Radiology Forums

info. please · Guest

Hey I just wanted to know if anyone could give me any information about becoming a radiologist in ultrasound. Really wanted to know how many years of school I think I heard it's around 8 but not to sure. Thanks to everyone who answers.

onesmallspark · Joined: 05 Aug 2005 Posts: 6

I really hope you've found your information since you posted this question back in NOVEMBER and NOONE bothered to answer you.

It DEFINITELY doesn't take 8 years to get a degree in Sonography. The trick is getting accepted into a program. It's extremely competitive. The program I'm trying to get into only accepts *10* students a YEAR. Many schools require pre-requisites that take anywhere from a couple of semesters to three or four (depending on how many classes you take each semester) and then you usually have 6 semesters or so (including summers) after that in your specific modality classes/clinicals. There ARE programs that you can get into that don't require becoming a Rad Tech first which can save you time. Go to this website to find ACCREDITED (very important) programs in your area.

http://www.caahep.org/

Good luck!!!

sonographer · Guest

First of all we need to clarify something.
A radiologist is a DOCTOR who went through medical school did their residency in radiology and "reads" CT/MRI, x-ray, ultrasound, nuclear medicine.
A RADIOGRAPHER is and x-ray technologist who in general goes to school for 3-4 years.
A Sonographer may or may not have their x-ray degree but has chosen to specialize in ultrasound. The sonographer aids in the interpretation of the images TO the Radiologist who READS and gives the final diagnosis.
I would highly recommend doing extensive research as to which ultrasound school to go to. My ultrasound school only accepted 6 students, we all received our bachelor's degree with certifications in ob/gyn/abdomen/ neuro and vascular.
MAKE SURE YOU GO TO A REPUTABLE ULTRASOUND SCHOOL>
There are schools out there that are not ARDMS approved, I just interviewed a girl for a position that finished school but the school she went to wasn't ARDMS approved and she couldn't take her boards until a year after she graduated in which most hospitals will not hire a board certified sonographer.
Hope this helps you!

transam · Joined: 21 Dec 2005 Posts: 6

sonographer · Guest

I attended the University of Nebraska Medical Center....
There are other very reputable schools out there in different locations of the country. Oklahoma Health Sciences.... Seattle University are two other top rated schools. I unfortunately do not know of the school that you mentioned. But asking them these questions may help in your own decision. Do you currently have a BS or are in high school?
Important questions to ask when deciding if it is the right school that will educate you properly are:
1. What is the boards pass rate of the school?(ours was 100% in all of our board exams)
2. Are you eligible to take your boards as soon as the program is finished. (please be wary of any school that does not allow you to do this)
3. What boards do they educate you for (i.e. neuro, vascular, ob gyn/ abdomen, breast)
4. What prerequisites are required to attend the school in interest? any reputable program will have a list of required classes such as anatomy, physics, algebra, etc....
5. When do you start "scanning" (getting hands on experience) My school started us day one, in with the sonographers, sitting with them while they explained the different pathology, another important thing is to incorporate the didactic (classroom) education with the clinical experience. We feel that it helps the students retain more of the knowledge by actually applying it day to day.
An excellent website to visit may be www.ardms.org this is the registry that sonographers are certified through. I wish you the best of luck, it is a wonderful career path to take that NEVER get boring!!