When looking to educate yourself in sonography, either it under or postgraduate courses, accredited schools are the way to go. Being accredited means a school’s sonography program has passed the rigorous inspection of the CAAHEP – Commission on Accreditation of Allied Health Education Programs – and that the training you will receive is the high quality. But what is accreditation anyway?
The CAAHEP organization
CAAHEP is the biggest accreditor of health education programs in the country. They are responsible for accredited over 2000 programs in 26 allied health occupations. They are one of the few accreditors that is recognized by the Council for Higher Education (CHE). They are also members of ASPA or the Association of Specialized and Professional Accreditors. They programs they accredit offer the best clinical and didactic training in sonography.
DMS programs and accreditation
Accreditation is a process by which CAAHEP examines an institution’s allied health program in its entirety. Its curriculum and actual clinical and didactic training are judged based on a set of guidelines created by the organization. If the program measures up against the standards, they become accredited. Only the CAAHEP board can remove an institutions accreditation.
CAAHEP has two kinds of accreditation: institutional and programmatic. The former accredits the school – meaning the college or university – while the latter examines the particular programs that the school offers. There are only 212 schools in the US that are accredited, find a list of accredited diagnostic medical sonography schools in 2014 through the link.
There are three kinds of programs based on length: certificate, associate degree, and bachelor degree.
Programs are also divided according to sonography specialty. With CAAHEP, there are three main sonography programs:
In 2014, one of the hottest careers in healthcare is sonography. You can prepare yourself for continued demand, booming employment, and a steady rise in salary as more and more job opportunities become available. It all starts with choosing the right school that will be able to give you the education that you need.
CAAHEP has two kinds of accreditation: institutional and programmatic. The former accredits the school – meaning the college or university – while the latter examines the particular programs that the school offers. There are only 212 schools in the US that are accredited, find a list of accredited diagnostic medical sonography schools in 2014 through the link.
There are three kinds of programs based on length: certificate, associate degree, and bachelor degree.
- Sonography certificate programs are usually 12 months long, inclusive of clinical training. This kind of program is typically taken by people who are already working health care professionals and want to learn sonography.
- Sonography associate degree programs basically fast track the 4-year bachelor degree program. It will require a student to complete all pre-requisite courses (general education subjects) before applying to the program. Most of the students who apply to associate degrees have remained undecided in their major or decided to transfer from another program.
- Sonography bachelor degree programs last four years and cover complete training in sonography. They have very minimal requirements, with some schools just requiring a set GPA and a high school diploma or GED.
Programs are also divided according to sonography specialty. With CAAHEP, there are three main sonography programs:
- Cardiac sonography is a specialization that focuses on the heart and its surrounding vessels. Students learn how to perform different cardiac diagnostic examinations such as 2D-echocardiocraphy. Cardiac sonography can also be referred to as echocardiography.
- Vascular sonography is a specialization that focuses on the different vessels of the body. This kind of examination is typically done with a Doppler, made to visualize different-sized blood vessels.
- Pediatric sonography covers a wide range of topics, all centering on the same curriculum as sonography for adult patients but this time, tailoring the lessons for pediatric patients. The term pediatric refers to people younger than 18 years old.
In 2014, one of the hottest careers in healthcare is sonography. You can prepare yourself for continued demand, booming employment, and a steady rise in salary as more and more job opportunities become available. It all starts with choosing the right school that will be able to give you the education that you need.