HOUSTON (Jan. 20, 2016) – Pima Medical Institute is now offering a Diagnostic Medical Sonography associate degree program, allowing students to receive more training and hands-on experience before entering the workforce.
The 22-month program prepares students to become ultrasound technologists. They create ultrasound scans of various parts of the body to help doctors make medical diagnoses and develop a course of treatment.
“By providing our students with more training time, they will be even better prepared once they begin working,” said Pima Medical Institute Houston Campus Director, Phil Heine. “We extended the clinical practicum experience from 24 to 30 weeks, which we believe will enhance their scanning skills,” he said.
Pima Medical Institute diagnostic medical sonography students learn terminology, equipment, techniques and protocols utilized in gynecology and obstetrics, vascular and abdominal ultrasound. They care for the patient by explaining the procedures, recording pertinent medical history, reviewing lab results, selecting appropriate equipment and settings, and create diagnostic-quality images to aid the doctor in making diagnoses and guiding treatment.
As ultrasound imaging technology evolves, it will be used by medical facilities as a substitute for procedures that are costly, invasive, or expose patients to radiation. Due to this increase in use, and the growing older population who will need diagnosis of medical conditions, employment of diagnostic medical sonographers is expected to grow 24 percent nationally through 2024, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.
Most ultrasound technologists work in hospitals, but employment is expected to increase in physicians’ offices, medical and diagnostic labs, and other medical institutions, such as outpatient imaging departments and free-standing urgent care facilities, due to a shift toward outpatient care.
Visit Pima Medical’s diagnostic medical sonography associate degree webpage to learn more about the program. The Houston campus is located at 11125 Equity Drive, Suite 100. It offers multiple associate degree and certificate programs.
