Community colleges offer an opportunity for an individual with a two-year Associate of Applied Science Degree in a medically-related field to take further course work to obtain a certificate qualifying him to become certified in the field of sonography. An example of a community college program is the one offered by Chattanooga State Community College in Chattanooga, Tennessee, which offers its graduates a Diagnostic Medical Sonography Certificate following a 12-month program. Another community college in Tennessee to offer sonography as a certificate program would be Volunteer State Community College in Gallatin, Tennessee. This school requires 13 months of study and awards a Certificate of Completion.
Located in Nashville, Tennessee, Vanderbilt University Medical Center's School of Diagnostic Medical Sonography offers an 18-month certificate program. Five students comprise the class size and opportunities exist for interaction with medical staff in both the classroom and practical settings. Vanderbilt Medical Center with a 658-bed hospital represents one of the premier health care facilities in the United States, according to its website. For students in the sonography program this medical center provides a different setting than a community college with different opportunities for learning.
The Baptist College of Health Sciences in Memphis, Tennessee offers a Bachelor's Degree in Health Sciences with a major in Diagnostic Medical Sonography. The program has been in existence since 1986. Students spend between 16 and 32 hours per week gaining clinical experience in settings throughout the Memphis area.
Methodist Healthcare with its seven hospitals, health agencies and outpatient clinics represents a large healthcare network. Part of that network includes a Diagnostic Medical Sonography Program. Two programs are offered: general sonography and cardiac sonography. Programs last 15 months with general covering abdominal, obstetrics and gynecologic and vascular. Cardiac focuses on the heart. Students must have a two-year allied healthcare degree prior to enrollment.