An innovative partnership between six Saskatchewan hospital foundations and Suncrest College in Yorkton has helped make possible a new postsecondary program that will train medical ultrasound technicians for the first time in Saskatchewan.

The new Diagnostic Sonography Program is a 28-month advanced diploma program, which combines blended theory with hands-on classroom learning and practical clinical experience. The Ministry of Advanced Education and the Ministry of Health announced the new program in February 2024.

Five of the six hospital foundation CEOs joined Saskatchewan’s minister of health and the president of Suncrest College on Aug. 29, 2024 to announce their collective investment in the new program. The six hospital foundations which joined in the partnership are Hospitals of Regina Foundation, the Health Foundation of East Central Saskatchewan in Yorkton, St. Paul’s Hospital Foundation in Saskatoon, Lloydminster Region Health Foundation, Boreal Healthcare Foundation in Prince Albert and St. Anthony’s Hospital Foundation in Esterhazy.

The new Diagnostic Sonography Program will greatly enhance the care available to patients across Saskatchewan. Ultrasound sonography is a key diagnostic tool medical teams use to diagnose and treat many conditions, including monitoring a developing baby’s health during pregnancy, gallbladder disease, the evaluation of blood flow, tumor biopsies and treatments, thyroid gland conditions, genital and prostate problems, joint inflammation and metabolic bone disease.

Before this partnership was created and the program developed, those wanting to trains sonographers had to go out of province to Alberta or Manitoba to access training seats reserved for Saskatchewan students, with no return of service obligations. The Suncrest College program began accepting applications in spring 2024 for the first annual intake of six students in the fall 2024. It will admit eight new students per year, starting in 2025.