The Commission on the Accreditation of Allied Health Education Programs (CAAHEP) accredits echo ultrasound training programs. There are currently 61 accredited schools that offer training in echo ultrasound technology. Bachelor's degrees, associate degrees and certificates are available in 29 states, including California, Florida, Michigan, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania and Texas.
The length of echo ultrasound training varies from one to four years. One-year certificates, two-year associate degrees and four-year baccalaureate degrees are available.
Applicants are required to have a high school diploma or an equivalent credential, such as a GED or post-secondary degree in allied health. High school or college-level coursework in math, physics, biology, chemistry and medical terminology is typically required.
Coursework generally includes ultrasound physics; cardiovascular anatomy and pathophysiology; patient care and protection; echocardiography for adults, infants and children; medical ethics; imaging equipment and instrumentation; vascular ultrasound technology; and diagnostic interpretation.
The American Registry for Diagnostic Medical Sonography (ARDMS) administers professional examinations at the national level. To receive certification as a Registered Diagnostic Cardiac Sonographer (RCDS), testing in sonography principles and instrumentation is required, followed by a specialty examination in adult, fetal or pediatric echocardiography.
The demographic growth of elderly people in the United States and increasing instances of heart disease in the general population means that the demand for professionally trained echo ultrasound technologists and technicians will increase by 24 percent through to 2018 as stated in the U.S. Bureau of Labor's Occupational Handbook. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor, the average salary of a diagnostic medical sonographer was $61,980 as of 2010.