Cardiac sonographer

Cardiac sonographer (also known as echocardiographer, or cardiac ultrasound technologist) is a medical profession of sonographers that specialize in the anatomy and function of the heart. It is a technical job that in the USA has traditionally required an Associates degree in Echo and passing a National Registry exam, but more and more often is requiring a Bachelors degree as the field gets more developed and complicated. Much like how a general sonographer would use sonography (ultrasound) to view a fetus inside a pregnant woman, cardiac sonographers use the same technology to examine and evaluate the heart: chamber sizes, arrangement of the parts, muscle function, valve function and blood flow. Cardiac sonographers typically do not make diagnoses, but rather report all that they find to a cardiologist for further analysis.

Educational requirements in U.S.

Most schools that offer training for cardiac sonographers have several different programs available to students. Programs that are certificate-based can be completed in about twelve (12) months allowing the candidate to make a relatively quick entrance into their chosen career.

However, some students may choose to pursue a full four-year degree in order to allow them to work at more advanced levels but most commonly, the course of study for those pursuing the cardiac sonographer profession is the two-year associate's degree. Typically, an associate's degree satisfies the minimum educational requirement for most employers.

External links

The American Society of Echocardiography

• Cardiovascular Credentialing International
• American Registry for Diagnostic Medical Sonography
• Cardiac Sonographer Schools
• Educational Sessions from The American Society of Echocardiography Conferences

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