1814L, SON2824L, SON2834L — and are numbered 1 through 4 rather than by content area.

SCNS equivalency applies to the same number at the same level, never across numbers. In practice this matters less than usual here for a structural reason: CAAHEP-accredited sonography programs are not designed to be assembled from courses taken at different institutions — clinical placement, program accreditation, and ARDMS eligibility are all program-level, and transferring mid-program almost always means repeating substantial work. Choose an accredited program and finish it.

Measurement accuracy has direct clinical consequences

The defining technical demand of this specialty. Gestational age, estimated fetal weight, growth percentile, and the decision whether a pregnancy is growing normally all rest on measurements the sonographer obtains. A biparietal diameter taken in the wrong plane or an abdominal circumference traced imprecisely shifts the estimated weight, which shifts the percentile, which can change clinical management. Programs therefore drill measurement planes and technique relentlessly, and students should expect measurement reproducibility to be assessed rather than assumed.

⚠ This specialty carries emotional weight the others do not

Worth stating plainly. A sonographer performing obstetric scans will, over a career, be the first person to see a fetal demise, a lethal anomaly, or an ectopic pregnancy — often with the patient watching the screen and asking questions. The professional position is genuinely difficult: the sonographer sees the finding, may not disclose a diagnosis, and must remain composed and kind while a physician is contacted. Programs teach a protocol for this — what to say, what not to say, how to keep the examination complete, and how to hand off — and students should take that instruction seriously rather than improvising. Students should also know that this affects providers; debriefing and counseling resources exist and using them is normal professional practice.

Credentialing is the credential — Florida does not license sonographers

As with vascular sonography, there is no Florida state license for sonographers. The ARDMS RDMS credential with the Obstetrics and Gynecology specialty, earned by passing the SPI physics examination plus the specialty examination, is what employers require. Eligibility runs most cleanly through a CAAHEP-accredited program — confirm accreditation before enrolling, since alternative eligibility pathways are longer and more restrictive.

Transvaginal scanning requires explicit professional practice

Endovaginal imaging is routine in this specialty and requires attention to consent, chaperone policy, draping, probe covers and high-level disinfection, and the patient's comfort and dignity. Programs set specific expectations, including for peer scanning practice. Students should understand these as professional requirements rather than formalities — they protect the patient and the sonographer.

Ultrasound is safe when used prudently, and the course should say why

Diagnostic ultrasound has an excellent safety record, but it deposits energy, and the obstetric setting warrants care. The thermal index and mechanical index are displayed for that reason, and the AIUM's ALARA guidance applies — use the lowest output and shortest time consistent with obtaining the diagnostic information. This is also why the AIUM and FDA discourage non-medical "keepsake" fetal imaging, a point students will be asked about by patients.

Count contact hours, not credits

Institutions carry this as SON2122 (3 credits) plus SON2122L (1 credit), or combined as SON2122C at 4 credits, with the scanning laboratory running at roughly two contact hours per credit and clinical courses running far higher. This is the same pattern confirmed in radiography, nursing, dental hygiene, and vascular sonography. Plan a sonography term by contact hours.

Position in the program

Normally taken after ultrasound physics and instrumentation, sectional anatomy, and OB/GYN Sonography I. Prerequisites are enforced and programs are cohort-based, sequential, and limited-access, so mid-program transfer is rarely practical. Verify locally.