Requirements For Obtaining An Ultrasound Technician Certificate
Date: November 8, 2018
There is no state requiring licensure in diagnostic medical sonography, but certain organizations may still issue an ultrasound technician certificate. This means that sonographers are registered, and thus an objective measure of their professional standing exists.
Employers will prefer to hire registered sonographers. Several schools provide the education necessary for ultrasound certification. These schools offer their students both academic and clinical training. Ultrasound certification involves earning a certificate, associate degree, or bachelor’s degree.
Usually, to obtain an ultrasound technician certificate, one or two years of studying full-time at the end of high school are necessary. For an associate degree, completion of two to three years of study is required, and four years are to be completed for a bachelor’s degree.
After obtaining an ultrasound technician certificate, a technician can register with the American Registry of Diagnostic Sonographers (ARDMS). Eligibility for registering with the ARDMS is obtained in two ways.
One option is to participate in an accredited program by the Canadian Medical Association or by the Commission on Accreditation of Allied Health Education Programs. A second option is to attend a program with one of the two previously mentioned accreditations but to continue with a year of work-study in a healthcare facility. This facility must be under the auspices of SDMS (the Society for Diagnostic Medical Sonography).
Registering with the ARDMS means that a national certification exam given by this institution must be passed. The exam includes testing knowledge of general physical principles and instrumentation. An exam in a specialty area like abdominal or obstetric sonography is also necessary.
When training for obtaining an ultrasound technician certificate, students will receive information in the following domains: ultrasound equipment, anatomy, physiology, physics, medical ethics, and patient care. Education should be continued after earning an ultrasound technician certificate, and recertification may also be an option.