How to Become an Ultrasound / Vascular Technician in California

During our daily student orientations and one-on-one meetings at Modern Technology School in Orange County, we’re often asked, “What does an Ultrasound / Vascular Technician Do Exactly?” The answer is quite simple and complex all the same. Ultrasound / Vascular Technicians days are filled with numerous tasks and as part of the entire patient-doctor experience, they are responsible for so much more within the medical field. Ultrasound / Vascular Technicians question the patient about their medical history and then prepare the patient for ultrasound procedures. They prep and operate the ultrasound equipment, making sure it’s dialed-in and calibrated to specs for proper use. Ultrasound Techs prepare the patients for the ultrasound examination and take time to calm & ready the patient, explaining the procedure with care while getting an understanding of the patient medical history. They then use the ultrasound equipment to scan the area of the body that is currently being examined prior to analyzing the real-time and post-ultrasound data while taking images of the patient. Lastly Ultrasound / Vascular Techs take that diagnostic information and evaluate their findings, all while maintaining clean & detailed records of patient progress, archiving ultrasound images to a digital database and then presenting a summary of the findings/data to a physician.

Ultrasound / Vascular Technicians can often be found in hospitals (obviously), but also Urgent Care Centers, Specialized Imaging Facilities, Sports and Injury Rehabilitation Hospitals, Orthopedic Offices, Corporate Health Care Facilities, Private Doctor’s Clinics, or Pediatric Hospitals. But where it all begins for the Ultrasound / Vascular Technicians is the Ultrasound Technician School or Medical College such as Modern Technology School in Orange County, California, that will help them learn the basics & fundamentals of Sonology, as well as the foundation and medical knowledge to propel them into a career as an Ultrasound / Vascular Tech.

How to Graduate from Ultrasound / Vascular Tech School in California

To successfully graduate from an accredited and licensed Ultrasound / Vascular Technician school or medical college in California, students must successfully complete all required course work with a grade point average of 2.0 (70%) with a C or better, plus complete and pass all clinical training hours. Ultrasound / Vascular Students must also fulfill all financial obligations to their educational facility prior to graduation. In order to receive your Ultrasound / Vascular Technician Diploma, and in order to be seated for the State Board Exams for Ultrasound / Vascular graduates, students must fulfill all academic, clinical and financial requirements within 30 days of the completion of the Ultrasound program. The graduate will receive a Diploma from the School recognizing the graduate’s achieved competency only after they have successfully completely all didactic, lab and clinical components of the Ultrasound / Vascular Tech Program and have completed their clinical log book, time-sheets, log-sheets, as well as case studies submitted and clinical evaluations. Upon graduation from the Ultrasound program, the graduate will receive their diploma as well as an official copy of their school transcripts which highlights the new Ultrasound / Vascular graduate’s grades and test scores.

Ultrasound / Vascular Technician Classes & Preparing for the California Ultrasound Exam

While you’re a student at Modern Technology College in Fountain Valley, CA the didactic portion of your Ultrasound / Vascular coursework can be broken down into 8 weeks, 32 weeks or 36 weeks, depending on your chosen schedule. The Ultrasound coursework is comprised of:

Clinical Internship for Ultrasound / Vascular Technicians in California

Finally, after you’ve completed the other portions of the Ultrasound / Vascular Tech program at Modern Technology School, you’re ready for your Clinical Internship for Ultrasound / Vascular Techs. The internship portion for Ultrasound / Vascular Technician involves General Ultrasound Training, which includes: Abdomen, Pelvic, OB, Small Parts, Patient Care, Entry-Level Vascular Training, Lab Procedures and Protocol, Policies, Scanning Competency, Vascular Evaluations, Abdominal Doppler of Vascular & Abdominal Structures, Venous & Arterial Imaging + Evaluation and Knowledge of Lab Procedures is all part of completing your clinical internship as an Ultrasound / Vascular Technician. The Clinical Internship for Ultrasound / Vascular Technicians is 32 weeks total, and is full-time (a non-CAAHEP program), with a total of 1024 Clinical Hours.

Educational Goals & Objectives

At Modern Technology School in Orange County, California, we focus on providing our Ultrasound / Vascular students with didactic, laboratory and clinical training needed to meet entry level Ultrasound / Vascular positions and we place a strong focus on a variety of important medical industry knowledge and procedures, which we feel lay down the fundamental bricks of the medical education needed in order to hopefully solidify gainful employment upon graduation as well as California Licensing. Ultrasound Technologists and Sonographers are frequently required to perform vascular procedures as part of their caseload, so we put a lot of emphasis on that within our program. With our commitment to serving our students, and our students’ commitment to success, we believe that Modern Technology School students who complete the Ultrasound / Vascular Technology course should be extremely ready to begin a long-lasting and demanding career as an Ultrasound / Vascular Technician.

What Happens After You Graduate as an Ultrasound / Vascular Technician

Sonography & Ultrasound / Vascular Graduates will be able to sit for the National Registry Examinations in general Ultrasound and/or Vascular Technology only after meeting prerequisite requirements listed on the ultrasound registry website. You will need 12 months post-graduate employment plus 12 continuing education credits in ultrasound. You will also need a letter of verification of hours you’re your employer. MTS students will be able to take the Ultrasound Registry Physics and Instrumentation examination after successful completion of the program.

Graduates of the Diagnostic Medical Ultrasound/Vascular Technologist program will be able to obtain entry-level employment as either an Ultrasound or Vascular Technologist. Employment opportunities can be found in many places, including medical centers, hospitals, imaging centers, mobile or portable medical/ultrasound clinics, as well as the ultrasound registry and more! Graduate employment opportunities also exist in ultrasound departments that require sonographers who performing diagnostic procedures to be cross-trained in Vascular Technology, which is becoming more and more common… but don’t worry, Modern Technology School in Orange County, California has you covered!

At Modern Technology School, we’re extremely passionate about making sure that our Ultrasound / Vascular Technician students are ready to make their own exceptional contributions in the sonography and diagnostic healthcare field. MTS has been training and preparing students for the medical field since 1981 and we have one of the best Ultrasound / Vascular Tech programs and course curriculums in all of California. If you live in Orange County or Los Angeles, then Modern Technology School is a great place to enter the workforce and begin a new career as an Ultrasound / Vascular Technician today! Come in or call us at 888-991-8997 today, we accept walk-in appointments and would love to meet you, see what your interests are, and to give you a thorough tour of our campus!

For more information, please visit MTSchool.edu or call us today!