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Echocardiography

2,170 Total Clock Hours, 82 Total Semester Academic Credit
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Plan and Details

Echocardiography technician is a specialized concentration within the field of diagnostic medical ultrasound. The Echo Technologist learns to become adept at obtaining and interpreting diagnostic quality images of the heart and surrounding structures, evaluating heart anatomy, chamber size, overall heart function. The program coordinates academic study with clinical laboratory experience at a hospital or clinic.

  • Great News: AIUM Intiative Seeks to Make Sonography a Primary Imaging Option in More Cases. Click here for details.

What Does an Echo Technician Do? Echo techs are sometimes referred to as echocardiographers or cardiac sonographers. Your primary responsibility as an echo tech is to gather data that can be used by a physician to diagnose heart disease. Read on to learn more about the job responsibilities of an echo tech and the training you need to become one. An echo tech is a cardiovascular technologist who specializes in using non-invasive imaging technology to analyze a patient’s heart, specifically the function of its veins, arteries, chambers, and valves. As an echo tech, your main responsibility would be to calibrate and use medical diagnostic imaging machines to take images of a patient’s heart. You may need to position a patient for imaging while they are lying down or monitor their heart as they are walking on a treadmill. Because you work with many different kinds of patients, you need to have excellent communication skills. Other job duties you may need to perform include speaking to patients about the procedure, taking several images of the hearts, and administering medications to patients in order to study their heart’s reaction to pharmacological stress. Positions available to graduates of this program include intermediate level invasive cardiology technician, echocardiographer, vascular sonographer, and/or intermediate level assistant to ultrasound/sonograph laboratory technician.

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Why choose ATI College?

  • Nationally Accredited by ACCSC
  • Government Financial Aid available for those who qualify
  • Flexible day and evening schedules
  • Advanced hands on training with actual patients
  • Wide variety of externship opportunities
  • Dedicated Faculty and Staff
  • Career placement assistance
  • Small size classrooms
PREREQUISITE:

Individuals with a high school diploma, GED, or college degree are eligible to apply. Each applicant must take an entrance exam (consists of math and english) to enter the program of study at their college.

CLASS SCHEDULE:
  • Program Length:
  • Day Classes: 18 months, 8:30 am to 3:00 pm Monday through Friday. Evening Classes: 27 months, 5:30 pm to 10:30 pm Monday through Thursday.
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Echocardiography program consists of the following:

  • Terminology, Anatomy, Physiology (Lecture)
  • Physics & Instrumentation I (Lecture & Lab)
  • Physics & Instrumentation II (Lecture & Lab)
  • Vascular I (Lecture & Lab)
  • Vascular II (Lecture & Lab)
  • Echocardiography I (A&B) – Coronary Artery Disease, Complications of MI, Pericardial Diseases, Color Doppler, Spectral Doppler Instruments Analysis, Artifacts, Safety, and Performance (Lecture & Lab)
  • Echocardiography II (A&B) – Congenital Heart Diseases (Lecture & Lab)
  • Externship (at a healthcare environment)

Upon successful completion of this program, graduates are awarded with completion certificate. Students of Echocardiography program will have the opportunity to train and observe the following practices in the field:  adult echocardiography,patient management and clinical medicine, ultrasound physics and instrumentation, pathophysiology of cardiovascular diseases and therapeutic measures, 2D & M mode echocardiography, cardiac doppler and color flow echocardiography, advanced techniques in echocardiography and stress echocardiography.

Please go to U.S. Department of Labor for Occupation Outlook & Earnings Handbook for employment details.

Although echocardiographers are not required to meet state licensure requirements in California, organizations such as the American Registry of Diagnostic Medical Sonographers (ARDMS) certify the skills and knowledge of Echocardiography Technologist through credentialing, including registration. Because registration provides an independent, objective measure of and individual’s professional standing, many employers prefer to hire Registered Diagnostic Cardiac Sonographers (RDCS).

However, some graduates of Echocardiography program may be eligible for specialty examinations, see ARDMS Exam Prerequisite for detailed information to participate in certification specialty examinations from the ARDMS.

The Sonography Principles & Instrumentation (SPI) examination from ARDMS tests basic physical principles and instrumentation knowledge essential to sonography professionals and students.

To earn an RDMS, RDCS, RVT and RMSKS credentials, you must pass the SPI examination and a corresponding specialty examination within five years. After passing the SPI examination, you can earn additional credentials without having to retake the SPI examination, provided you maintain active status.

For more information on SPI Examination Requirements & Prerequisites, please read below or visit ARMDS.ORG.

SPI Examination Requirement

Note: All listed items must be met and completed prior to submission. See the Notes About the SPI Requirement on page 6.

Education

Successful completion of a general, medical or sonographic physics class/seminar/course.

Documentation Required with Application

1.A transcript (see transcript requirements below) reflecting successful completion of a graded general, medical or sonographic college, post-secondary or higher education physics class (with a grade of C or above); OR

A CME certificate denoting successful completion of a general, medical or sonographic physics seminar, physics review course, or physics correspondence course, denoting a minimum award of 12 ARDMS-accepted CME credits. The certificate must meet ARDMS CME documentation requirements (visit ARDMS.org/CME to view ARDMS- accepted CMEs). The CME credits must be earned within two (2) years prior to application submission.

2.Copy of a non-expired government-issued photo identification (ID) with signature; the first and last names on the ID must exactly match the first and last names in your ARDMS/APCA record.

Transcript Requirements

  • Name of Applicant and school must be printed on the transcript; handwritten information will not be accepted.
  • The class or course name must specifically indicate “Physics,” “Physical Principles” and/or Instrumentation” in the title and be printed on the transcript. Supplementary information will not be accepted.
  • Transcript can be unofficial or official.
  • If submitting a foreign transcript or degree, a formal course by course foreign transcript evaluation report must accompany the application summary and indicate the aforementioned requirements.
  • Transcripts indicating only a number grade must include a “grade key” printed on the transcript showing the equivalent letter grade. Supplementary information will not be accepted.

• A grade report will not be accepted in lieu of the transcript (unofficial or official).

ATI College is Nationally Accredited by Accrediting Commission of Career Schools and Colleges (ACCSC) since 2002.