Career Studies Certificate
Purpose: The PVCC Career Studies Certificate in Vascular Sonography will prepare competent entry-level vascular technologists in the cognitive (knowledge), psychomotor (skills), and affective (behavior) learning domains.
Occupational Outlook: According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), a Diagnostic Medical Sonographer uses equipment that emits sound waves to penetrate through body tissue (www.bls.gov). The sound waves reverberate back to create a computerized image of the body tissue. Vascular Sonographers are thus the specially trained technologist who work with the vascular system.
According to the U.S. Department of Labor and EMSI data, employment of sonographers nationally and in our service region is projected to grow faster than average for other occupations through 2024. In our region of Virginia vascular sonographers are employed at an estimated salary of $24.31 per hour ($50,564 annually). Experienced vascular technicians can earn an average of $34 per hour ($70,720). As imaging technology evolves, medical facilities will continue to use ultrasound to replace more invasive and costly procedures. Sonographers with specialized credentials in more than one modality, e.g. Vascular Technology, will have a competitive advantage over other sonographers without this additional training.
Admission to the Program: ARDMS and relevant work experience.
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