**The Clinical Instructor Grant nomination process has closed for 2025 and will reopen in 2026.**
Grant Eligibility
Applications for the SDMS Foundation Clinical Instructor Grant Program are accepted by nomination only. Nominations must be submitted by a Clinical Instructor’s student (or a recent graduate within one year of graduation) and the student's program director or clinical coordinator. Eligible nominees will then be invited to apply for the grant.
Nominators must:
- Be a current student/recent graduate and the program director or clinical coordinator of a CAAHEP-accredited program.
- Be SDMS members at the time of nomination (program director or clinical coordinator only).
NOTE: Only one clinical instructor nomination will be accepted per educational program.
Applicants (i.e., nominated clinical instructors) must:
- Serve in a role where their job responsibilities include acting as a clinical instructor. This may include unpaid sonographer volunteers as well as paid sonographers whose positions include formal teaching responsibilities for sonography students, provided they are not employed by the educational institution.
- NOTE: SDMS membership is not required.
Nomination and Application Process
Step One: Nomination Process:
The nominators (i.e., student/recent graduate and program director or clinical coordinator) must:
- Complete the online nomination form, including collaboratively submitting a single, 200-word essay explaining why you are nominating the clinical instructor; and
- Authorize the SDMS Foundation to use quotes from the nomination form and/or essay for promotional purposes (refer to nomination form).
Step Two: Application Process:
Once eligibility is confirmed, eligible nominees will be asked to:
- Complete the online application form (by invitation only), answering the following questions:
- Describe the ways you encourage your students to develop problem-solving skills. Provide an example.
- How do you promote an atmosphere of learning for your students?
- What motivates you to serve as a clinical instructor?
- Authorize the SDMS Foundation to use quotes from the application form and/or essay for promotional purposes.
Nomination and Application Deadlines
- Nominations are accepted in 2025 between January 1 and February 28. The nomination process may be closed early pending the number of applications received.
- Applications by eligible nominees are by invitation only (once eligibility has been established) and must be completed between March 1 and April 30 in 2025.
Restrictions and Limitations
Completed nominations and applications must be received no later than 11:59:59 pm (central time) on the last day of the respective nomination and application period. An incomplete application will be disqualified.
- Only one clinical instructor can be nominated per educational program.
- Clinical instructors can only receive one Clinical Instructor Grant in any five-year period.
- Self-nominations will not be accepted.
- Unless otherwise prohibited by SDMS Foundation Board Policies, Clinical Instructor Grant recipients are eligible to receive other SDMS Foundation Grants or Scholarships during the same year they receive a Clinical Instructor Grant.
Grant recipients are responsible for determining the tax implications of all grants received. Please consult a tax professional if you have questions.