When choosing a school to learn diagnostic ultrasound the information on the internet can be overwhelming. There are thousands of websites and forums that discuss the many ways to become a Sonographer. And even more schools or websites listing schools that don't actually offer a sonography program or had at one point but no longer does. It is true that there is a shortage of reputable diagnostic ultrasound schools in the U.S. Students find themselves finding information about schools that no longer exist or stories about students who can't get jobs after they graduate. These conditions can cause anyone searching for a program to become wary about the profession as a whole.
Introduction
There is hope for individuals seeking a great education and who want to have a success story at the end of their education!
Let me formally introduce myself. My name is Tina Siegfried. I became a Sonographer after high school where I attended Triton college in Illinois that offered a two-year ultrasound program. I have now been in the field for over twenty years. Five years into my career I realized that I loved teaching the students that would come to the clinic for training. I loved it so much that I have pursued a career in diagnostic ultrasound education and have been doing so for the last fifteen years.
I had the privilege of working with two Denver institutions that offered a diagnostic education, and I help build and execute the curriculums. As I talked with more and more people wanting to become ultrasound technologists, I soon realized that the lack of schools in most states wasn't the only problem. Schools were closing their business and students weren't able to get jobs because their school had a bad reputation or they weren't accredited and needed to work one year before they can be registry eligible with the ARDMS.
Where do I find an Ultrasound Program I can trust?
The problem is tangible, and there are many students who had acquired a poor education and graduated when they weren't ready to work independently. A career in sonography demands that the graduate is competent and confident when they enter, day 1, on his or her first job.
I want to share the secret to becoming a great Sonographer
Personal Time! Diagnostic Ultrasound is highly autonomous, and the skill extends into a personal art. It is unlike any other imaging modality in a radiology department. Sonographers have to search and find pathology and conditions and use scanning techniques that take time to develop. This is where many schools fall short. If a student passes their assessments and moves on to a clinical externship they might end up observing more than practicing and the little time they have to practice in the time allowed might not be enough.
At Wolf River Diagnostic Learning Center we allow the student to stay as long as they need in the courses. Each course is seven weeks in length, and students meet 4 hours a week in a virtual classroom with a certified sonographer instructor. Students are allowed to repeat course modules for complete mastery of important ultrasound material. And trust me, this is a huge piece of the puzzle to success. A sonographer is dependent on to find what is causing a patient pain, fever, or swelling, etc., and it is important techs know all the normal and abnormal ultrasound appearance of the anatomy and possible pathology or anomalies.
WRDLC also brings a portable lab module called the Scanning Studio© to you!
That's right, so far no traveling to any brick and mortar location or traveling far distances to get practice. The goal for you in the Scanning Studio is to teach you the scanning techniques necessary to perform the diagnostic ultrasound examinations quickly and efficiently. And there is no time limit! Each student will need his or her custom amount of time to master these skills, and a certified sonographer will be training you in the privacy of your home, office, or near-by agreed upon location. You will learn the machine and how to adjust the knobs for optimal images. You will scan volunteers who can be friends, family, or acquaintances. By the time you enter the clinical externship component, you will be already helping the working sonographers and become a valuable asset to them which can lead to easy employment.
You can see that the WRDLC diagnostic ultrasound education already differs in many ways from other schools because we not only believe in the personal success of our students but we offer the tools necessary to do so on a case by case basis.
The WRDLC program follows the ARDMS prerequisites 1 and 3A. You must have earned a bachelor's degree or 2-year allied degree from an Accredited School. The WRDLC diagnostic ultrasound education takes the place of ON-THE-JOB-TRAINING, and you will graduate in as little as 52 contact weeks. Family, vacation, and having a life while in school is easy at Wolf River Diagnostic Learning Center.
