Medical Sonography

QUICK LINKS 

Admission Requirements (Click here for more information)

Courses (Click here for more information)

Staff Directory (Click here for more information)

Medical Sonography Program Mission/Overview:

The Mission of the Medical Sonography Program is to meet the growing need for Diagnostic Medical Sonographers in the areas of Obstetrical, Gynecological and Abdominal Sonography. This mission is accomplished through didactic, clinical education, and competency measures.

Program Goals

The primary goal of the Medical 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. This is achieved through an Associate Degree Program.

Program Outcomes

The national certification pass rate for the Medical Sonography Program is not currently available.
Statistics

Number of Students Accepted into the A.A.S. Medical Sonography
Degree Program: 10
Deadline for Completion of Application: March 27, 2008

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, Wesley Long Hospital, Women's Hospital of Greensboro, Northern Hospital of Surry County, Morehead Memorial Hospital (Eden), Rowan Regional Hospital (Salisbury), Northeast Medical Center (Concord), Forsyth Radiological Associates, Piedmont Imaging, Cornerstone Imaging Centers (High Point), Hugh Chatham Hospital, Randolph Hospital, and Alamance Regional Medical Center

FAQs: Frequently Asked Questions about the Medical 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.

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. In 2005 there were 90 applicants to the medical sonography program.

3. What were the scores of the applicants that were chosen to be in the programs for Fall 2006?
MS A.A.S. Degree Program Score Range: 92 - 103

4. What courses are required prior to entry into the program?
While we do recommend courses in physics, math and biology, 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 the selective entry forms included with the application packet from admissions to see which courses are awarded points.

5. 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. The program must also comply with standards set forth by the State of North Carolina .

6. 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.

7. 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.

8. I have taken all of the related general education 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 or obtain a higher level degree.

9. 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.

10. 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 734-7474 and speak with the college transfer technician regarding questions about transfer credits.

11. Do the programs only start in the fall?
Yes, all of the sonography programs at Forsyth Tech begin Fall semester each year.

12. 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 prior to March 27 th .

13. 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.

14 How many students apply each year?
There have been as many as 187 applicants for the medical sonography A.A.S. degree program. There were 59 students accepted into the applicant pool for the fall of 2007.

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

16. Why can't more students be taken into the program? With the number of applicants for the program it seems like the college should take in more students?
Medical Sonography is a unique learning experience that requires one-on-one instructor training with the students. With the current number of faculty and the time needed with each student we cannot accept any more 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 Concord and Eden , NC . Thus, we can't accept larger numbers of students into these programs.

17. 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.

18. What are the prerequisites for applying for the program(s)?

Prior to acceptance

• High School courses in biology, algebra and physics.
• Overall GPA of 2.0 for courses taken at FTCC.
• Complete CPT exams or provide transfer credits for English and Math.
• Completion of MAR review with an Admissions counselor.

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.

19. 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 do not take requests from students regarding preferences for clinical site rotations. We must operate strictly according to accreditation guidelines and this requires us to rotate students through a variety of locations.

20. Can having a past conviction of a felony affect my qualifications?
If you have ever been convicted of a felony, then you may 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 schedule a hearing with the ARDMS and get this issue resolved prior to applying for acceptance into this program.

21. What is the Salary Range for Sonographers?
The approximate average starting salary is $44,000 - $48,000 annually with a national average of approximately $52,490 (see article link) http://www.cnn.com/2006/US/Careers/05/04/cb.associates/

Sample Schedule for Medical Sonography Students (subject to change)

This schedule includes program courses only, if general education requirements have not been met, these classes should be added to the schedule. The schedule is determined by the instructor and ATTENDANCE IS REQUIRED, NOT OPTIONAL.