An increased demand for diagnostic medical sonographers will create approximately 9,200 new jobs in the United States from 2008 through 2018, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Most employers require prospective sonographers to have some form of postsecondary training. Sonography schools throughout the country offer different types of degrees and other credentials to help prepare graduates for careers in the field.
Accreditation
Schools for sonography careers gain accreditation through the Commission on the Accreditation of Allied Health Education Programs, an arm of the American Medical Association. To qualify for accreditation, schools must meet specific requirements established by CAAHEP. As of January 2011, 184 sonography schools offered programs that carried the commission's approval. To qualify for professional certification as a sonographer from the American Registry for Diagnostic Medical Sonography, graduation from one of these accredited programs is necessary.
Types of Degrees
The majority of sonographers in the United States, a little less than half of all workers in the field, hold a two-year associate degree. As of January 2011, CAAHEP had accredited associate programs at 94 schools. Around one-fourth of all sonographers have a diploma or certificate from a post-secondary school; CAAHEP had granted approval to 96 institutions with certificates or diplomas. Another fourth of sonographers have four-year bachelor's degrees. Only 26 CAAHEP-approved sonography schools offered granted these degrees. In addition, one school, the University of Missouri at Columbia, offered a master's degree in sonography that had CAAHEP accreditation.
Hospital-Based
Approximately 30 of the accredited sonography schools in the United States were sponsored by hospitals and medical centers, as of January 2011. Hospital-based schools typically offer only diplomas or certificates. Students complete their classroom coursework at the hospital or a nearby location and perform all of their clinical internship work in hospital facilities. Most hospital-based programs for sonography do not offer any type of financial aid like federal and state loans or grants. Examples of hospital-based sonography schools include the Mayo Clinic School of Health Sciences in Rochester, Minnesota, the Kaiser Permanente School of Allied Health Sciences in Richmond, California, and the St. Francis Hospital and Medical Center in Hartford, Connecticut.
Public and Private Colleges
Public and private colleges comprise the majority of accredited schools for sonography careers in the United States. Public institutions receive state funding, allowing them to offer tuition discounts to students who live within the schools' respective service areas. These public sonography schools include two-year colleges like Miami Dade College in Miami, Florida, and four-year institutions like the University of Southern Indiana in Evansville. Private sonography schools receive no state funding, offering one tuition rate for all students. Private institutions include both two-year schools like the Sanford Brown Institute in Garden City, New York; Middleburg Heights, Ohio; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania; Houston and Dallas, Texas; Atlanta, Georgia; Landover, Maryland and Iselin, New Jersey. Private sonography colleges can also be four-year schools like Rush University in Chicago, Illinois. Both public and private sonography schools offer associate and bachelor's degrees in addition to certificates and diplomas. Most participate in government financial aid programs and may also offer scholarships and work-study programs.
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