School of Echocardiography

Saint Luke's School of Echocardiography provides students with the skills necessary to succeed in a specialized segment of sonography that is rapidly growing in demand.

Our program:

  • Is a nationally accredited, 18-month, hospital-based adult cardiac sonography program
  • Offers an affordable education
  • Ensures the highest level of education by having a curriculum that combines classroom instruction with guided clinical experience
  • Exposes students to a wide range of cardiac clinical experience
  • Provides specialized instructors with expertise in echocardiography
  • Has established accredited clinical sites for student clinical rotations

Students at the School of Echocardiography will be exposed to multiple specialty areas, including:

  • Adult echocardiography
  • Vascular ultrasound

Read the Program Description

Program goals and student learning outcomes

Goal #1: To maintain the standards set forth by the Joint Review Committee on Education in Echocardiography by providing the community with entry level sonographers who have successfully passed the national registry.

Outcomes:

  • Students will pass required didactic courses.
  • Students will successfully pass the ARDMS national registries including the SPI and Adult Echocardiography exams.

Goal #2: To provide students with the clinical and academic learning experiences that will produce a competent entry level Cardiac Sonographer for a diverse health care community.

Outcomes:

  • Students will pass all didactic courses.
  • Students will pass all required clinical competencies.
  • Students will successfully pass the ARDMS national registries, including the SPI and Adult Echocardiography exams.
  • Students will be employed six-months post-graduation.
  • Employers will be satisfied with graduates’ performance.

Goal #3: To promote the critical thinking practices of the student by challenging them to a variety of examinations within the clinical setting

Outcomes:

  • Students will adapt protocols for abnormal exams.
  • Students will understand normal vs abnormal findings on exams.
  • Students will manipulate machine parameters for routine and non-routine exams.

Goal #4: To encourage the successful negotiation of the program by fostering a positive learning environment through a systems feedback mechanism that is both appropriate and given in a timely manner.

Outcomes:

  • Students will participate in individual monthly evaluations to assess personal didactic and clinical performance.
  • Students will complete semester evaluations on didactic courses and clinical sites for learning effectiveness of didactic and clinical instructors.

Goal #5: To provide the student with the opportunity to develop skills to effectively identify the needs of the patient and to address those needs in a timely and empathetic manner.

Outcomes:

  • Students will use effective conversation skills with patients and clinical staff.
  • Students will provide exam details, in laymen’s terms, to the patient.
  • Students will make the patient comfortable during the exam to ensure quality patient care.

Goal #6: To prepare competent entry-level sonographers in the cognitive (knowledge), psychomotor (skill), and affective (behavior) learning domains for the Cardiac Sonography concentration.

Outcomes:

  • The student will successfully pass the Echocardiography E101 - E501 courses.
  • The student will successfully complete and pass all echocardiography clinical competencies.
  • The student will successfully pass the ARDMS adult echocardiography registry.
  • The student will successfully pass the Clinical Education E103 – E503 courses.

Career opportunities

What is the job outlook for echocardiographers?

  • The job outlook for sonographers is excellent. It is a rapidly growing, dynamic profession that is projected to increase growth in the future.
  • Salaries for sonographers are competitive and inline or higher than other professionals with similar levels of education.
  • Sonographers have a relatively flexible work schedule and can work full or part time.

Echocardiographers can work in:

  • Clinics
  • Hospitals
  • Private practices
  • Public health facilities
  • Laboratories

Career advancement opportunities exist in:

  • Education
  • Administration
  • Research

Echocardiographers also have the ability to become:

  • Education/application specialists in commercial companies
  • Sales representatives
  • Technical advisers

Career resources

As you begin your journey in echocardiography, these professional organizations can provide valuable support, networking opportunities, and career guidance:

Tuition and fees

  • Application Fee: $25, submitted with application
  • Matriculation Fee: $100, must be submitted with acceptance letter to reserve applicant’s position in the program
  • Tuition: $10,330 for 18-month program (payment plans available; no financial aid offered)
  • Books: $1,000 (approximate), students are required to have all books purchased prior to the start of the program
  • Professional memberships: $200 (approximate), including SDMS, GKCES, ASE
  • National Registries:
    • SPI Physics: $250
    • Specialties: $275 each

National registries are the responsibility of the student. Fees are determined by the ARDMS and are non-refundable by the Echocardiography Program. Students may sit for the Physics (SPI) and Adult Cardiac Sonography registries in alignment with the prerequisite requirements determined by the ARDMS. 

Apply Now

Application deadline: Jan. 30, annually
Start date: September, annually

Program effectiveness

Echocardiography Program Effectiveness Data (PDF)

Accreditation

Saint Luke's School of Echocardiography is accredited by the Commission on Accreditation of Allied Health Education Programs upon the recommendation of the Joint Review Committee on Education in Diagnostic Medical Sonography.

CAAHEP (www.caahep.org)
9355 113th St. N. #7709
Seminole, FL 33775
P: 727-210-2350
F: 727-210-2354
[email protected]

JRC-DMS (www.jrcdms.org)
6021 University Boulevard, Suite 500
Ellicott City, MD 21043
P: 443-973-3251
F: 866-738-3444

Students will be able to apply for the American Registry of Diagnostic Medical Sonographers (ARDMS) registries according to applicable prerequisite requirements. For further information, please visit the ARDMS website at www.ardms.org.

Contact us

Saint Luke’s School of Echocardiography
901 E. 104th St., Mailstop 3000 South
Kansas City, MO 64131

Zach Tyler, BS, RDCS, RVT, Program Director
816-932-2716
816-932-2815 fax
[email protected]

Loren Walters, RDCS, Clinical Coordinator
816-932-2081
816-932-2815 fax
[email protected]

Tiffany Johnson, MBA, RDMS (AB) (OB), RVT, RT (R), Director of Sonography Education
816-932-2788
[email protected]

Request a transcript

Complete and return the transcript release form to have a copy of your transcript mailed.

Transcript release (PDF)

More information

 Admissions and Application Program Description