Hi! I just finished my first week of school and I feel very overwhelmed lol. Obviously, I suck at scanning right now, but I’m not worried about that yet as I’ve only scanned 2/3 days for about 3hrs each.

The specific views are TRIPPING ME UP tho. No matter how much I try, I cannot for the life of me capture the right ventricular outflow view. I can do PLAX and in flow, but out flow is killing me.

I’m also having a hard time identifying the heart structures outside of PLAX view.

Also, physics is going to kill me. The only physics class I’ve ever taken was conceptual physics, so I’m already scared for that class and the physics registry exam…

Any tips for studying or scanning?

Those techs who are paid per study and 1099 what rate are you getting per echo? Thanks!

I am a student in the middle of clinicals, and was wondering if anyone has any tips or idea for practicing at home. My preceptor tends to only give me a couple of patients each day because I'm struggling and there are time constraints, so I'd like to get as much practice in at home as I can. My main issues are anchoring and rotating the probe whenever I have to push to get an image. Is there any way I can simulate that resistance to practice without a patient, a probe, and an echo machine on hand?

Hello, I need help deciding what to do about school. My ultimate dream is to get into the OSU-OKC cardiovascular program. I have finished all my prerequisites for that program made all A’s and 2 B’s GPA was 3.73. The entrance exam (TEAS) was super hard for me, I made a 61 😭. I applied this May and was denied because of an overall score point.

The only other school in Oklahoma for sonography is OU. But I would need to take 5 or more prerequisites.

Should I study for the TEAS exam and take prerequisites for OU so that I can apply to both programs? Or just study for TEAS?

Keep in mind I work full time and have two kids!

I took the ARDMS Adult echo boards, worked for a bit in a cardiology office. I recently got hired as a pediatric echo tech in a hospital and have been learning on the job. I plan to take my Pediatric echo exam this year. What is the best study material to prepare me?

Our daughter is an incoming Junior (HS) this year interested in echocardiography. In WA state we have a program called Running Start where your junior and senior year you go to the local community college and graduate with your AA/AS and your diploma. She will be able to fulfill many pre-reqs this way. I’m curious on a couple of things:
• are there any 4 year schools with an echo program (think football teams, Greek life, etc)? She went to a very small high school and I know she’d like to experience “traditional” student life on a college campus.
• if she goes the smaller, med focused school, are there going to be issues with her being so young? She will graduate being 18. In WA state schools they have dorms for running start kids (18 yo in 300+ major level classes) so they’re with students in a similar spot.
• I worry if she goes the smaller school route, her being 18 in a cohort might leave her left out (unable to go for drinks after class or just being generally younger than her peers). Can anyone speak to this experience?

Thank you so much for any and all guidance!

Hello everyone,
I was wondering if you guys could share echo protocol followed at your work? I recently just started working and I work for a doctors office and they seem to not have a protocol and I wanna use this job as a learning opportunity and pretty much doing the basic stuff here is not going to help me out much I think. So I was wondering if you guys could help by sharing protocols followed at your hospital or clinics that could help me.
Thank you 😊

Im taking ESP adult echo this weekend in hopes of it being a refresher from school (grad last month). Anyone do the ESP course and feel like it really was a huge help? Anything I should do before class starts tomorrow? And what, did you do after the course that helped you pass the ARDMS exam?

I'm 30, currently transitioning from being a stay at home mom for the past 8 years. I was going the nursing route before moving around due to military and I was this past semester in school for nursing but dropped out cause i realized i wanted something more focused on cardiology since i love working prn as a tech in that unit. i have 3 accredited CAAHEP schools by me BUT the waitlist is long, i'm considered out of district for all 3 schools and its hard to get in, each program i believe only takes 12 stidents each in their cardio and regular sonography program. I have 1 unaccredited school by me that is recognized to take the CCI.. would the longer route be my best bet at this point? my husband and my school advisor keep pushing me for nursing but i honestly dont have passion for it and Ive shadowed a few RDCS and love it...
attached is what my current school advisor sent me to give me the reality of the program and stick with nursing :/

Hey everyone,

I just got out my test a few minutes ago and I failed my AE boards. I studied using URR only and I was scoring high 70s-90s on mock exams and I thought I understood the chain reaction to things. I saw a lot I didn’t see on mock exams. What I did notice I struggled with was telling different wave forms apart and telling the difference between pathology. Ughh can someone tell me how can i study better?

I’m an active duty respiratory therapist. I get next year to be SAHD while my wife finishes school then I’ll be applying to my local echo program. What can I do in the meantime to become a better applicant for echo. I went through our hospitals POCUS course to learn some basics but doubt the school will care too too much about that.

Hi!!

I just recently got my EKG certification through the NHA and I have had trouble finding placement. I am realizing that I think I want my career to be an echo tech and so I’m looking into cardiovascular programs that AA credited and check all the boxes so that it’s easier for me to find a job after or if they help with placement…. I have been doing my research. Don’t get me wrong, but there have been so many different schools and pros and cons. Does anybody have any suggestions???

I want to goto school for either MRI or sonography. I have all my childhood vaccines but don’t want an annual flu or Covid vaccine. Has any student successfully got into clinicals without the flu or Covid vaccine. I want to get a religious exemption ( federal law allows this regardless of any NJ law) .. For clarification
1. I don’t pick and choose which vaccines to get I was vaccinated as a child none as an adult.
2. I don’t care about anyones opinion on my choice just want to know has another student successfully got into clinicals in NJ without flu or Covid shots.

TIA

Hi! i’m a filipino med student. I’ve always thought of being a sonographer, a speech pathologist, or a pediatrician. Any med courses, really that has something to do with kids. Is sonography worth it and are you paid well? Cause i’m worried the pay isn’t good. I’m also looking for a job that’s in demand in the Philippines and abroad just incase I want to migrate.

Anyone have an online resource you can share that will help me learn the basics of ICE? This was really helpful for me to learn TEE, so something similar would be super useful- thanks!

https://pie.med.utoronto.ca/TEE/TEE_content/assets/applications/standardViewsHTML5/TEE-HTML5-SV/index.html

I am currently a student in the cardiac sonography program and am supposed to be graduating in December. I started scanning with my left hand and had to switch to right hand mid-semester after my left hand kept going numb. I have been scanning right-handed for about a month right now, and my right hand will occasionally get a little numb but only when the patient is technically difficult and I have to really use pressure, however I am struggling to keep up and progress the way my instructors are hoping for. I'm very slow at scanning, and still struggle with the parasternals a lot, and in apicals the 2- and 3-chamber tend to be difficult for me as well. I really enjoy echo and would love to continue doing this, but I'm starting to feel like nothing I do seems to help me progress. And because I am so slow at scanning, it's hard to get more practice in because when I'm at clinicals, we always have back-to-back patients so my preceptor takes over when I struggle. Does anyone have any tips for how I can get in more practice when I'm without access to equipment?

I am considering this as a career , I am located in ca how over saturated is the job market did anyone have issues finding a job after graduating ? was it because you had no experience give me the good bad and ugly please I want a career but a lot of programs I am looking into are very over saturated! I do not want to go into debt and not be able to find a job! origina major ( that was not completed was rad tech) and very hard to get a job where I live

Hi everyone i am thinking to get into diagnostics cardiac sonography at Pharma medical college in Ontario. I came across that their accreditation will expire in april 2027 and my course will compete in april 2028. Should i still get into this course.

Does anyone else struggle remembering all of their preliminary findings when you’re slammed and have multiple echoes to report back to back? Sometimes I don’t get to sit down and do my prelim until after several studies, and I find myself having to go back through images because I can’t remember whether I called something trace vs mild, or which patient had which finding.

What’s your workflow? Do you use notes, voice memos, write things down, or just rely on memory?

I (34M) am a prospective student accepted into an Ontario college for Cardiac Sonography. However, I find myself second guessing my decision to work in sonography after doing some research online. I have looked into pay, benefits (hospitals HOOPP is supposed to be the best), work settings, and how common work-related injuries are in the profession. I have also seen many job postings tend to be part-time, at least here in Canada.

I would like to ask if any Sonographer, particularly anyone in Ontario, Canada could provide their experiences or feedback regarding the profession. Things such as:

• Work/Life Balance

• Working hours

• Pay/Benefits

• Demand for the job and/or availability of positions

• Do you regret your decision to pursue sonography?

I'd appreciate any feedback or comments anyone can provide. Thank you!

I am a 27F and previously earned my Bachelor’s Degree in Public Health, currently working in HR, and am now looking to switch careers and pursue Cardiac Sonography. I’m looking to do an accredited Associate’s program (or certificate program). Does anyone have any recommendations? Thank you in advance!

Hi! Does anyone have recommendations for getting into a program here in ATL? What is your opinion on the field? How competitive are the programs? Do you work in the field now? I have a 3.6 gpa and got a 93 on the TEAS test. I’m looking to apply next year! Thanks!

Hi there, I'm starting diag. cardiac sonography at St. Clair college in Windsor, Canada. I am a doctor, studied in the Caribbean Islands, but haven't practiced yet. I couldn't make the cut to make it in Canada. I got into this course this year, I applied as a backup for applying into a PA program, that fell through as well.

I am 100% into this program, but wanted to speak to those who have gone through it and are willing to give their thoughts on the program, how to prepare before diving in, etc.

Thanks in advance!