Put your heart into your work each day while you help doctors diagnose and treat the hearts of others. The rewarding field of echocardiography awaits. In the medical specialty echocardiography, youll use specialized equipment to produce pictures of patients hearts. Using high-frequency sound waves, youll create 2-D and 3-D images that help physicians diagnose and treat disorders. As a technician in this field, you might specialize in adult echocardiography, pediatric echocardiography, or fetal echocardiography.<br><br>This 120-credit program consists of two phases of study:<br><br>Phase One includes 88 credits of coursework in areas such as public speaking, chemistry, biology, physics, and math that are prerequisite to the clinical year. Additionally, students complete all of the Liberal Studies requirements while at the IUP main campus. All requirements in Phase One must be completed before progressing to the affiliating school of nuclear medicine technology.<br>Phase Two includes 32 credits in the 12-month clinical year, during which students attend classes and clinical experiences through the University of Findlay, Ohio. This program is fully accredited by the Commission on Accreditation of Allied Health Education Programs upon recommendation of the Joint Review Committee on Education in Diagnostic Medical Sonography (JRC-DMS).<br>Students spend four months at the University of Findlay, where they study the theory of echocardiography. The next phase includes 35 weeks of clinical in one of the affiliating hospitals. The program concludes with one week of review and a final exam.<br><br>Graduates of the echocardiography program are eligible to apply for the national certification examination. The examinations are administered by the American Registry for Diagnostic Cardiac Sonography (ADCS). In many states, certification by the national organization is needed to apply for licensure so the individual may legally work in that state.