ARDMS Ultrasound Certification vs. Accredited Sonography Program

ThatsMintttt in Staten Island, New York said: Mitchell that sounds great...I've heard of a "physical therapist", but I never heard of a physical thearpist assistant?...How would one go about obtaining information on what type of schooling they'd need for this, and where to go for it?...

The PTA program that I will study, is at South University located in West Palm Beach and accept all my credits from the prerequisite courses from Keiser University where I am studying Ultrasound at this moment since Keiser is accredited as well. South University is accredited by CAPTE and the American Physical Therapist Association.
The program in most schools lasts 2 years, but in this one is 3 years. With my credits, it will take me 1 year and 3 months to finish. This university has a very good reputation in the field and provides many clinical sites. Also, it has the best infrastructure in the area with a new building and labs for the PTA program. Have in mind that according to the Bureau of Labor, employment growth in this field is expected to increase 29% though 2016, meanwhile the ultrasound field 19%.
This is the link where you could find about PTA programs in your area www.apta.org/AM/Template.cfm?section=PT_Programs&template=/aptaapps/accreditedschools/acc_schools_map.cfm&process=3&type=PTA
And you could read also: www.onwardhealthcare.com/Physical-Therapy-Assistant-Jobs/

About Polysomnography, I know that it is a field that is growing. During my clinicals, I leave the completed cases of carotids in the sleep room where the cardiologist who works in that area reads the carotid ultrasound reports and polysomnograms.
GOOD LUCK on your career decision!

There are currently many PTA that are getting out of that field. Like anything, it depends on what you "might like" or not. I have a friend that is burned out from this field. She dislikes her job and became a Physician Assistant.

Personally, I can't see myself working in that field.

Perception is Everything -

Good luck on your studies :-)

I am currently going to school to become a diagnostic cardiac sonographer. I was going to school to become A CMA but decide to change careers. I so far LOVE it from what I have read on all these forums all careers are hurting. how is the ECHO job outlook???

Statistically the outlook is good, especially with the medicare cuts to radiology...nuclear was cut 60% which means more frequent ultrasounds for the techs to do on patients with known issues instead of ordering the more expensive more accurate but more risky to the patient tests. But on this forum you'll hear alot of negative things so be prepared, if you have a bachelor or are going to an accredited by CAAHEP school you should be fine if you are not going to a CAAHEP and do not have a bachelor chances are it will be twice as hard to get into the field without your RDCS license behind you since they ALL want experience regardless but at least the docs would know you were smart enough to pass the registry and theoretically know it all, scanning skills notwithstanding. One of my friends has already seen an increase in his bookings at the sites he rotates. Some geographic locations in the US have less jobs at the moment for our positions, these tend to be the bigger states and cities like southern CA, FL and NY thats because of the huge amount of schools there that are both accredited and non-CAAHEP schools. So be willing to travel or move if you are in these spots or it will be tough, it might get better though in the near future. My friend thinks that with the radiology cuts those techs are going to try to go back to school for ultrasound...i don't know about that but it's possible, and in the end those people will get the job first with that kind of experience. We'll see. Good luck to you!

This is the school I am going to www.dademedicalinstitute.com/diagnostic-cardiac-sonography.html here is a description on the program I am going in to. what do ya think??? I pretty sure they are accredited and you can take the physics exam right after you finish that class. The program is 22 months long for your AA in DCS. I am planing to get a part time job and go back to school to get my masters in DCS.

well heres the thing, when i look it up on CAAHEP.org...it's not on the list...this is what i found on your schools website..
"Dade Medical College is accredited by the Accrediting Bureau of Health Education Schools (ID# I-042: Miami; ID# I-042-01: Hialeah; ID# I-042-02: Homestead; ID# I-042-03: Hollywood) and the Joint Review Committee on Education in Radiologic Technology (Miami Campus) and is licensed by the Florida Commission for Independent Education (License #2262: Miami; License #3442: Hialeah; License #4079: Homestead; License #4296: Hollywood). Dade Medical College has also been approved by the Florida Board of Nursing, the Florida Board of Massage and is a member of the Florida Association of Postsecondary Schools and Colleges."

It looks like they are accredited for the radiology program specifically, CAAHEP works with the joint review committee of Diagnostic medical sonography, the one mentioned above is the JRC of radiolgy techs (don't know for sure if radiology is officially accredited at the school though, i thought CAAHEP governed radiology tech schools too but i could be wrong). While general ultrasound is considered radiology in hospitals, cardiac usually isn't part of that department and furthermore JRC of radiology techs doesn't govern ultrasound at all since they have their own committee. I'm pretty sure without a bachelor degree you can't sit for your boards (except for the physics portion). Did they specifically tell you or put it in writing that you can sit for your boards when you finish?

Lea Newland- They are students in my school that are in DCS program and have already pass one of the two test that you need to become a register DCS... I am not sure how that works. They do 6 months of labs and then you do your 110 Hrs of internship.

Also on their website they say Students that graduate from the program are immediately eligible to sit for their C.C.I. exam and the physics portion of the ARDCS, a credential awarded by the ARDMS, American Registry of Diagnostic Medical Sonographers. Is it in every state different??

Mitchell in Fort Lauderdale, Florida said:

JM, thank you so much! And yes, you are correct, Polysomnography is definitely on the rise, and it's no BS, the way I thought ultrasound was on the up and up, lol...One thing I liked too was that when I called up the Board of Registered Polysomnography technicians, and the Amercian Academy of Sleep Medicine to help me find a school, it took them about 45 minutes to locate an accredited school with an accredited program in my surrounding areas...There were virtually NO accredited schools or schools-period-for polysomnography, there was actually only ONE, and it was at Stoney Brook college in Long Island, which believe it or not, is 2 hours away from me...So they searched in NJ for me, and there was only just a few...So, I liked it right then and there too that sleep study schools seem to be few and far between, as opposed to ultrasound school which seem to be popping up on every corner...The PTA program sounds really great, and interesting, I looked it up on the computer and read up on it...And that's wonderful that you'll be finished within a year and 3 months...Couldn't get any better than that amount of time! Thank goodness you got your pre-requisites out of the way before hand...Anyway, take care, thanks for wishing me good luck, I wish the same to you too, and I certainly will keep you posted : )

Sorry I just got a little confused, I didn't realize I was responding to JM, I thought I was responding to "Mitchell"....You two were both speaking of the PTA program...Are you the same person, just used a different name in the forum??...If not, then sorry JM, I was meaning to respond to Mitchell, lol...Woops! Anyway, thank you also for wishing me good luck : )

Gema-there is only one test to become RDCS however you also have to take the physics test to be legit no matter if your school is caahep accredited or not. you can take that physics test as long as you pass physics with a C or better the catch is that you can't sit for any specialty exam like RDCS unless you went to a caahep school have a bachelor degree or higher or have one year of documented hours ask your schoolmates which test they took I am sure they will say it's the SPI physics test the specialty could not be taken while still on school anyhow and it's not a two part test it's two separate test on two different subjects

Gema-in regards to the other post the physics portion of testing is not a credential you can't claim to be a ARDMS registered tech having passed that no matter which specialty you choose everyone has to take this test and pass it and a specialty to be registered with ARDMS as a tech:
CCI is a different registry body some doctors labs and hospitals accept that instead of the RDCS credential check your local job listings for this career to see what's needed in your area it says right on the job listing every employer is different out here it's ARDMS thAt is most often needed the only two states that you have to get an additional license from the state to work as a tech for are new Mexico and Oregon and you have to be registered to work in those states

THANKS LEE :) I am going to ask the students who are about to graduate. From what I have seen the way they teach the students in DCS program they do a very good job. I am still waiting for financial aid to get there part done so I am still in my MA class. I still go to there labs when we are done and I am studying there power points. They do 3 HRS of lectures and 1 hr of labs with the ultrasound machines Ether way I have to put my all in become successful in this field. I have a LO who I have to provide for I am not a single mother but I have to give him the best that I can. He is my motivation to become someone in life...

Katie frm nyc said: I have been doing my research and a lot of it at that. If you live in nyc your best bet honestly is to go to Long Island University for the vascular sonography/technology program.
They are accredited by caahep & as soon as your done with ur schooling(12months) you can sit down to take the ardms exam. No problem!!! Trust me I have been rigorously trying to find out information ..correct info to go to the right school. They start in jan & aren't too expensive $20,000. I'm starting in Jan09 hope to see you there!! Gluck

Could you tell me how LIU Sonogaphy program is going for you? I'm also looking into SUNY Downstate as well. Give me all the details you can--tuition, FAFSA, professors, classes, area of Brooklyn the campus is in. Thank you so much for any help!

Scoutsmomma: I am a student of Downstate. The program is a very good one. It's a two year program, cheaper than LIU, and you will learn general, ob/gyn and vascular sonography. It's an accredited school and when you graduate you have your bachelor's degree and not just a certificate.

Scoutsmomma: Oops...I just realized that you aren't a NY state resident therefore the tution will be much more expensive for you than if you were a resident. It will cost about $13k a semester for out of state resident students. But the school is still an excellent school with a very good reputation with the hospitals in the area.

Anna in Middle Village, New York said: Hi Alina. That school isn't accredited which means unless you already have a bachelor's degree, you will have to try and find a hospital that will hire you without being registered, so you could work for a full year before you qualify to sit for the registry. Most hospitals won't hire you because of the liability risk, besides the fact there's tons of people who have graduated from an accredited school and are registered looking for the same position. Do yourself a favor and go to an accredited school, so you won't have to deal with the bs that goes along with going to an unaccredited school. Florida has about nine accredited schools. Go on to www.caahep.org and look for the one closest to you. Good luck!

www.ardms.org
Please Visit the ARDMS website for qualifications on taking the ARDMS exam. If the PROGRAM itself is not accreditted by CAHEEP, you still have the option to sit for the ardms exam under another prerequisite/requirement such as after 1 yr of Full time work expereince which would be in the case of attending a Vocational or Trade School which meets the requirement in of of the listed prerequisites. Usually 4 year programs are accreditted by CAHEEP.

CESAR in Pasadena, California said: HELLO THERE I HAVE THE SAME EXACT QUESTIONS AS YOU DID! IF YOU CAN PLEASE EMAIL ME WHAT YOU EXPERIENCE, IF YOU ATTENDED PCI, AND HOW DID IT GO.

I Would highly recommend PCI COLLEGE, any where you go, the outcome is on you as the student. Employers are looking for knowledgeble & Confident Individuals. Give it your all and you should be sucessful. Good Luck Cesar

i dont mean to but in but some one made a comment about PCI college i have a relative who works for them .and as a sonographer myself...I recommend staying away from vocational schools when it comes to ultrasound go to a four year college. Unless you have some type of bachelors then do vocational.

Not everyone has accredited schools in their area, or very few with limited openings. Since I have a B.A. I I am going to a vocational school and with a Bachelors should be able to sit for ARDMS and CCI.

I would like to also suggest an option, an online program academyofultrasound.com

As required by its program, offers "hands-on" scan labs given in a location convenient to student.

Good Luck!

Absolutely guaranteed way to fail and throw away your money.

Do NOT go this route !!!!

Hi everybody,
I am foreign graduate bechalor degree in Medicine. I did ultrasound course from my native country and have 04 yrs experience in OBGY/Abdomen.
In USA i am registered with ARDMS in OBGY/Abdomen. but still no one is giving me job as i have no experience of sonography in USA.
Can any body help me where should i go and how i get the job as sonographer.

ghazala you should try to network and attend conferences in ultrasound or your area of expertise to meet people in the field and get business cards of doctors or heads of labs,schools, other techs or possibly even manufacturers booths, theres sales jobs for ultrasound equipment they need registered techs for that too. Also if you are male it's very hard for men to get into OBGYN out because a nurse has to be present for every exam if you are male, then even hospitals want a well rounded tech so that includes OBGYN so that makes it difficult. Ultrasound schools are always looking for registered experienced techs to instruct in labs as well and I'm sure they won't judge so harshly on where you gained experience just that you know what you are doing so you can teach protocols. Good luck!

ghazla, you're registered, and already practiced in OBGYN, and are/were a practicing ultrasound technician in your country, and you can't find a job here in ultrasound??....And I see you're from Virginia too, I thought Virginia was one of the supposed states where ultrasound was still employable.....Wow...If that isn't a wake up call, then I don't know what is...Good luck to you, and I really do hope you find employment soon, especially with all of your credentials...

Have a coworker that has been doing ultrasound for the past 10 years. She never sat for the exam and now that the laws are changing she wants to take the registry and cant??? They are telling her that with the school she went to, she doesnt have enought credits. She is a highly skilled sonographer with so much experience and ardms will not let her take the exam. Therefore, is she suppose to give up her career????? Does anyone out there have any stories like this and if so what can she do????

According to an instructor at my school therewas a time ardms let people like your friend sit for the exam with written documention from their employer of two years of employment minimum and gave them a grace period to get the exams completed but to my teachers knowledge that ended a few years ago now they have to go to school to qualify the education portion but they don't have to go for ultrasound if they go for a bachelor in anything they can qualify obviously someting healthcare related might be beneficial otherwise an expensive private school is the fastest way for them to qualify in under 2 years unfortunately these are the only ways
I know currently I'd they learned only a few modalities like abdomen and obgyn then go to school for echo and make it count if you want to keep your career all that matters is the education hours for ardms

Kwirth, unfortunatley yeah, I have heard stories like this before. I've been doing sono seven years and just got my registry the end of last year, and I feel like I'm one of the lucky ones in that I was able to sit for the registry. I'm not really sure what I can recommened to help her out, but I do know that she is definatly not alone in that situation.

Tabitha in White Plains, New York said: Hi, Im so happy to have found this forum! So, i've been thinking about doing an ultrasound program for years now. I'm currently an esthetician with a NY state license and I also have a associate degree in social science from Westchester Community College.
Anyways, does anyone know or have heard of IAMPS. Its located on the grounds of Westchester Medical Center. I dont believe its a CAAHEP accredited school but I did visit it.
I'm also looking in to Sanford Brown in White Plains, NY..has anyone had any experience good or bad there? I'm really looking for some sound advice from someone whose been down this road already. I'll be working to pay my way through school and I just want to make sure that my time and money go to the right place..
Also, can you take the ARDMS upon graduation with a associate degree? Ill have 64 credits completed this May of 09. Thanks to anyone with some insight into my questions!

Hello, your story sounds like mine, I went to SB in WP and the cost is exhorbant...you can google sb reviews and read what students have said...have you found a school yet? please advise

Kwirth in Kings Park, New York said: Have a coworker that has been doing ultrasound for the past 10 years. She never sat for the exam and now that the laws are changing she wants to take the registry and cant??? They are telling her that with the school she went to, she doesnt have enought credits. She is a highly skilled sonographer with so much experience and ardms will not let her take the exam. Therefore, is she suppose to give up her career????? Does anyone out there have any stories like this and if so what can she do????

How terrible!! Without know ALL of the specifics about your friend's situation, I would suggest she find out if she is eligible to sit for the CCI registry (www.cci-online.org; Cardiovascular Credentialing International). If eligible to sit for this registry, and she passes, then she should be able to sit for ARDMS.

Good Luck to her. Keep us posted on her situation.

www.academyofultrasound.com

ARDMS SHOULD THINK ABOUT WRITING A NEW DOC CONCERNING PROFESSIONALS WITH THIS PROBLEM AFTER ALL THESE NEW GUIDELINES DID NOT EXIST BACK THEM CONCESSIONS SHOULD BE MADE SO THEY DONT HAVE TO THROW AWAY A LIFETIME EXPERIENCE AND THEIR MEANS TO MAKE A LIVING

UNBELIEVABLE

kwirth: This is where all the new sonographers who went to accredited schools are going to get jobs because there are going to be so many people who had gone to unaccredited schools who were never registered, and now they won't be able to sit for their registery no matter how many years they've worked. This should be an example as to why people should go to an accredited school to avoid this exact situation. When people say there are no positions available, that may be true now, but it won't be the case in the upcoming years, when people will find themselves in the same unfortunate position as that person.

Hey Anna! In the situation of the poster their friend didn't attend school I thought? If they had whether or not it was accredited with 10 years under their belt they could still sit for the registries even if the school closed as long as they got their copies of transcripts before that happened of course since the stipulation for the non caahep folk is just the 1 year of experience with the course credits (or the bachelor) but I agree with the fact that soon all unregistered techs will be screwed especially when the care bill finally pushes through

Kwirths friends problem was the fact that now long term experience
counts for nothing if you never went to school ardms did have a grandfather grace period for them for awhile that they could still sit even without school since 20 years ago there were few to no schools for ultrasound on another note someone recommended cci to kwirth but last week I was checking out cci prerequisites page 14 and they are the same as ardms just an FYI out there the only lucky thing for caahep students is they don't have to take the cci's version of the spi test

nic in Staten Island, New York said: What is your current education? Remember you must get your ardms to even get a job interview these days. No one wants an unregistered tech,don't let anyone tell you otherwise!!! So go where your sure to get registered stright away or you won't work & I'm not kidding!If doing the certificate program allows you to sit for the test find out how much work experience is necessary, some say 600 hrs or 8 mths after you graduate as long as your working.The trouble is you can't work w/o experience & you can't sit for the test w/o it either. Ask the career councelor of the schools this question & get their name. What schools were you thinking of go to? What state are you in? I hear Down state in NJ is a great program. I went to UDS in Iselin NJ now Stamford Brown & it was like boot camp.
Are you male or female? If you are male, you should not do general us. If you are female consider highrisk ob (specialize) Echo/vascular is my best advice to you.Go where the $$$ is. General is unforgiving & ultimately you'll wished you listened to me.I wish I has gotten advice but I had to learn the hard way.
If you do go to school for US, make sure you keep your life simple untill you graduate. No engagements, no babys, no life changes. You might think you can handle it & who knows maybe you can it's just not finding out you can't durring such an important time for study.Best of luck I think you'll love the field it's very rewarding but remember go for the $$$ because the responsibility is great so you might as well get payed for it.

im a male thinking of going for the ultrasound, is it harder for male to get a job?

tlNY in Tuxedo Park, New York said: Not everyone has accredited schools in their area, or very few with limited openings. Since I have a B.A. I I am going to a vocational school and with a Bachelors should be able to sit for ARDMS and CCI.

Hi there , so if you have a B.A no matter from which country and what field is this ok if u go to a non accredited school inorder to take ARDMS exam???

Does anyone know about Kaplan college in north hollywood ??
Is there any other school in Glendale burbank or pasadena??

tabata in Monterey Park, California said: Does anyone know about Kaplan college in north hollywood ??
Is there any other school in Glendale burbank or pasadena??

Yes. Currently, we have an instructor in Palm Springs,CA for the Academy of Ultrasound (www.academyofultrasound) where we have a number of students enrolled.

Thank You.

Yes, According to the ARDMS, if you went to an unaccredited school but have a bachelors (in anything), you can take the exam.

Thank you so much for your reply , but if someone does not have any bachelors then you should pass 12 months of work in order to apply for ARDMS right ? no matter accredited school or not accredited??
thanks

for all of you who already work in the ultrasound/sonography field:

Please advise what is the prevalence of going to an accredited school instead of one that is not accredited if you have already a BA and so you can still write the ARDMS???

tabata in Monterey Park, California said: Does anyone know about Kaplan college in north hollywood ??
Is there any other school in Glendale burbank or pasadena??

I graduated from there and FYI, it is hard to find a job when you are done. You pay alot of money with the possibility of finding employment after, slim to none. Loma Linda has a great Ultrasound program. Look on the SDMS and ARDMS websites. $30,000 or more is way too much to pay in student loans if you are unable to locate work after. I know people who graduated from the program and were not able to find work at all. They are working the same jobs they had before the program. Really research and do not believe everything they try to sell you.

Kwirth in Kings Park, New York said: Have a coworker that has been doing ultrasound for the past 10 years. She never sat for the exam and now that the laws are changing she wants to take the registry and cant??? They are telling her that with the school she went to, she doesnt have enought credits. She is a highly skilled sonographer with so much experience and ardms will not let her take the exam. Therefore, is she suppose to give up her career????? Does anyone out there have any stories like this and if so what can she do????

I am in the same situation as your co-worker. I have been working since 1997, finally decide to sit for the ardms and was denied. Advice would be greatly appreciated

Nan in Pompano Beach, Florida said: I am in the same situation as your co-worker. I have been working since 1997, finally decide to sit for the ardms and was denied. Advice would be greatly appreciated

Go to CCI(www.cci-online.org) and look at their Handbook (pdf) for examination reiquirements overview. You may find that you fit under one of their requirements; then, once you have passed the CCI registry, you would be eligible to sit for ARDMS. Of course, without knowing your complete background, this is just a suggestion and worth at least a bit of research.

Good luck and God Bless. Keep us updated as to your progress.

www.academyofultrasound.com

Hi everyone! Thanks all for the very helpful info about the sonography programs and requirements for the ARDMS. Anyhow, I am interested in pursuing the general ultrasound program. Instead of attending a community college I decided to attend a technical school. Does it matter where I attend school? Will it hurt me in the long run?

Joy: It's your call if you want to attend a technical school, but understand this. When you graduate a community college you walk away with an associates degree, whereas with a technical school you walk away with just a certificate. You cannot build upon a ceritificate but you can with an associate's degree. Should you decide to further your education and go back to school, you would go and work towards your bachelor's degree, master's degree or PhD. Also, generally speaking, it's alot cheaper to go to a community college than any tech school. But since it's apparent you have already decided to go that route, make sure it's a tech school that is respected by the hospitals in your area and a school that has a good reputation. Good luck.

Anna in Middle Village, New York said: Joy: It's your call if you want to attend a technical school, but understand this. When you graduate a community college you walk away with an associates degree, whereas with a technical school you walk away with just a certificate. You cannot build upon a ceritificate but you can with an associate's degree. Should you decide to further your education and go back to school, you would go and work towards your bachelor's degree, master's degree or PhD. Also, generally speaking, it's alot cheaper to go to a community college than any tech school. But since it's apparent you have already decided to go that route, make sure it's a tech school that is respected by the hospitals in your area and a school that has a good reputation. Good luck.

Thanks Anna. I forgot to mention that I already have a Bachelors degree so I'm just looking to get into a program to get my diploma so I can sit for the ARDMS. All I'm really worried about is that I can't get a job once I'm done with school because I attended a tech school. Do you know if employers look down upon tech school vs community colleges?

Hi Joy...I thought I was done commenting on these forums as I've decided to change career paths all together and dropped going to school for cardiovascular sonography for many, MANY of my own reasons and findings...Any how, I needed to comment on your comment about about going to a technical school...You had mentioned, "does it matter where I attend school".....YES...It matters VERY much..Do you already possess a bachelors degree? If you already have a bachelors degree under your belt (and your bachelors could be in any subject by the way), then you can go to any old technical school for ultrasound (and believe me, you won't have a problem at all finding one, because they are on every single corner these ultrasound schools now days!)...However, if you DO NOT have a bachelors degree already-then make SURE you go to a CAAHEP accredited technical school, and don't listen to them if they tell you they are accredited under any other type of accreditation, if they tell you they aren't "Caahep", then please do yourself a favor and get up and walk out of there-FAST...

Some might tell you that if you're going for cardiovascular instead of just general ultrasound, that the school doesn't necessarily have to be CAAHEP, since you can just take the CCI (Cardiovascular credentialing international) board exam..And this is absolutely true, as most cardiologist offices would rather you be CCI registered, but the thing is there are virtually no jobs out there at all for it right now...It's becoming too much of a fad now for people to want to go to school for this...And what happens when you get millions of people all going to school for the same thing?...The result is that it's 1 million times harder for you to find employment now because it's so popular to go to school for this career...And, even though CCI is a good exam to take, the ARDMS is STILL considered the "gold standard" of registries & you can't sit for the ARDMS unless the school is CAAHEP accredited.

Hi Joy. It really depends on the technical school you are planning to attend. Some may have an excellent reputation & the hospitals may look favorably towards it, & may make you more likely to be hired. But generally speaking, the reason why a school isn't accredited is because they do not teach you enough to pass the registeries the program doesn't teach you enough information so you end up paying all that money (usually TENS of thousands of dollars) & you will have to go the extra mile ON YOUR OWN to study for the exams. Quite frankly, if I were to pay so much money for my education, I want to know that when I get out of school, I am fully prepared to take & pass the exams, especially the physics exam which is like the holy grail of ultrasound exams. Also, the vast majority of the technical schools don't give you enough clinical sites. Most clinical sites don't want to have anything to do with unaccredited schools. So, here's something you should do when you speak to the tech schools you are looking into:
1. Ask them what is the percentage of students end up getting jobs after they graduate.
2. Ask them the NAMES of the hospitals they are affiliated with when it comes to taking clinicals.
3. Ask them how long are the clinical rotations? Meaning do they assign you to different hospitals during each semester? Most places like Sanford Brown, will only assign you to ONE hospital, and that could be a problem, because some hospitals don't let you scan at ALL. Unfortunately the place I am assigned to, I rarely get a chance to scan, although I do get to see pathology while standing in on the examinations. But at my last clinical sight I got to scan all the time.
4. After receiving the lists of hospitals, call the radiology department of each of those clinical site and speak to the ultrasound supervisor of that hospital and ask them whether they hire students of your tech school. Ask them what they think of that school. Find out all these things BEFORE you get yoursel

Joy:(sorry...it cut me off before I got a chance to finish)
Find out the answers to all those questions BEFORE you get yourself into a huge debt and not be able to find a job. As you may have read on previous posts, alot of people are having a problem finding a job in this economy (graduates from both accredited and unaccredited schools) but you want to increase your chances of getting a job especially if you will owe about $30k. There are people who already have their bachelor's degree in my program and are going for their second bachelor's degree because they they wanted to go to an accredited school and increase the chances of graduating and finding a job afterwards.

Approximately 21 out of the 22 people who took the physics registery passed the test on their first try. Our school teaches and trains you to pass the registery and it's now at the point where you MUST pass the registery to work in the field. The days of just graduating from a sonography school and finding a job without passing the registery are on the way out. Within the next five years, everyone will have to be fully registered (meaning passing the physics portion and at least one speciality to be considered fully registered, however, you could take additional registery exams to make yourself even more employable).
5. Ask them what is the precentage of students who pass the physics registery on their first try? (Good to know since it will cost you $200 each time you have to take the exam)

Please read previous posts on this site and really think long and hard about what you are planning to do. You don't want to end up on this site in two years saying that you are still unemployed in the ultrasound field and owing lots of money.

I just noticed THATSMINTTT replied to you. Ask her questions because she got screwed by SBI as well as another school she went to and that girl is really smart and worked so hard to pass all her classes! She will be completely honest with you.

Good luck!