Professional organizations and experts in sonography and related fields have formed a consensus on what should be included in sonography education and training.
Published as the National Education Curriculum for Sonography, this course list comprises four areas: general education, health-related education, ultrasound technician courses and specialty ultrasound sub-areas. General courses for ultrasound technician include mathematics, psychology, physics, communications, statistics and information technology. The health component is comprised of anatomy and physiology, sectional anatomy, pathophysiology, medical ethics and law, and patient care. In addition to these, the sonography content includes the fundamental physics of ultrasound, instrumentation, and work-related musculoskeletal disorders. Finally, the ultrasound technician curriculum in specialized areas covers abdominal sonography including superficial structures as well as breast sonography, neuromuscular sonography and musculoskeletal sonography. It also includes obstetric, gynecological, cardiac and vascular sonography courses.
To these is added a strong clinical component intended to develop student competency in caring for patients, performing ultrasound exams, operating ultrasound equipment, interpreting images and working within a healthcare team. By searching the list of accredited programs at Ultrasound Schools Directory, prospective students can find programs of interest and follow up by investigating course content and clinical requirements.
Students should also consider ultrasound program scheduling options and requirements such as whether evening or weekend courses and clinical rotations are available or required. One-year certificate programs contain abbreviated curriculum content reflecting the advanced standing of its experienced students relative to associate degree students. Similarly, four-year bachelor’s degrees contain a greater number of specialized courses and intensive clinical rotation requirements than two-year programs.
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