How Long It Takes to Complete Ultrasound Technician Training
Ultrasound technician training is one of the many allied health programs offered by colleges and universities in the United States. There are 208 schools in the country that offer the DMS program throughout the year, in various specialties and lengths depending on the students’ needs. With the predicted boom in employment for sonographers between 2012 and 2022, the number of schools offering the DMS program in 2014 and 2015 are slowly growing in number.
Ultrasound technician training typically has two categories, any of which you can use to choose the DMS program you want to enroll in. The first category is according to program length or degree type. Students choose between three kinds of programs based on length: (1) certificate, (2) associate degree, and (3) bachelor degree. The second category is based on sonography specialty.
Ultrasound technician training typically has two categories, any of which you can use to choose the DMS program you want to enroll in. The first category is according to program length or degree type. Students choose between three kinds of programs based on length: (1) certificate, (2) associate degree, and (3) bachelor degree. The second category is based on sonography specialty.
Category by program length
Certificate programs, the first kind according to length, take twelve months to complete and are the shortest among the three kinds. This ultrasound technician training program is very short because it is targeted towards students who have already finished an allied health program or are currently working as allied health workers. Students who are familiar with allied health topics will find it easier to learn a new allied health concepts and skills associated with sonography.
Associate degree and bachelor degree programs are more or less the same, with the former taking two years to complete and the latter four years to complete. Associate degree programs are shorter because they require students to complete all general education classes before application to the DMS program. In a bachelor degree program, the student simply needs to apply with the required grades and other requirements.
Certificate programs, the first kind according to length, take twelve months to complete and are the shortest among the three kinds. This ultrasound technician training program is very short because it is targeted towards students who have already finished an allied health program or are currently working as allied health workers. Students who are familiar with allied health topics will find it easier to learn a new allied health concepts and skills associated with sonography.
Associate degree and bachelor degree programs are more or less the same, with the former taking two years to complete and the latter four years to complete. Associate degree programs are shorter because they require students to complete all general education classes before application to the DMS program. In a bachelor degree program, the student simply needs to apply with the required grades and other requirements.
Category by specialization
After choosing a program takes 1, 2, or 4 years to complete, choosing a specialty is next. There are many sonography specialties available, but according the CAAHEP – Commission on Accreditation of Allied Health Education Programs – education programs in sonography are officially divided into four categories: (1) general, (2) cardiac, (3) vascular, and (4) pediatric cardiac. Most of the other specialties such as obstetrics and gynecology are taught in general sonography courses.
Setting up for certification
A good CAAHEP-accredited school with good ultrasound technician training will prepare a student to sit for the certification exam given by the American Registry for Diagnostic Medical Sonography (ARDMS). Certification is unlike licensing, which is required by law from physicians, nurses, and other allied health professions. A sonographer is not required by law to get a certificate in order to practice, but most employers will request them from potentials employees. A sonographer who has an ARDMS certificate will most likely be hired over a sonographer without any.
After choosing a program takes 1, 2, or 4 years to complete, choosing a specialty is next. There are many sonography specialties available, but according the CAAHEP – Commission on Accreditation of Allied Health Education Programs – education programs in sonography are officially divided into four categories: (1) general, (2) cardiac, (3) vascular, and (4) pediatric cardiac. Most of the other specialties such as obstetrics and gynecology are taught in general sonography courses.
Setting up for certification
A good CAAHEP-accredited school with good ultrasound technician training will prepare a student to sit for the certification exam given by the American Registry for Diagnostic Medical Sonography (ARDMS). Certification is unlike licensing, which is required by law from physicians, nurses, and other allied health professions. A sonographer is not required by law to get a certificate in order to practice, but most employers will request them from potentials employees. A sonographer who has an ARDMS certificate will most likely be hired over a sonographer without any.