ARDMS Ultrasound Certification vs. Accredited Sonography Program

Monica,

What school did you attend? What about the sites where you did your clinical practicum?

anna in Neptune, New Jersey said: Hi I am facing the same problem. Were you able to find out any information on how to go about it? any info would be great thanks

HiANNA,

IM TAKING SPI TOMORROW, I SENT MY TRANSCRIPT & MY CERTFICATE FROM A PHYSICS COURSE TO ARDMS TO BECOME ELIGABLE FOR SPI PILOT. MAKE SURE THAT IF YOU TAKE A COURSE IT'S 21 APPROVED ARDMS CREDITS.

GOOD LUCK & GOD BLESS

JACQUIE

selim raj in Toronto, Ontario said: Hi, I already pass the Physics. I need the general CV form to apply for abdomen. I will be highly appreciate if anyone help me to get it.Thanks.selimraj@yahoo.com

HI SALIM

GO TO ARDMS WEBSITE YOU CAN DOWNLOAD CV FROMS.

GOOD LUCK

JACQUIE

Sara in Kansas City, Missouri said: I found this on another website, hope it helps....

Thought I'd let you know how the SPI pilot test went. 2 hrs 120 questions..a few images(not many)and they were good quality.. Some very basic stuff was asked and rest was all over the place....but mostly stuff you "should know", meaning not many real surprises.Study from the outline is the best advice.Like I mentioned in my earlier post,the practise test had me worried: some topics on it were; Frequency modulation,peak rarefactional pressure,SNR ratio,phantom components.... I remeber these coz they were hard for me! If you are like me and have only "older"materials to study from, you should pass, they might throw in some new technology questions but not many.I'll find out if I passed in Feb.

Hey Sara...how did it go, how do you feel about the SPI exam now that you've taken it? Any pointers for me before I sit for it tomorrow?

Please i need your help i am strating ultrosound classes in kaplan(maric) college , but i am not sure this is a good school and a good job in CA.
Thank you

J Parker in Piscataway, New Jersey said: HiANNA,

IM TAKING SPI TOMORROW, I SENT MY TRANSCRIPT & MY CERTFICATE FROM A PHYSICS COURSE TO ARDMS TO BECOME ELIGABLE FOR SPI PILOT. MAKE SURE THAT IF YOU TAKE A COURSE IT'S 21 APPROVED ARDMS CREDITS.

GOOD LUCK & GOD BLESS

JACQUIE

thank you so much for responding good luck tommorow. when you get a chance could you let me know what physics couse you took? I really appriciate any info you may have on the pilot exam thanks again good luck Anna

I didn't think it was bad at all, there were several doppler pictures, about 6 or so, but everything was so straightforward. There weren't any tricky questions- for instance- One question was what is the unit for pressure? or Which of the following affect axial resolution. There were several patient care questions, about 5, but they were commen sense. Overall I think I did just fine, and if you studied everything on the outline you should be fine. There are 5 people in my class and we all thought it was pretty easy. Good luck to you!!!!

anna said: thank you so much for responding good luck tommorow. when you get a chance could you let me know what physics couse you took? I really appriciate any info you may have on the pilot exam thanks again good luck Anna

Hi Jacquie, Also wanted to ask you i did not apply for the pilot exam because i thought i was not eligible do you know if there wil be another opportunity to do so?? Thanks,Anna

Does anybody know if Western Career College in Citrus Heights is CAAHEP accredited?

You can go to their website (CAAHEP) and check any schools accredidation status

Hello Forum Attendants .-
I was lloking a lot of WEB Pages and some particular Ultrasound Schools , But , I still confuse , I Would like to find in the SOUTHESTERN TEXAS a School or Hospital to have a training in ECHO / VASCULAR TECHNOLOGY , But under CAAHEP or ARDMS Registries .
I have a Medical Backgrounds , I'm interesting If Someone help to me to find the right Training Course , I'm living in McAllen,TX , SO , If somebody know some course here in McAllen , Brownsville , Laredo ,Etc , I really appreciate .
Thanks a Lot

Hey Rene...there's University of Texas-Brownsville & Texas Southmost College. They offer an CAAHEP accredited program in sonography. There are alot of accredited schools in Tx. Go to www.caahep.org and see what other schools may be close to you. I'm not sure what cities are close to McAllen, so I'm giving you the website, so you could look for yourself. Good luck! :o)

Hi Anna, I was just wondering how you did on your anatomy test?

Hi Libby. I scored a 73 with a curve. The class as a whole must've needed the curve,otherwise he wouldn't have given it. I'm hoping that he considers that as passing. Thank God there's only another three weeks left of school. I need a break. Unfortunately, the break is only about three weeks. If I pass this class, I'm going to take three classes next semester. If not, I'm forced to take spring semester off and go back in the fall.

I think everyone is still very confused about the ARDMS and whether or not you can sit for your boards right after graduation. Here's the lowdown:

- If your bachelor's degree is in sonography, you can sit right away for the boards right after graduation w/ a letter of completion from your program director and an official transcript or copy of diploma.

- If your associates degree is in sonography and is accredited by CAAHEP then you can sit right away for your boards after graduation w/ a letter of completion from your program director and a transcript/copy of diploma.

- If your associates degree is in an allied health field (including sonography, radiography, respiratory therapy, occupational therapy, physical therapy, registered nurse, etc.), but is NOT accredited by CAAHEP, YOU WILL ALSO NEED:
12 months of clinical experience after graduation and 12 CME credits for each specialty prior to sitting for your exams

- If your bachelors is in any other field, YOU WILL ALSO NEED:
12 CME (continuing medical education) credits specific to each credential (example: abdomen, OBGYN, etc.) and 12 months of clinical experience prior to sitting for your exams.

There are other requirements for MD's listed as well.

Please check out the ARDMS website for more info. It's all there.
www.ardms.org/downloads/Prerequisite_Chart.pdf

Hope this helped!

sonoportland in Portland, Oregon said: I think everyone is still very confused about the ARDMS and whether or not you can sit for your boards right after graduation. Here's the lowdown:

- If your bachelor's degree is in sonography, you can sit right away for the boards right after graduation w/ a letter of completion from your program director and an official transcript or copy of diploma.

- If your associates degree is in sonography and is accredited by CAAHEP then you can sit right away for your boards after graduation w/ a letter of completion from your program director and a transcript/copy of diploma.

- If your associates degree is in an allied health field (including sonography, radiography, respiratory therapy, occupational therapy, physical therapy, registered nurse, etc.), but is NOT accredited by CAAHEP, YOU WILL ALSO NEED:
12 months of clinical experience after graduation and 12 CME credits for each specialty prior to sitting for your exams

- If your bachelors is in any other field, YOU WILL ALSO NEED:
12 CME (continuing medical education) credits specific to each credential (example: abdomen, OBGYN, etc.) and 12 months of clinical experience prior to sitting for your exams.

There are other requirements for MD's listed as well.

Please check out the ARDMS website for more info. It's all there.
www.ardms.org/downloads/Prerequisite_Chart.pdf

Hope this helped!

Thank you so much for this info.

sonoportland in Portland, Oregon said: I think everyone is still very confused about the ARDMS and whether or not you can sit for your boards right after graduation. Here's the lowdown:

You are incorrect. IF the non-accredited course is over 1640 hours long (including didactic and clinical portions) and contains 12 CME credits a person with a BA can sit for the ARDMS straight after finishing the course. That is how SB and IAMP work.

this is for echo techs who are not register you cud also take the cci-registry i understend that some are not elgable for ardms but this is the other option. ardms and cci= cardiovascular creddential international are the only 2 registry for echo.www.cci-online.org/

Anna in Middle Village, New York said: Hi Libby. I scored a 73 with a curve. The class as a whole must've needed the curve,otherwise he wouldn't have given it. I'm hoping that he considers that as passing. Thank God there's only another three weeks left of school. I need a break. Unfortunately, the break is only about three weeks. If I pass this class, I'm going to take three classes next semester. If not, I'm forced to take spring semester off and go back in the fall.

Wow, I can't believe there are only 3 weeks left to the semester. Well I think you will be fine. If he needs to use a curve then everyone is in the same situation and he can't fail the whole class. If I can be of any help let me know. I mean I might not remember everything, but once I go over it, it will come back.

Hi Libby. Thank you for your offer. The people who are doing okay in his class, are people who has taken A&P in the past year or so. I know if I had more time to digest and remember what I learned years ago, I would do fine. It's just the fast rate, and barely getting a chance to read the text before we're onto the next thing. I don't get a chance to reflect on anything. I am hoping that he sees that I pay attention in class, that I ask questions, (although it annoys him bcuz it messes with his flow) and I do my homeworks. He made a comment that if he sees that people just don't get it, he will have to fail them. I have a headache that has lasted for almost three months. lol. I need a break. So whether the break is only three weeks bcuz I passed the class and will begin spring semester the second week of January or bcuz I failed and I will have to wait until the Fall to continue. Either way, I'm going to look at it optimistically...there's nothing more I could do. If I have to take it again in the fall, I will study my anatomy text and all the powerpoints so that I will know it backwards and forwards by then. :o)

Well I wish you all the best with the class and hope that your headache is all worth it. lol I think that the school has good intentions with the amount of knowledge that they expect out of its students. The one thing they don't realize is that in the real world you need to know how to scan. Does the school have scanning classes now? When I attended they didn't have any formal scanning classes. We went to clinicals and maybe depending on what teacher you had in school, they would have a small scanning session each week. What classes are you taking next semester?

hi libby. yes, I believe they have "labs" where they scan on each other. I'm not entirely sure bcuz I'm part-time and I haven't taken sonography or the physics courses yet. But I do believe they do scan on each other. When did you attend Downstate? When did you graduate?

Anna in Jamaica, New York said: hi libby. yes, I believe they have "labs" where they scan on each other. I'm not entirely sure bcuz I'm part-time and I haven't taken sonography or the physics courses yet. But I do believe they do scan on each other. When did you attend Downstate? When did you graduate?

I went to Downstate from Sep/2003 to May/2005. When I attended there really weren't any scanning classes. One of my teachers would have groups of two for 15 minutes each like once a week. Which was really not enough. You also have to be lucky to get a good clinical sight. On one of my clinical rotations the first thing the supervisor said was that they don't like students there and that they have no time to teach. My jaw dropped. I didn't know what to say. Well in the end the supervisor ended up liking me. But one thing was true they really didn't want to teach the students anything. I was very rarely offered to scan. I don't know if they are afraid. They might not want you to get better than them, I am really not sure what it is. I did have one clinical sight that was really good though. I stayed most of the time with one girl. The only downfall is that her english was not that good which made learning a bit more difficult. Anyway if you want any further info I would be happy to help you out since I have already been through the program. Let me know and I will email you. I think that I already posted a reply to this comment but I did not see it so sorry if this is a repost.

Hi Libby. What hospital didn't allow you to scan? I know a couple of people complained about nasty doctors who are very rude to them (Maimioides). Most of them just shadow the sonographers and allow to ask them questions. Some are lucky enough to allow some scanning time. I'm going to ask my classmates later today to see if they get to scan at school. How are we supposed to gain knowledge and experience scanning when we don't get a chance to at school? That doesn't make any sense. I am very surprised to hear what you had said about them not having scanning time. So then what is the sonography classes about? Is it just about the theory behind sonography? I am going to Downstate because they are supposedly a very good school for sonography, and supposedly have an excellent reputation with the hospitals and that Downstate students are their first choice in hiring. Is that true? Were you able to pass the registery exam on the first try? Were you able to find a job right away after graduation, (like they claim: over 90%pass the registry on the 1st try & find jobs by graduation?)Did they curve grades in A&P classes so that everyone passed those courses? There's no one in my class from last year, and I refuse to believe I am the only one ever struggled so badly. Thank you for taking time out to answer my questions. There's so many questions and no one to ask bcuz everyone in my class are newcomers like me. :o)

Anna in Middle Village, New York said: Hi Libby. What hospital didn't allow you to scan? I know a couple of people complained about nasty doctors who are very rude to them (Maimioides). Most of them just shadow the sonographers and allow to ask them questions. Some are lucky enough to allow some scanning time. I'm going to ask my classmates later today to see if they get to scan at school. How are we supposed to gain knowledge and experience scanning when we don't get a chance to at school? That doesn't make any sense. I am very surprised to hear what you had said about them not having scanning time. So then what is the sonography classes about? Is it just about the theory behind sonography? I am going to Downstate because they are supposedly a very good school for sonography, and supposedly have an excellent reputation with the hospitals and that Downstate students are their first choice in hiring. Is that true? Were you able to pass the registery exam on the first try? Were you able to find a job right away after graduation, (like they claim: over 90%pass the registry on the 1st try & find jobs by graduation?)Did they curve grades in A&P classes so that everyone passed those courses? There's no one in my class from last year, and I refuse to believe I am the only one ever struggled so badly. Thank you for taking time out to answer my questions. There's so many questions and no one to ask bcuz everyone in my class are newcomers like me. :o)

Ok, let me start off by telling you that you will be prepared for the registry because they definitely feed you alot of knowledge. But as far as scanning not so much. Our sonography classes consisted of power point. Like I said previously one of our teachers, who by the way is no longer there had scanning for groups but only like 15 minutes every few weeks. Mrs Pessin took over her class my last semester so I don't know if she has scanning classes or not. She is very good so she probably does.

Hi Libby. I spoke to a couple of people yesterday and they said that they get about a half hour a week to scan. But they also have the option of going into the scanning room between classes and scan either on themselves or each other. I went in there with one of my classmates and watched him scan his own spleen and kidneys. Pressin teaches a sonography class as well as the Monitering class, which ended yesterday. No more Monitering classes until the final (in two weeks). I am so glad this semester's almost over. Also, the three classmates who I spoke to said that if the professor didn't curve the test, they too would've failed. One person got a point lower than me and another got a point higher than me. I guess that curves are expected for anatomy, since everyone must pass it in order to proceed onto other classes. The other perk to his class, are the extra credit questions he gives, and if you do them, whatever extra credit you get go towards your final grade and not toward the actual test score, so I guess that's better. Five extra points toward the final grade sounds great to me. lol. I'll keep you posted as to whether I passed or not. Have a happy Thanksgiving. :o)

Anna in Middle Village, New York said: Hi Libby. I spoke to a couple of people yesterday and they said that they get about a half hour a week to scan. But they also have the option of going into the scanning room between classes and scan either on themselves or each other. I went in there with one of my classmates and watched him scan his own spleen and kidneys. Pressin teaches a sonography class as well as the Monitering class, which ended yesterday. No more Monitering classes until the final (in two weeks). I am so glad this semester's almost over. Also, the three classmates who I spoke to said that if the professor didn't curve the test, they too would've failed. One person got a point lower than me and another got a point higher than me. I guess that curves are expected for anatomy, since everyone must pass it in order to proceed onto other classes. The other perk to his class, are the extra credit questions he gives, and if you do them, whatever extra credit you get go towards your final grade and not toward the actual test score, so I guess that's better. Five extra points toward the final grade sounds great to me. lol. I'll keep you posted as to whether I passed or not. Have a happy Thanksgiving. :o)

Hi guys!

Listening to this, its very ironic that the unaccredited school actually offers lots of scanning time. There are some students in the class who come in to the lab fridays, saturdays, and are brilliant scanners///but are def not prepared for the ARDMS. I guess the accredited school focuses on ARDMS and the unaccredited schools on labs. One of these students comes in on fridays and basically spends the whole day scanning, and she can actually spot pathology left and right.

Hey...Im in the navy and will be getting out in acouple of years. Im taking this time to decide what I want to do and Sonotech has been sounding really good, but I keep running into problems of how to get into the field. The only colleges that I can find online that offer degrees are all far away and I sure dont think Kaplan or Devry will help...so basically what I am asking is, what do I need to do? Any info would be great. Also, I have the option of schooling here in VA while I am still in or waiting until I get out and schooling either in AL or FL..so any info there to?

Hi Travis. You may want to go to school in Fla, since they have many more options for schooling than either Va or Al. Both of those states only have two schools that are accredited whereas Fla seems to have the most with about ten. Go to www.caahep.org and click in the field you want to get into, which will be "Diagnostic Medical Imagining", and then the state you want to look into, and choose "ALL" specialities, which will give you a wider search. & click "Search". It will give you a list of schools that are accredited with them. Please go to an accredited school to save yourself the headaches and the financial strains of dealing with unaccredited schools. Good luck, and enjoy the holidays!!

Thanks alot. Just have a couple of more questions tho. Is it better to have a certificate or a degree? It seems to me that a degree would be better but i am the amatuer here. Also, if i decide to go with the degree, how will i get more than an assocates? It seems the onky schools that offer degrees are community colleges that only offer associates. Any more info you can throw this way? The last info was really useful.

Hi Travis. The higher the education level the better. Of course you will have people on here arguing that it doesn't matter what level of education you have, all that matters is whether you have your ARDMS registeries & that your scanning skill are very good which are VERY true. However, if there's one job opening, and there are three people who are applying for it, one has a certificate, one has an associates, & one who has a bachelor's, & all three have the same scanning abilities, who do you think they will hire? The person who has a bachelor's degree in sonography! Also, you give yourself an edge bcuz here in NY, there are quite a few job opening asking for a bachelor's degree ALONG with 2-3 years of experience. Also, the reputation of the school you attend should be a concern. If your school is known to put out good sonographers, the hospitals will more likely to hire you. SUNY Downstate has a very good rep with the hospitals all over NYC, therefore they take our grads as first choice. Over 95% grads were placed upon graduation last June. Also, over 90% of the students passed the registeries on their first try. Accredited schools focus on giving you the knowledge to pass the registeries, which will help you get your feet into the door to get a job. Also, the higher your education, the more opportunities you have outside of just doing sonography, you could work in a company who manufactures the machines and go around teaching how the machine works, that always requires at LEAST a bachelor's degree to do that! (They tend to make EXCELLENT money, but you need at least 5yrs of scanning experience). You will never go wrong getting a higher degree. But if all that is available to you in your area are certificate programs, that means most of your competition in getting a job will be people who have only certificates so you shouldn't have to worry about it. Just do your research b4 signing up with any school, and make sure they're accreidted with CAAHEP!! Good luck!:o

hayla said: Hi guys!

Listening to this, its very ironic that the unaccredited school actually offers lots of scanning time. There are some students in the class who come in to the lab fridays, saturdays, and are brilliant scanners///but are def not prepared for the ARDMS. I guess the accredited school focuses on ARDMS and the unaccredited schools on labs. One of these students comes in on fridays and basically spends the whole day scanning, and she can actually spot pathology left and right.

This is the truth. When I went to school I spoke to some students from these unaccredited schools and they told me they scan alot but our accredited school hardly scanned. Our school thinks that just because we can sit for the exams and have a bachelor degree that the hospitals will want us. Well that really is not the case. From my experienc no one wants to hire you without experience period. I am not quite sure why this field is so hard to find a job in, I mean everyone has to start somewhere. As for the schools they both have to meet somewhere in the middle. The unaccredited ones need some more book knowledge and the accredited ones need more scanning time. It is unfortunate that we have to learn this the hard way. Every school promises you the stars. But from reading the comments on this forum no one actually comes through. We all need to help eachother. That is the only way to make things better.

Hi Libby. Did you end up with a job after graduating from Downstate? The people in my class tell me that they scan during breaks between classes, and some even come in when there's no classes but the school is open to scan on themselves or they'll bring a friend with them to scan them. Did you have a hard time finding a job after graduation? Like you said, the school promise everything, and wonder if they actually delivered with you? Thanks and have a wonderful christmas/chanuka/kwanza to everyone on the forum!! :o)

I think every school is different. I went to Bellevue Community College in Washington State which was an accredited school. We did one year of classroom work (physics, cross-seciontal anatomy etc) which also included about 6 months of scan lab about 3 times a week and more if you could find the time. Our second year was a year of interning and just scanning every chance you got. Now, I did find that some students didn't get to scan as much but that was because either their site didn't allow them to or they were not aggressive enough. I was lucky. I scanned as much as I wanted to as often as I wanted and was scanning alone within a couple of months. When I graduated I was hired at the site that I interned for and had not yet taken my boards, however it was understood that I would take them and become registered as soon as possible. I guess what I'm saying is research the school that you are going to go to prior to enrolling in their program. Don't waste your time by going to schools that aren't going to get you the job you want. There are a ton of ultrasound jobs out there. I get emails all the time about ultrasound jobs throughout the country. I know several techs who are travelers and never have to worry about find a job.

Good luck

Dear kim in Vancouver, Washington,
How do you really find out if a school is great though and allows plenty of scan time?
I'm in Southern California and I wish I could get into Bellevue community College. I would move up there if I could get in..but they have really set their standards high.

Here it's a waiting list of first come first serve. 5 yrs!! for one of them.

libby said: This is the truth. When I went to school I spoke to some students from these unaccredited schools and they told me they scan alot but our accredited school hardly scanned. Our school thinks that just because we can sit for the exams and have a bachelor degree that the hospitals will want us. Well that really is not the case. From my experienc no one wants to hire you without experience period. I am not quite sure why this field is so hard to find a job in, I mean everyone has to start somewhere. As for the schools they both have to meet somewhere in the middle. The unaccredited ones need some more book knowledge and the accredited ones need more scanning time. It is unfortunate that we have to learn this the hard way. Every school promises you the stars. But from reading the comments on this forum no one actually comes through. We all need to help eachother. That is the only way to make things better.

Yes... definitely agree with your post... Im someone who did plenty of research and made a decision to attend an unaccredited school simply because I have my Bachelors, therefore I hope to take ARDMS right away. I am the type whos always done better teaching myself, and I know they teach the minimum, I am willing to do my own studying time for the ARDMS>>> In my opinion the test does not seem too difficult, just a matter of studying. This is only judging from my ARDMS review books. One other interesting point to note, some of these students attending these non accred schools are actually brilliant. There are some doctors from foreign countries, engineers, etc, and others on opposite end of spectrum who have done zero research and are completely unaware of how difficult it is to find a job. They are happy barely passing, and dont realize these schools pass everyone, and the best thing to do is make the most out of your time there. My whole point being is it is very important to do complete research before making any decision

sonoportland in Portland, Oregon said: I think everyone is still very confused about the ARDMS and whether or not you can sit for your boards right after graduation. Here's the lowdown:

- If your bachelor's degree is in sonography, you can sit right away for the boards right after graduation w/ a letter of completion from your program director and an official transcript or copy of diploma.

- If your associates degree is in sonography and is accredited by CAAHEP then you can sit right away for your boards after graduation w/ a letter of completion from your program director and a transcript/copy of diploma.

- If your associates degree is in an allied health field (including sonography, radiography, respiratory therapy, occupational therapy, physical therapy, registered nurse, etc.), but is NOT accredited by CAAHEP, YOU WILL ALSO NEED:
12 months of clinical experience after graduation and 12 CME credits for each specialty prior to sitting for your exams

- If your bachelors is in any other field, YOU WILL ALSO NEED:
12 CME (continuing medical education) credits specific to each credential (example: abdomen, OBGYN, etc.) and 12 months of clinical experience prior to sitting for your exams.

There are other requirements for MD's listed as well.

Please check out the ARDMS website for more info. It's all there.
www.ardms.org/downloads/Prerequisite_Chart.pdf

Hope this helped!

If you have your Bachelors in any major, the school is considered the 12 months of full time clinical experience, some students with BAs are not eligible for this, as there school is not full time one year, but less. This was made very clear to me by someone from ARDMS a few different times. I am in a non acrred school, and have met previous students that have taken the ARDMS right away after graduation.

Mara in Rego Park, New York said: This is simple:
School: I went to UDS or what is now Sanford Brown in NY. At that time 2 days class 2 days lab. It should honestly have been 1 day class 3 days lab with the exception of the physics module which should be 3 days class 1 day lab.
Pass ARDMS. Physics is hard, not because of the material, but because you have to wrap your mind around something you can not see. You have to have great imagination and good memory. I studied 4 months for the physics test. REad the same books at least 3 times forward and backwards. No kidding! Specialty is up to each person. Peronally I went with AB and will be taking Breast in Ocotber.
You might be able to get a part time or two after you pass Physics but do not expect to get anything without at least passing that first stage.
Good luck!

Hi,

How was the breast exam? I have two co workers who work in the other office who do mainly breasts there and she may take the breast exam. I would think its very hard with very minute details because its only one organ. Thanks so much!!!
PS Did you pass it??

Lys

Anna in Corona, New York said: Hi Libby. Did you end up with a job after graduating from Downstate? The people in my class tell me that they scan during breaks between classes, and some even come in when there's no classes but the school is open to scan on themselves or they'll bring a friend with them to scan them. Did you have a hard time finding a job after graduation? Like you said, the school promise everything, and wonder if they actually delivered with you? Thanks and have a wonderful christmas/chanuka/kwanza to everyone on the forum!! :o)

Hi,

Unfortunately I do not have a job right now. But for many other reasons which had to do with my dad being sick when I graduated. But I am now stuck in this situation because I did not go for a job right away. At this point I have no experience and no job. Even so my school did not offer enough scanning for you to come out of school and get a job. You had to be lucky enough to have a good clinical and if not oh well. Usually the clinicals sites don't really teach you much, I mean you can learn from watching but you also have to have hands on. Most of the time the techs do not want to be bothered. I guess everyone forgets how it is to be the student. Hopefully I will get a job soon. When that time comes I surely won't forget that I was once a student too.

I'm taking OB/GYN Sat. Any good tips out there?

I live in Boca Raton, Florida and I am looking to take my Ultrasound Physics exam soon. I was wondering if anyone knows of any tutors in the area that could help me?

sheila in Calabasas, California said: Please i need your help i am strating ultrosound classes in kaplan(maric) college , but i am not sure this is a good school and a good job in CA.
Thank you

I'm thinking of starting the same school (Kaplan) in No. Hollywood. Did you get any response from anyone?

Pleae Ladies and Gents...Do not attenf any school that does not hav the CAAHEP Accredidation!!! You will be wasting your monery and getting sub standard training.

A good first grade education would also help! You need to have a handle on proper spelling. It depends on what education you have. If you have a BS you can sit for the registry after externship. Do you really think all of us live near an accredited school? That's what the ARDMS prereqs are for.

Thanks for the explanation. I don't live near an accredited ultra sound school, but Kaplan College is certified. I just can't seem to find any personal experiences from people that have gone there. I have a B.A. in Bio., and I'm hoping the school has a good reputation.
Thanks again,
Beverly

Hey everyone! I graduated from a school that was not accredited. I am certified but can not sit for the registry unless I have a BA or a years paid experience. I have neither. It's been extremelyyyyy difficult in finding a job. Going on 6 1/2 months I now decided to go back to school for my BA. While Im doing that I will be volunteering. Take it from me...go to an accredited school!..Oh and the school i went to was Institute of allied medical professions in NYC. Dont go there!! Does someone have any advice for me in finding a job? How do I even get in the door if I am not registered??
Thanks sylvia

Hello Silvia .-
Stop thinking at this way , You Must Not going back to the School to take your BA , Just take a One or Two Seminars at Keith Mauney Ultrasound Training Institutes and Will be fine to be Really Fully
Prepared for the Credentials on CAAHEP & ARDMS .
Here the web page : www.kmaultrasound.com , They have a Lot of Seminars across the Cities in The United States , But the Best Things about them are FAST TRACK HANDS-ON Training Courses .
Best Regards
Dr.Rene Alexandre

Hi Sylvia. What is happening to you is exactly what I and others have been saying about unaccredited schools. There is a REASON why a school remains unaccredited. Try going to BCC - Bergen Community College..they have an accredited program in sonography in that school. Continue to spread the word so that others will see what everyone warns them about is true. As for getting a job, try speaking to someone in clinics, hospitals, nursing homes, etc. All you need is one person to give you a chance. If your school isn't doing what they promised, like job placement, then it's up to you to do the leg work. The more places you go to, the higher the chances of you getting a job. Good luck!! :o)

Hey Nic from Staten Island New York: Are you still on this forum? I know it's been a while, but I was looking stuff up on the internet and googling certain things as far as the ultrasound aspect, and a comment that you made on this forum popped up in my search. I already belong to three other forums on here, and the arguments/discussions seem to all be similar ones. I belong to "Ultrasound: A good school", and "Ultrasound: technician versus sonographer" and "Ultrasound: Show me the money". I did not even know that this one existed on here, "ARDMS certific vs. Accredited program,..etc"..Anyway, I am from Staten Island too! I'm curious to know which school did you attend for ultrasound? Did you have prior college experience or credits? My friend and I graduated Sanford Brown (aka hell hole) over the summer for medical assistant, now we enrolled to the American Medical Institute in NJ, otherwise just known as AMI. We just got all of the financial aid paper work out of the way the other day, so everything is good to go for January 26th. I took the MA program at Sanford Brown like I said, and it was pure hell. That school was a joke, and it was a zoo. Fights broke out often amongst certain "students" in class, there were roaches and mice, and mind you, the school is a complete scam they are not even accredited! Only for there medical assistant program, that was it. Me and my friend had no intentions on even ever becoming medical assistants, we were pretty much conned into taking the program. Now we are going to a different school for CVT, I wouldnt go back to Sanford Brown even if they paid me too, lol. Anyway, you just struck a cord with me because of the whole "Staten Island" thing..I'm ver curious to know if you are working yet? How do you like it, is it rewarding? How is the pay? Also, did you go for general ultrasound or for Cardiovascular tech? I've read and researched that the accreditations for cardiovascular tech or different than that of the

accreditations for general ultrasound, so I was wondering which was the program you went for? Sorry for all of the questions to you! You are probably so busy, epecially since you just finished school. And the last time I saw you write on here, was 6 months ago!