Ultrasound tech students must complete clinical practice.
Ultrasound technicians, also known as sonographers, use specialized equipment to produce images of patients' internal organs. Although ultrasound techs are typically associated with producing images of a woman's fetus during pregnancy, they also conduct ultrasounds of the brain, chest, abdomen and vascular system. Employment as an ultrasound tech requires post-secondary education and training.
High School Diploma or GED Certificate
Applicants for ultrasound technology or sonography school need a high school diploma or GED equivalency certificate. Students preparing for a career in sonography should take courses in mathematics, including algebra and geometry, as well as courses in the natural sciences, including physics, chemistry and biology. Classes in English composition, computer science, health and a foreign language are also recommended. Depending on the type of ultrasound tech program students apply to attend, applicants may be required to provide scores from one or more standardized college assessment exams, including the SAT, ACT, COMPASS, HESI and ASSET tests.
College-Level Prerequisite Coursework
Most ultrasound technology or sonography training programs require applicants to submit proof of completing certain basic college-level classes before beginning a specialized education. For example, applicants to the diagnostic ultrasound training program at Bellevue College in Belleveue, Wash., must have taken English, mathematics, physics, bioethics, sociology, biology (w/ lab) and medical terminology.
Formal Training Program
Sonographers or ultrasound technicians must complete one of the following: a year-long certificate program, offered at hospitals, vocational schools or technical schools; a two-year associate degree program; or a four-year bachelor's degree program. Students typically attend a two-year associate program, available at community colleges and some universities. Students desiring a liberal arts education in addition to sonography instruction pursue a four-year bachelor's degree. No matter the length, programs should be accredited by the Commission on Accreditation of Allied Health Education Programs (CAAHEP) or the Accrediting Bureau of Health Education Schools (ABHES).
Program Curriculum
To graduate, ultrasound technology and sonography students must complete coursework consisting of classroom and laboratory instruction, as well as supervised clinical practice. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, curriculum includes anatomy, physiology, basic physics, instrumentation, medical ethics and patient care. Allied-Health-Schools.com lists additional courses student's should expect, including abdominal ultrasound and small parts, obstetric and gynecology ultrasound, vascular ultrasound, physics and instrumentation, sectional anatomy, medical terminology, anatomy of the heart, physiology of the heart, pathophysiology of the heart, vascular ultrasound and ultrasound physics.
Tags: must complete, technology sonography, ultrasound technology, ultrasound technology sonography, bachelor degree, clinical practice
