Cardiovascular Sonography (CVS)

QUICK LINKS

Admission Requirements (Click here for more information)

Courses (Click here for more information)

Staff Directory (Click here for more information)

Cardiovascular Sonography (CVS) Program Mission/Overview:

The Mission of the Cardiovascular Sonography Program is to meet the growing need for Echocardiographers and Vascular Sonographers. This mission is accomplished through didactic, clinical education, and competency measures.

Program Goals

The primary goal of the Cardiovascular Sonography Program is to provide a high quality education in both the didactic and clinical areas with the goal of providing students with a high level of technical competency as well as adequate interpersonal skills.  

Program Outcomes

The national certification pass rate for the Cardiovascular Physics and Adult Echocardiography Exams for Forsyth Tech graduates is not currently available.

Statistics

• Number of Students Accepted into the Cardiovascular Sonography Diploma Program: 5
• Number of Students Accepted into the Cardiovascular Sonography Associates Degree Program: 5
• Deadline for Completion of Application: March 27th

Job Placement

Graduates from this program may find employment in hospitals, outpatient clinics, doctor's offices, mobile units, educational institutions, sales and applications.
 

Facilities

Wake Forest University Baptist Medical Center, Forsyth Medical Center, High Point Regional Hospital, Moses Cone Hospital, Rowan Regional Hospital (Salisbury), Central Carolina Hospital, LeBauer Healthcare, Mid-Carolina Cardiology, Eagle Cardiology, Carolina Cardiology
 

FAQs

Frequently Asked Questions about the Cardiovascular Sonography Program:

1. When and where should I do the observation that is required for admission into the medical sonography program?

Only applicants who have been accepted into the program will be required to do an observation. So, unless you have received a letter of acceptance into the medical sonography program, you will not be required to do an observation. Observations at that time will be completed at either Forsyth Medical Center or Wake Forest University Baptist Medical Center . Student will need to come by the program director's office prior to the observation to sign a privacy agreement.

2. How long is the waiting list for the medical sonography program?

There is no waiting list for our programs. Applicants are chosen by a selective entry process, which is based on a point system. The applicants with the highest number of selective entry points will be selected into the program. This process is renewed every year. This means that all applicants must compete again with selective entry points.

3. What were the scores of the applicants that were chosen to be in the programs for Fall 2007?

This is the first year that the CVS A.A.S Degree Program has been offered. No points ranges are available for this program but should compare to the Medical Sonography Program.  

    * Medical Sonography A.A.S. Degree Program, score range : 92 – 103
    * Cardiovascular Sonography Associate Degree Program, score range: 79-92
    * Cardiovascular Sonography Diploma Program, score range: 49-61

4. What courses are required prior to entry into the program?

While we do recommend courses in physics, math and biology in high school applicants are not required to take any college course for acceptance into this program. However, since selective entry points are based upon specific courses in the medical sonography curriculum; most applicants take them in order to compete against other applicants for acceptance into the program.

Please see Minimal Admission Requirements on the admission requirement link.

5. I have a Bachelor' s degree in Business Administration. Do I qualify to apply for the cardiovascular sonography diploma program?

  Yes, entry into the CVS diploma program requires a Bachelor's degree in any field or a two year healthcare degree.

6. Is there a difference in the pay scale between diploma graduates and A.A.S. degree graduates?

  No. The pay scale is the same.

7. What are the main differences between the Cardiovascular Sonography diploma program and the A.A.S. Cardiovascular Sonography degree program?

8. Why do the requirements for entry into the program change from one year to the next?

In order to maintain our accreditation with CAAHEP, we must remain in compliance with their standards. These standards change as we continually seek to provide the highest quality of education possible. Whenever CAAHEP changes a standard the college must make changes in their programs in order to maintain accreditation. Sometimes this requires us to add a new course to the curriculum and sometimes it requires us to either change or drop other courses. In some cases it requires us to revise the requirements for entry into a program.

9. Do I need to get certified in CPR prior to acceptance into the program?

No. Only those applicants who are initially accepted into the program are required to get CPR certification.

10. Once accepted into the program, what type of CPR will I need to get?

You will need to get certified in Basic CPR at the healthcare provider level.

11. I have taken all of the related courses in the curriculum. Is there anything else that I can do to increase my chances of being accepted into the program?

At this point applicants may wish to consider re-taking courses in which they did not make an A to increase the number of selective entry points. Also, students may get EMS or CNA certification.

12. If I have transfer credits for the required Math and English courses do I still have to take the CPT exams?

No. If you have college transfer credits for the English and math courses then you do not have to take the CPT exams. Only the applicants who do not have transfer credits for these courses are required to take the CPT exams.

13. I need to know if the college will accept transfer credit for a course that I took at another college. Who can I contact regarding transfer credits?

Please call the records office at 336-734-7474 and speak with the college transfer technician regarding questions about transfer credits.

14. Do the programs only start in the fall?

Yes, all of the sonography programs at Forsyth Tech begin Fall semester each year.

15. When are applications due?

March 27th is the deadline to have the application along with all necessary documentation. Applications that are not completed and/or lack transcripts or any other required documentation will not be considered for the upcoming fall semester. So be sure to get everything completed and turned in by March 27 th .

19. I have applied to the college. Is there a separate application process for the sonography programs?

Yes. Applying to the college for acceptance is the first step. After being accepted into the college, then applicants may apply for entry into individual programs.

20. How many students apply each year?

In 2007, 16 people were placed into the CVS - A.A.S. applicant pool and 18 people were placed into the CVS diploma applicant pool. You will not be placed into the applicant pool until minimum admission requirements are met.

21. How many students are taken into the programs each fall?

    * Cardiovascular Sonography Diploma Program: 5
    * Cardiovascular Sonography AAS Degree 5

22. Why can't more students be taken into these programs? With the number of applicants for these programs it seems like the college should take in more students.

Medical and Cardiovascular Sonography is a unique learning experience that requires one-on-one instructor training with the students. The faculty can only handle up to a certain number of students. We can only have one student at most of our clinical sites due to our accreditation requirements and we have a limited number of clinical sites. We have clinical sites spread out over five counties now, extending as far as Salisbury and Sanford , NC . We have extended out as far as we can go and there are no more clinical sites for us to utilize. Thus, we can't accept larger numbers of students into these programs.

23. Why is it that other programs like the Radiologic Technology or CT/MRI programs can take in more students?

  Each modality has its unique limitations. Sonograms can take up to an hour to perform with a student whereas most x-rays and some CT scans may take only 10-15 minutes to perform. There is also a higher volume of patients in x-ray and CT, which is accommodating for larger classes of students. Patient loads in Ultrasound are much lower because they take much more time to perform. This limits the number of potential patients that students can scan in a typical day and thus limits the number of students that we can send to each clinical site.

24. What are the prerequisites for applying for the program(s).

Prior to acceptance:

    * Courses in biology, algebra and physics recommended (not required).
    * Overall GPA of 2.0 for courses taken at Forsyth Technical Community College
    * Complete CPT exams or provide transfer credits for English and Math.

After Acceptance

    * CPR Certification at the healthcare provider level.
    * Completion of observational hours (to be assigned at college orientation).
    * Completion of Medical form including required vaccinations.

25. What is the cost of attending Forsyth Technical Community College ?

    * In-state tuition: $42.00 per semester hour
    * Out-of-state tuition: $233.30 per semester hour
    * Textbooks: Approximately $500.00 to $1000.00 [For the entire program]
    * Note: Textbook prices are subject to change so this is an approximate cost.
    * Uniforms: $200.00 - $300.00

26. When I am accepted into the program, will I get to choose the hospitals where I wish to do my clinical rotations?

No. The sonography program must provide an equal clinical experience to all of its students. Some hospitals provide exposure to exams that others do not, so we must rotate students to various sites in order to ensure that all students get a well-rounded clinical training experience. This will require driving to long distance sites. We currently use sites in five different counties, so students entering this program will need good, dependable transportation. The college does not provide transportation to or from clinical sites. We cannot take requests from students regarding clinical site rotations. We must operate strictly according to accreditation guidelines and this requires us to rotate students through a variety of locations.

27. Can having a past conviction of a felony affect my qualifications?
If you have ever been convicted of a felony, then you will not be allowed to sit for the ARDMS national certification registries. This means that you can never become registered and thus will not be able to practice sonography. If you have ever been convicted of a felony then you are advised to withdraw your application from the sonography program.

Program Costs

In-State residents can expect to pay approximately $2700.00 over the full one-year course of the program. This includes all fees, tuition, textbook costs, uniforms, etc. Out-of-State residents can expect to pay approximately $19,000.00 over the full two year course of the program.
 

Professional Links

    * American Society of Echocardiography: www.asecho.org
    * North Carolina Ultrasound Society: www.ncus.org
    * Society of Diagnostic Medical Sonography:  www.sdms.org
    * American Registry of Diagnostic Medical Sonography:  www.ardms.org    

Sample Schedule

Sample of schedule for CVS – AAS students for program courses. If general courses are not complete they should be added to this schedule.