Unlike other healthcare professions where you need a license to practice, sonographers are only advised to get certified. Only a few states have enacted licensure laws for sonographers – Oregon, New Jersey, New Mexico, and West Virginia. The rest of the states in the US simply advise passing one or two certification exams. However, what exactly is the difference between a certificate and a license in sonography?
Tell me about the DMS program first.
The DMS program stands for Diagnostic Medical Sonography, or the official name of the sonography program in different educational institutions. When you study sonography, you will learn how to use a sonogram for a variety of cases and how to analyze the images that come from the machine. Sonographers need to have good hand-eye coordination, good eye for detail, and stamina in order to withstand the stresses of the occupation.
Students looking to study sonography can choose from four different specialties: general, cardiac, vascular, and pediatric. These specialties are the only ones recognized by the Commission on Accreditation of Allied Health Programs (CAAHEP) to have their own separate program. Programs are further categorized in terms of length: four years for a bachelor degree, two years for an associate degree, and 12 months for a certificate.
Students looking to study sonography can choose from four different specialties: general, cardiac, vascular, and pediatric. These specialties are the only ones recognized by the Commission on Accreditation of Allied Health Programs (CAAHEP) to have their own separate program. Programs are further categorized in terms of length: four years for a bachelor degree, two years for an associate degree, and 12 months for a certificate.
Do I need to get a certificate or a license?
As previously mentioned, only a few states have sonography licensure laws. However, if you live or want to work in a state that requires sonographers to have a license, you will need to take a licensure exam to practice your profession. Licenses are mandated by the government, meaning that if you want to practice sonography in that particular state, you’re going to need a license.
Certificates, on the other hand, are not mandatory. When you study sonography, you will be advised to sit for a certification exam – usually given the American Registry for Diagnostic Medical Sonography (ARDMS) or the Cardiovascular Credentialing International (CCI). While certificates are not required to work as a sonographer, most employers (especially if you work in a hospital) will ask you get a sonography certificate.
Certificates, on the other hand, are not mandatory. When you study sonography, you will be advised to sit for a certification exam – usually given the American Registry for Diagnostic Medical Sonography (ARDMS) or the Cardiovascular Credentialing International (CCI). While certificates are not required to work as a sonographer, most employers (especially if you work in a hospital) will ask you get a sonography certificate.
Are there different certification exams?
The ARDMS offers two examinations: Sonography Principles & Instrumentation (SPI) and Musculoskeletal Sonography Exam (MSK). The MSK exam is for sonographers who specialized in the musculoskeletal system; after the pass the certification exam they are called RMSK or Registered in Musculoskeletal.
The SPI examination is a basic exam that the sonographer has to take before he can take another exam for specialization (listed below).
The specialty exam you will take will depend on what you studied. You can choose to take more than one exam, especially if you specialized in more than one category. Sonographers who pass the first six on the list become RDMS – Registered Diagnostic Medical Sonographers. If you pass the next three on the list, you become a Registered Diagnostic Cardiac Sonographer (RDCS). If you pass the VT exam, you are likewise called an RVT- Registered Vascular Technologist.
The SPI examination is a basic exam that the sonographer has to take before he can take another exam for specialization (listed below).
- Abdomen
- Pediatric Sonography
- Pediatric Echocardiography
- Adult Echocardiography
- Fetal Echocardiography
- Breast
- Fetal Echocardiography
- Vascular Technology
- Neurosonology
- Obstetrics and Gynecology
The specialty exam you will take will depend on what you studied. You can choose to take more than one exam, especially if you specialized in more than one category. Sonographers who pass the first six on the list become RDMS – Registered Diagnostic Medical Sonographers. If you pass the next three on the list, you become a Registered Diagnostic Cardiac Sonographer (RDCS). If you pass the VT exam, you are likewise called an RVT- Registered Vascular Technologist.