FAQ’s

• 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.

Sonographers are medical professional who operate ultrasonic imaging devices to produce diagnostic images and scans, videos or 3D volumes of anatomy and diagnostic data. Sonography requires specialized education and skills to view, analyze and modify the scan to optimize the information in the image. Because of the high levels of decisional latitude and diagnostic responsibility sonographers perform diagnostic tests such as ultrasounds and imaging.

• 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.

Diagnostic medical sonographers and cardiovascular technologists and technicians, including vascular technologists can earn wages between $65,270 to $93,100.

For more career information, please visit the U.S. Bureau of Labor & Statistics.

Ask yourself the following questions:

• Do you like science?
• Do you like math?
• Do you like to figure things out on your own?
• Do you like to work independently?
• Do you like to interact with other people?
• Do you like to use technology?
• Do you like to be challenged with new ideas?

If you answered yes to any of those questions, then maybe Sonography is right for you!

• 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 College Sonography programs are accredited and listed on CAAHEP. For more information, go towww.caahep.org or the website for ARDMS at www.ardms.org.

Cardiac Sonography: No. The sonography programs offer it’s didactic (curriculum) courses in an on-line, distance-learning format, which allows the student to live closer to their clinical site and complete at home. All admitted students are required to attend a pre-clinical lab course and a clinical externship. Students are required to complete the pre-clinical lab course on campus unless the student’s assigned clinical site requests hosting the student for that experience. in your location by following the instructions found on the link below.
Please visit the Cardiac Sonography clinical affiliate partnership request page for additional information.

General Sonography: No. The sonography programs offer it’s didactic (curriculum) courses in an on-line, distance-learning format, which allows the student to live closer to their clinical site and complete at home. All admitted students are required to attend a pre-clinical lab course and a clinical externship. Students are required to complete the pre-clinical lab course on campus unless the student’s assigned clinical site requests hosting the student for that experience. in your location by following the instructions found on the link below.
Please visit the General Sonography clinical affiliate partnership request page for additional information.

Vascular Sonography: No. The sonography programs offer it’s didactic (curriculum) courses in an on-line, distance-learning format, which allows the student to live closer to their clinical site and complete at home. All admitted students are required to attend a pre-clinical lab course and a clinical externship. Students are required to complete the pre-clinical lab course on campus unless the student’s assigned clinical site requests hosting the student for that experience. in your location by following the instructions found on the link below.
Please visit the Vascular Sonography clinical affiliate partnership request page for additional information.

• Cardiac Sonography: The cardiac sonography program requires students to be in the clinical setting 32 hours per week for approximately 9 months.
• General Sonography: The General Sonography program requires Students to be in the clinical setting 32 hours a week for nearly a year.
• Vascular Sonography: The Vascular Sonography program requires students to be in the clinical setting 24 hours a week for nearly a year.

Not typically. Accreditation requires students to be placed in the best learning situations. This is typically Monday through Friday 8 am to 5 pm when the majority of the staff and patients are scheduled. Students may also be expected to rotate to other shifts for different experiences.

While we cannot control what you do in your own time, we strongly recommend that you do not try to work while going through the program. Some of our programs require a minimum 40 hours per week commitment, which does not account for studying time or commuting time to and from clinical assignments. It is estimated that an average of 50-60 hours of dedication is need to be successful in these programs. Adding work requirements in addition to these 50-60 hours has typically caused poor outcomes. The programs are a full time commitment. Currently, there are no part-time options.

Please select the DMS program to view the program cost:

• Cardiac Sonography program cost
• General Sonography program cost

Program cost information will be updated at the beginning of each academic year. To get the most up to date information, please visit the tuition & fees web page.

Cardiac Sonography: All applicants’ academic records are evaluated by using a numerical point system. Entry into the Cardiac Sonography program is competitive. If a prerequisite course that is a “point counter” is not completed when the application is submitted, midterm grades will be accepted at the interview. It is the sole responsibility of the applicant to have their midterm grade verified by their instructor to receive points for the class. Consideration for the sonography program will still apply.

General Sonography: If a prerequisite course that is a “point counter”  is not completed when the application is submitted, no points will be awarded for that course. Consideration for the sonography program will still apply.

Vascular Sonography: All applicants’ academic records are evaluated by using a numerical point system. Entry into the Vascular Sonography program is competitive. If a prerequisite course that is a “point counter” is not completed when the application is submitted, midterm grades will be accepted at the interview. It is the sole responsibility of the applicant to have their midterm grade verified by their instructor to receive points for the class. Consideration for the sonography program will still apply.

Job shadowing provides students with valuable exposure to the field of sonography and helps them determine if it aligns with their interests and goals. It is especially beneficial for students to observe multiple areas within Diagnostic Medical Sonography (DMS)—including cardiac, vascular, and general sonography. Gaining firsthand experience in each modality allows students to better understand the unique aspects of each and make informed decisions about which path may be the best fit for them.

Please visit the transcript page for instructions on how to send your official transcript to Jackson College for evaluation.

It is recommended that if you live within a 2-hour driving radius of another CAAHEP accredited program, you should apply to that program.  Visit www.caahep.org to find programs nearby.

Any student (other than a Bachelor degree or RT(R) who graduates from a “non accredited” DMS program must work or volunteer for an additional year before they are eligible to take the national registry boards (ARDMS). Also, some hospitals will only hire a sonography graduate from a CAAHEP accredited program.