4 Best (8-MONTH) Ultrasound Tech Online Programs


Written By: Darby Faubion, RN, BSN, MBA

Looking for a healthcare career where you’ll make good money, work regular hours, and complete your training in a year or less? Why not become an ultrasound technician? Ultrasound techs are in high demand, so you’ll have job security. This professional trajectory also offers many opportunities for career advancement. By enrolling in an 8-12 month online ultrasound technologist program, you won’t have to give up your daytime job, and you’ll enjoy the same high quality of education as a traditional student. Asking yourself what are the best 8-12 month online ultrasound tech programs? Keep reading to learn all about the 4 best 8-12 month ultrasound tech online programs.

(Please note that very few 8-month Ultrasound Tech online programs are currently being offered. To provide our readers with a broader range of options, for our rankings, we have evaluated online Ultrasound Tech programs that can be completed in 8-12 months.)



RECOMMENDED ONLINE HEALTHCARE SCHOOLS

What are the Best (8-12 MONTH) Ultrasound Tech Online Programs in the Nation?

(Based on our Ranking Methodology, the following are the 4 best 8-12 month Ultrasound Tech online programs in the nation. You can complete these programs in 8-12 months.)


1. Boise State University - Boise, ID


Program Length: 12 Months


About The School: Boise State University offers one of our featured 8-12 month ultrasound tech programs online. The program is designed to prepare you to perform as a master of advanced imaging applications and principles, prepare for the RDMS credentialing exam, and obtain national certification as an ultrasound technician. The university admits students to the program three times yearly in the summer, fall, and spring semesters.

Program Details: The program, which features a 37-credit curriculum, is designed for students who hold an imaging credential and wish to add a modality. The program features classes such as Advanced Modality Case Studies, Sonographic Physics and Instrumentation, Pharmacology and Contrast Media, and Sectional Anatomy in Imaging Sciences.


Clinical Training: In this program, you will participate in laboratory simulations to learn basic sonography techniques. Additionally, the program includes two clinical practicum experiences. Clinicals are completed in settings as close to your home as possible under the supervision of preceptors approved by the program.


How Fast Can You Complete This Program: Attending full-time, you can complete the online diagnostic medical sonography program at Boise State University in as few as 12 months.


Admission Requirements: To be considered for admission to the program at Boise State, you must be a credentialed, clinically based healthcare provider with a minimum associate of science or associate of applied science degree. You must apply for admission to Boise State University, provide medical professional credentials, and submit a resume detailing your patient care experience.


Why Choose This Program

• Boise State University offers opportunities for graduates of its 12-month ultrasound tech program to pursue advanced medical imaging studies. The school offers a Bachelor of Science in Advanced Medical Imaging and certificate programs in Interventional Radiology & Interventional Cardiology, Computed Tomography, and Magnetic Resonance Imaging.
• Graduates of the BSU ultrasound tech program are offered job placement assistance. Most graduates report finding a job as an ultrasound technician within three months of graduation.
• As a student in the program, you will be paired with a Student Success Coach who will guide you and assist with your needs from the time you are admitted to the program until you graduate.


2. Washburn University - Topeka, KS


Program Length: 1 Year


About The School: Washburn University offers one of the country's best 8-12 month ultrasound tech online programs. You can choose from three specialties: general sonography, cardiac sonography, or vascular sonography. The program is designed for full-time study and is delivered in three consecutive semesters, beginning in the fall of each year.

Program Details: The diagnostic medical sonography programs at Washburn University feature online didactic coursework and clinical experiences in facilities close to your home. The cardiac and vascular sonography pathways feature 34-credit curriculum plans. The general sonography program is a 40-credit-hour pathway. Depending on your chosen concentration, you will take classes, including Introduction to Diagnostic Medical Sonography, Sonography Principles and Instrumentation, Abdomen Sonography Procedures, OB/GYN Sonography Procedures, Cardiac Sonography Procedures, and Vascular Sonography Procedures.


Clinical Training: The 12-month online ultrasound tech program at Washburn includes 1,105 clinical practice hours. Clinicals begin in your first semester and continue until graduation. Faculty collaborate with you to locate and arrange clinical practicums. If your current employer is willing and meets preceptor qualifications, you can complete your clinical training at your place of employment.


How Fast Can You Complete This Program: You can complete each of the three online ultrasound tech programs at Washburn University in twelve months or three semesters.


Admission Requirements: To be accepted to the ultrasound tech online program at Washburn University, you must have an associate degree or higher in a healthcare program, such as radiologic technology, physical therapy assistant, registered nurse, or respiratory therapy. All candidates must complete sonography prerequisites prior to the first day of the program.


Why Choose This Program

• The university offers three ultrasound tech pathways. Some students choose to complete an additional specialty certification after completion of the first pathway.
• You may be allowed to complete the clinical component of your program at your current place of employment.
• With didactic coursework entirely online and clinicals at your place of employment or in your home region, at Washburn University, you can pursue your education on your terms.


3. Bellin College - Green Bay, WI


Program Length: Two Semesters


About The School: If you are a working sonographer interested in earning a cardiac sonography certification, Bellin College has a great program worth considering! The program, which is one of the nation’s best online 8-12 month ultrasound tech programs, begins in the fall semester and culminates in the spring of the following year.

Program Details: The program offered at Bellin College is a fast-track adult echocardiography program designed for sonographers who are already registered in vascular technology. The program is a semester pathway. Didactic coursework is delivered entirely online, and students visit the college campus for one weekend of intensive. In the program, you will study Introduction to Adult Echocardiography Evaluation and Physics Synthesis and participate in two clinical practicum sessions.


Clinical Training: If you pursue the online ultrasound tech program at Bellin College, you will complete 400 hours of clinical practicum. You may complete clinical requirements at your current place of employment. If placement where you currently work is not possible, Bellin College faculty will assist you with finding appropriate placements and preceptors as close to your home region as possible.


How Fast Can You Complete This Program: The ultrasound tech program at Bellin College takes two semesters or eight months to complete.


Admission Requirements: The online 8-month ultrasound tech program at Bellin College is available to sonographers who are currently credentialed in vascular technology through the American Registry of Diagnostic Medical Sonography. If you are currently credentialed, you must provide an official transcript from a CAAHEP-accredited sonography program and any other post-secondary institutions you have attended. If you do not have a current sonography credential, you may be considered for admission to the BSDMS General Vascular program and allowed to minor in adult echocardiography.


Why Choose This Program

• You can complete the adult Diagnostic Cardiac Sonography certificate program at Bellin College in just two semesters, making it one of the shortest programs available.
• The program offered at Bellin College is designed with the working sonographer in mind and allows you to complete clinical requirements when they fit into your work schedule.
• Bellin College offers a low student-to-faculty ratio so that you will receive more individualized attention from faculty.


4. Saint Joseph’s University - Lancaster, PA


Program Length: 11 Months


About The School: Saint Joseph’s University offers an 11-month online ultrasound tech program at its Lancaster, Pennsylvania, campus. With high student retention rates, post-graduation job placement rates, and certification examination pass rates, you can feel confident that the program will prepare you to move forward in your career with a Diagnostic Medical Sonography Certification.

Program Details: The program features a blended hybrid learning format, which includes a mixture of online and classroom learning, laboratory simulations, and clinical practicums. Students are admitted to the program once per year in the summer semester. The 40-credit curriculum includes classes such as Ethical and Legal Dimensions in the Health Sciences, Abdominal Sonography, Obstetrical & Gynecological Sonography and Common Vascular Procedures.


Clinical Training: The final semester of the program involves a clinical externship where you will gain hands-on clinical experience. You will have guaranteed clinical placement at some of Pennsylvania’s top hospitals, outpatient facilities, and diagnostic centers, including Penn Medical Lancaster General Health, WellSpan Good Samaritan Hospital Lebanon, and Penn Medicine Chester County.


How Fast Can You Complete This Program: The online ultrasound tech program at Saint Joseph's University takes 11 months to complete. The program is for three consecutive semesters, beginning in the summer and extending through the spring of the following year.


Admission Requirements: The 11-month online ultrasound tech program at Saint Joseph’s University is open to any applicant with a bachelor’s degree, regardless of whether you have a background related to healthcare. You must complete an online application, submit official transcripts from any college or university you attended, and provide two letters of recommendation. Additionally, you must submit a professional resume and a personal statement.


Why Choose This Program

• Saint Joseph’s University employs faculty with a wide range of experience working in diagnostic medical sonography. Your instructors have worked in sonography specialties ranging from OB/GYN to abdominal sonography to vascular imaging. Most faculty are currently working in the sonography field, which means you will have access to the most current knowledge and data regarding medical sonography.
• The Saint Joseph's University's Center for Excellence in Practice is the first and only Center of its kind in the Lancaster area. In the Center, you will practice obstetric scanning skills on live patients and work in realistic sonography simulations to prepare for clinical practicums.
• Saint Joseph’s University is a military-friendly school, offering assistance and services to veterans and their dependents to help them achieve their academic goals.


VIEW OUR RANKING METHODOLOGY


Darby Faubion, RN, BSN, MBA
Darby Faubion is a nurse and allied health instructor with over 20 years of clinical experience. Her work history includes clinical experience in pediatrics, mental health, addiction and behavioral disorders, geriatrics, wound management, and communicable disease. Darby has worked in hospitals, long-term care facilities, and home health and hospice agencies. Darby also has experience as a nursing and allied health educator at both community college and university levels. Her love for nursing and nursing education led to her becoming a test-taking strategist and NCLEX prep coach.