AAS degree | 50 weeks | CAAHEP accredited | Palm Harbor, FL
Echo Cardiographers or echo technologists provide information to the physicians so they can diagnose and treat cardiac (heart) disease. CFI trains you in the echocardiography sonography techniques that use ultrasound instrumentation, such as Two-D Echo and Doppler ultrasound.
Program Description
The CFI Echocardiography Technologist (Echo Tech) student is taught to use ultrasound instruments to create an image of the patient’s heart. The image is transmitted to a screen and recorded to use in determining a diagnosis. The Echo Tech is trained to check the image on the screen as they scan to look for differences between healthy and diseased areas. The Echo Tech captures the images to aid the physician with diagnosing and treating the patient.
The Echocardiography Sonography training program in the Tampa Bay area is designed to prepare the student to work as an Echo Tech. After completing the on-campus portion of the echo tech training at Central Florida Institute, the student must complete the clinical rotation provided in hospitals and cardiac diagnostic centers.
Graduates of the Echocardiography Sonography training program are highly qualified in:
ECHO students are required to complete a 50 Week day program. Graduates of the ECHO program receive an Associates of Applied Science (AAS) degree and CPR/ACLS certification from the American Heart Association.
*The listing of credits is not meant to imply that credits can be transferred into college or other private career school programs. Transfer credits are at the sole discretion of the receiving school.
Certification & CAAHEP Accreditation
The Echocardiography Sonography program at Central Florida Institute in Palm Harbor is accredited by the Commission Accreditation of Allied Health Education Programs upon the recommendation of the Joint Review Committee on Education in Cardiovascular Technology (JRC-CVT).
Healthcare employers are particularly interested in Echocardiography Sonographers with certification. Echocardiography Sonography graduates may obtain the following national credentials by passing the corresponding certification examination:
- (RCS) - Registered Cardiac Sonographer through Cardiovascular Credentialing International (CCI)
- (RDCS) - Registered Diagnostic Cardiac Sonographer through the American Registry for Diagnostic Medical Sonography (ARDMS).
*This program prepares students for certification testing, although there is no guarantee of passing the certification test and passing the test is not a graduation requirement.
Employment & Earnings
The Department of Labor lists the mean annual wages of cardiovascular technologists and technicians in 2010 were $54,550 in offices of physicians and $49,740 in general medical and surgical hospitals. They also point out that healthcare employers are particularly interested in certified Cardiovascular Technologists, so job prospects should be best for Cardiovascular Technologists with formal training such as that offered at Central Florida Institute.
According to the United States Department of Labor, Florida has the highest published employment level for Cardiovascular Technologists and Technicians in the country! The United States Department of Labor indicates that employment of cardiovascular technologists and technicians is expected to increase 24 percent through the year 2018, much faster than the average for all occupations.
Graduates of the Echo Sonography program are employable in facilities such as:
Prerequisites
Students enrolling in Associate of Applied Science Programs will take the CPAt Scholastic Level Exam, which is recognized and approved by the U.S. Department of Education. Please call our admissions department for a copy of the application process. 1-888-831-8303
A criminal background search may be conducted on students enrolling at Central Florida Institute.
CFI Graduate Stories
"Central Florida Institute has changed my life. I have always had a passion to be in the medical field, but just wasn't sure how to get there until I walked in doors of CFI. It was so clear this was the school for me! The classes are small and they offer the one-on-one hands on training that I need." -Holly A., CFI graduate
"Thank you for letting this old man graduate and start a new career!" -Gerard S., NCT Graduate
Additional Program Information
The Echocardiography Sonography training program includes an introduction to noninvasive vascular training. Vascular studies reveal disorders that a patient may have with the circulatory system.
