With any job hunt in the state of New York, you need to ask yourself: am I looking for schools in the state of New York or New York City? Both areas have pros and cons, and you need to weigh the option between universities and colleges versus hospitals. Furthermore, there are many factors to consider like housing. Ultrasound technician is a great occupation, but careful searches and planning are essential.
If your answer to the question was New York City, consider SUNY (State University of New York) Downstate Medical Center, located in Brooklyn, New York. Just like any program for ultrasound technician, you will have to meet the exacting admission criteria. First of all, you must have received a minimum of 60 semester credits from institutions that are accredited by the Council for Higher Education Accreditation (CHEA). Secondly, the cumulative GPA must be at least 3.0, and you must have attained this GPA by receiving C or higher in the prerequisites courses. The prerequisites are similar to many other programs like physics and English, but interestingly, this program requires General Chemistry 1 with Labs (requiring Chemistry is not that commonplace requirement) and two years of Anatomy and Physiology (many just require one year).
Once admitted to the program, there are total of 70 credits that the student must successfully finish. The courses are determined to foster the student’s understanding in the entire human system as well as the techniques for sonography. Examples of the courses include Human Physiology, Sonographic Physics II, and Cross-Sectional Anatomy of the Thorax and Head. This program is especially recommended for helping graduates to successfully land with solid jobs after the completion of the program.
For others, the school in the state of New York is the answer. A possible option is Trocaire College in Buffalo, New York. The program is merely one-year of certificate program and constitutes of 35 credit hours. Just like the requirements for SUNY Downstate Medical Center, the requirement to the Diagnostic Medical Sonography (DMS) program is very fastidious. The interested applicant must be a graduate of an A.A.S. (Associate in Applied
Science), B.S., or Diploma Radiologic Technology program. Minimum GPA of 3.0 is required although for the applicants with Diploma Radiologic Technology, the transcripts will be analyzed to determine the exact admission. Following this part of application is the interview. With the certificate program, minimum GPA of 2.0 in total of 36 credit hours must be met. The courses that the student will encounter include Physics of Ultrasound I, Obstetrical Sonography, and Sonography Clinical Practicum II. As you can guess, this program is different than that of the SUNY Downstate Medical Center in the sense that its focus is only on ultrasound physics, abdominal, and obstetrics/gynecological sonography. So, for students interested in other parts of the sonography or want to receive full exposure, then this program is not for you.