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Frequently Asked Questions
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General Information
Applicaion Due Dates
- General Sonography — January 31
- Vascular Sonography — January 31
- Radiography — January 31
- Cardiac Sonography — August 31
- Respiratory — August 31
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Diagnostic Medical Sonography
Who is a Sonographer?
- A professional who works directly with patients in performing sonographic diagnostic procedures.
- A professional who performs diagnostic procedures/tests (tests that are non-invasive, without puncturing or performing incisions on a patient).
- A professional who provides physicians with medical diagnostic information on the structure and function of the area of the body in question.
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What is the nature of their work, what do they do?
- Perform diagnostic tests such as ultrasounds, and imaging.
- Work with sophisticated, manually operated equipment outside of a patient's body to discover what is happening inside their body.
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Where do they work? Where are job opportunities available?
- Many opportunities are available throughout the United States for experienced and qualified individuals.
- Clinics, mobile health services, physician's offices, and hospitals have open positions.
- Medical industry companies also offer work in research and development, sales and marketing, which provide opportunities for international travel.
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What is the basic curriculum for a degree in Sonography?
- A college level diploma in the applied science field.
- One year pre-requisites with curriculum focus in anatomy, physiology, and math.
- Advanced courses on specific methods of diagnostic procedures, and disease entities.
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How would I learn this? What methods are used to teach students?
- Accredited schools that offer Associate or Bachelor Degrees require you to participate in lecture, lab, clinical and didactic settings.
- Normal course work includes a minimum of one year of didactic lectures and class work, followed by an internship in the different diagnostic procedure settings.
- Be careful choosing your school. CAAHEP accredited programs may be required for certification. Jackson Community College Sonography programs are accredited and listed on CAAHEP. For more information, go to www.caahep.org or the website for ARDMS at www.ardms.org.
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What could I make in this line of work?
- The median salary for a sonographer in the U.S. in 2004 was $50,000-$80,000 (depending on geographic location).
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Emergency Medical Services
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Medical Assistant
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Nursing
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Radiography
When does enrollment for the Radiography Program take place?
Applications are due by January 31st each year. Program interviews are in March, accepted students will be notified in April, and would begin the Radiography program in May.
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What are the pre-requisites for the program?
Students must have completed all prerequisite course work with a final grade of 3.0 or better in each course.
- DMS 100 – Introduction to Diagnostic Imaging
- BIO 155 - Anatomy and Physiology
- MOA 120 – Medical Terminology
- HOC 130 – Introduction to Health Occupations
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I understand that the acceptance is based on a point system. What are the criteria to earn points?
- GPA
- Previous Allied Health Experience
- Grades received in pre-requisite classes
- Job Shadow Experience
- Previous degrees earned (Associate, Bachelor, or Masters)
- Interview Scores
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How long is the Program?
After completion of the pre-requisites, the program is a two year program. This includes 1,672 hours of Clinical Practicum.
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What is the admission process for entrance into the Radiography Program?
The first step is to submit an application to Jackson Community College (this can be done on-line). Once accepted, you will want to have
official transcripts from other colleges sent to Jackson Community College for evaluation. You are encouraged to contact a Jackson Community
College Advisor Kim Seaburg, who will assess what prerequisites courses you will need. Applications for the Radiography program must be
turned in before January 31, along with a $40.00 application fee. (Keep in mind that all of your pre-requisites must be completed or in
process before you can submit your application!) Once applications are received and evaluated, qualified students will be sent a questionnaire.
After the questionnaire is completed and returned, applicants are evaluated once again to determine if they qualify for an interview.
Interviews take place in March, and qualified applicants are offered acceptance in the program in April. The Radiography program begins in
May and runs for __ Months.
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If I were to complete the Radiography Program, would I be eligible to become registered?
YES! Completion of the Radiography Program at Jackson Community College would prepare you to sit for the ARRT (American Registry of Radiologic Technologists) board exam, which, if passed, would render you a RT (R). (Registered Technologist, Radiography)
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Would I be allowed to work while I am in the program?
Most students work part-time while in the radiography program. The program does require approximately four (4) days per week of a student’s time on average, which makes it impossible to work full-time and be in the program.
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Who is a Radiographer?
- A professional who works directly with patients in performing
radiographic diagnostic procedures.
- A professional who performs diagnostic procedures/tests (tests that are non-invasive, without puncturing or performing incisions on a patient).
- A professional who provides physicians with medical diagnostic information on the structure and function of the area of the body in question.
[ Return to RAD Top ]
What is the nature of their work, what do they do?
- Perform diagnostic tests such as ultrasounds, and imaging.
- Work with sophisticated, manually operated equipment outside of a patient's body to discover what is happening inside their body.
[ Return to RAD Top ]
Where do they work? Where are job opportunities available?
- Many opportunities are available throughout the United States for experienced and qualified individuals.
- Clinics, mobile health services, physician's offices, and hospitals have open positions.
- Medical industry companies also offer work in research and development, sales and marketing, which provide opportunities for international travel.
[ Return to RAD Top ]
What is the basic curriculum for a degree in Radiography?
- A college level diploma in the applied science field.
- On year pre-requisites with curriculum focus in anatomy, physiology, and math.
- Advanced courses on specific methods of diagnostic procedures, and disease entities.
[ Return to RAD Top ]
How would I learn this? What methods are used to teach students?
- Accredited schools that offer Associate or Bachelor Degrees require you to participate in lecture, lab, clinical and didactic settings.
- Normal course work includes a minimum of one year of didactic lectures and class work, followed by an internship in the different diagnostic
procedure settings.
- Be careful choosing your school. CAAHEP accredited programs may be required for certification. Jackson Community College Radiography
programs are accredited and listed on CAAHEP. For more information, go to www.caahep.org or the website for ARDMS at
www.ardms.org.
[ Return to RAD Top ]
What could I make in this line of work?
- The median salary for a Radiographer in the U.S. in 2004 was $50,000-$80,000 (depending on geographic location).
[ Return to RAD Top ]
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Respiratory Care
Who are Respiratory Therapists?
- Respiratory therapists are considered the go-to experts in their facilities for respiratory care technology.
But their high tech knowledge isn't just limited to the equipment they use in their jobs. They also understand
how to apply high tech devices in the care and treatment of patients, how to assess patients to ensure the
treatments are working properly, and how to make the care changes necessary to arrive at the best outcome for the patient.
- The combination of these skills-hands on technical know-how and a solid understanding of respiratory conditions
and how they are treated-is what sets respiratory therapists apart from the crowd and makes them such a crucial part of the health care team.
- Source: AARC (American Association for Respiratory Care) website.
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What is the nature of their work/what do they do?
- Diagnosing lung and breathing disorders and recommending treatment methods.
- Interviewing patients and doing chest physical exams to determine what kind of therapy is best for their condition.
- Consulting with physicians to recommend a change in therapy, based on your evaluation of the patient.
- Analyzing breath, tissue, and blood specimens to determine levels of oxygen and other gases.
- Managing ventilators and artificial airway devices for patients who can't breathe normally on their own.
- Responding to Code Blue or other urgent calls for care.
- Educating patients and families about lung disease so they can maximize their recovery.
- Source: AARC website.
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Where do they work? Where are job opportunities available?
- In hospitals giving breathing treatments to people with asthma and other respiratory conditions.
- In intensive care units managing ventilators that keep the critically ill alive.
- In emergency rooms delivering life-saving treatments.
- In newborn and pediatric units helping kids with conditions ranging from premature birth to cystic fibrosis.
- In operating rooms working with anesthesiologists to monitor patients' breathing during surgery.
- In patient's homes providing regular check-ups and making sure people have what they need to stay out of the hospital.
- In sleep laboratories helping to diagnose disorders like sleep apnea.
- In skilled nursing facilities and pulmonary rehabilitation programs helping older people breathe easier and get more out of life.
- In doctor's offices conducting pulmonary function tests and providing patient education.
- In asthma education programs helping kids and adults alike learn how to cope with the condition.
- In smoking cessation programs assisting those who want to kick the habit for good.
- In air transport and ambulance programs rushing to rescue people in need of immediate medical attention.
- In case management programs helping devise long-term care plans for patients.
- Source: AARC website.
- Job opportunities are expected to be very good, especially for respiratory therapists with
cardiopulmonary care skills or experience working with infants. Employment of respiratory therapists
is expected to increase faster than average for all occupations through the year 2014, because of
substantial growth in the numbers of the middle-aged and elderly population-a development that
will heighten the incidence of cardiopulmonary disease-and because of the expanding role of
respiratory therapists in the early detection of pulmonary disorders, case management, disease prevention, and emergency care.
- Although hospitals will continue to employ the vast majority of therapists, a growing number can
expect to work outside of hospitals in home health care services, offices of physicians or other
health practitioners, or consumer-goods rental firms.
- Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.
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What is the basic curriculum for a degree in Respiratory Care?
- Formal training is necessary for entry into this field. Training is offered at the postsecondary
level by colleges such as JCC. An associate's degree is required for entry into the field.
- A program awarding the associate's degree will prepare graduates for jobs as advanced respiratory therapists.
- Among the areas of study in respiratory therapy are human anatomy and physiology, pathophysiology,
chemistry, physics, microbiology, pharmacology, and mathematics.
- Other courses deal with therapeutic and diagnostic procedures and tests, equipment, patient
assessment, cardiopulmonary resuscitation, the application of clinical practice guidelines,
patient care outside of hospitals, cardiac and pulmonary rehabilitation, respiratory
health promotion and disease prevention, and medical recordkeeping and reimbursement.
- The National Board for Respiratory Care (NBRC) offers certification and registration to graduates of
programs accredited by CAAHEP through the Committee on Accreditation for Respiratory Care (CoARC).
- Two credentials are awarded to respiratory therapists who satisfy the requirements:
Registered Respiratory Therapist (RRT) and Certified Respiratory Therapist (CRT). Graduates from
accredited programs in respiratory therapy may take the CRT examination. CRTs who were graduated
from advanced-level programs and who meet additional experience requirements can take two separate examinations leading to the award of the RRT credential.
- Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.
- Michigan now also requires respiratory therapists to obtain a license.
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What could I make in this line of work?
- Median annual earnings of respiratory therapists were $43,140 in May 2004.
- The middle 50 percent earned between $37,650 and $50,860. The lowest 10 percent earned less than $32,220, and the highest 10 percent earned more than $57,580.
- In general medical and surgical hospitals, median annual earnings of respiratory therapists were $43,140 in May 2004.
- Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.
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Jackson Community College has published the contents of this web site for information purposes only. The information contained herein reflects the current curricula, policies, tuition and fees, and regulations of the College. However, these are subject to change at any time by action of the Board of Trustees or the administration. The information is generally believed to be accurate but the College disclaims liability for any inadvertent errors or omissions.
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