Forsyth Technical Community College

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

• Ultrasound Physics and Instrumentation Registry Exam Passrate: 100%
• OB/GYN Registry Exam Passrate: 100%
• Abdominal Sonography Specialty Exam Passrate: 83%

Statistics

• Number of Students Accepted into the A.A.S. Medical Sonography Degree Program: 8

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 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, Alamance Regional Medical Center, and Lexington Memorial Hospital

Schedule (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.

FAQs

• 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.
• What were the scores of the applicants that were chosen to be in the programs for Fall 2011?
  
  A.A.S. Degree Program Score Range: 101 - 107
• What courses are required prior to entry into the program?
  
  Please see the admissions packet on the Admission Requirements link.
• 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.
• 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.
• 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.
• 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, please see the admissions packet for ways to earn additional points.
• 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.
• 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.
• Do the programs only start in the fall?
  
  Yes, all of the sonography programs at Forsyth Tech begin Fall semester each year.
• When are applications due?
  
  March 30th 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 30th .
• I have applied to the college. Is there a separate application process for the sonography programs?
  
  The applicant needs only to complete one application per year.  Only one major may be declared at a time.  If a student desires to change majors (or programs) then a new application should be completed.  Applications should be updated annually in order to be considered for the program.  Students applying to the sonography programs will first be accepted as a general occupational technology (GOT) student.  The student may then begin taking classes to earn points to be selected into the sonography program.
• How many students apply each year?
  
  72
• How many students are taken into the programs each fall?
  
  Eight
• 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.
• 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.
• What are the prerequisites for applying for the program(s)?
  
  Prior to acceptance
  
  
  • Competencies in algebra and biology are required.
  • Overall GPA of 2.0 for courses taken at Forsyth Tech.
  • Complete CPT exams or provide transfer credits for English and Math.
  • Completion of MAR review with an Admissions counselor.
  • Attend Health Information Session for each year applying to the program.
  
  After Acceptance
  
  
  • CPR Certification at the healthcare provider level.
  • Completion of Medical form including required vaccinations.
• 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.
• 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/

Staff Directory

• Debbie Taylor
  Director of Imaging
• Paula Walker
  Imaging Secretary
• John B. Cassell, AAS, RT(R), RDMS, RVT
  Program Coordinator
• Tonya Howell, AAS, RT(R), RDMS
  Clinical Education Coordinator