Schools In Pa For Ultrasound Technology?
October 29th, 2009
I would like to go to school for Ultrasound Technology or Diagnostic Medical Sonographer, but I am having a difficult time finding schools in my area to obtain that degree. I live in Eastern Pa..near Philadelphia. The only school I can find is Sanford-Brown College. It looks like a good school…only thing is that I already have obtained credits from community college and want them to be transferable into the college I choose. I also would like to receive an associates and it seems that Sanford only offers certificates and does not allow credit transfer. Are there other schools in my area that have this major? I would love any advice! Thanks.
Forget about Sanford-Brown…it is not on the list of CAAHEP accredited programs.
When thinking about entering an ultrasound program, you need not be concerned so much about certificate vs. degree. What is important is that you go to an ACCREDITED program, whether it is college or hospital based. An accredited program allows you to take your registry (licensing) exams upon graduation. Once you get licensed, you will never be asked about your schooling again. An employer does not care what route you take to get licensed, they just want you to have that license.
Don’t waste your time or money on a NON-accredited program. Upon completion and graduation from a NON-accredited program, you must work in the field of sonography for a full year prior to taking your licensing examinations. But, you will have a hard time finding an employer to hire you, unless you are licensed.
I would suggest you observe an imaging department to get an idea of what ultrasonographers do daily. There is much more to it than scanning pregnant women. Most people have no idea how much is involved in this career!
You can find a list of accredited schools in your area, by searching “diagnostic medical sonography” and your state at the following site. There are links provided for each program, which will give you additional information (including course duration and prerequisite courses):http://www.caahep.org/Find_An_Accredited…
***Community College of Allegheny County – Boyce Campus – Monroeville, PA
***Crozer-Chester Medical Center (Keystone) – Upland, PA
***Great Lakes Institute of Technology – Erie, PA
***Harrisburg Area Community College-Harrisburg Campus – Harrisburg, PA
***Lackawanna College – Scranton, PA
***Lancaster General College of Nursing and Health Sciences – Lancaster, PA
***Misericordia University – Dallas, PA
***Northampton Community College – Bethlehem, PA
***Thomas Jefferson University – Philadelphia, PA
***Western School of Health and Business Careers-Pittsburgh – Pittsburgh, PA
***Wyoming Valley Health Care System – Hospital – Wilkes-Barre, PA
Many people, myself included, go to school to become a radiologic technologist, before continuing to ultrasound school. In fact, it can be difficult to get into u/s school without the RT license. There are many more choices for schools for x-ray in most states. You can find them here, by searching “radiography“ and your state:http://www.jrcert.org/cert/Search.jsp
The pay for ultrasound technologists will vary, depending on experience and geographical location. The American Society of Radiologic Technologists just did a large salary survey, in 2007. You can see how much a RT and/or ultrasound technologist averaged, per year, in your state here:https://www.asrt.org/media/pdf/research/…