Finding the Best Ultrasound School in Orange County – Get the Best Value For Your Sonography Education
When considering a career in Ultrasound and Sonography, there are several factors to consider. The most important of those is where you receive your ultrasound training. With so many options, finding the best ultrasound school in Orange County can be challenging. Some schools offer better clinical internships while others are conveniently located. Some sonography schools offer better incentives for students and grads, while others offer more lab hours, a highly-focused curriculum and readily-available faculty.
So how does one choose the best ultrasound school in orange county for their needs? It all starts with research, and then creating a list of what’s most important to you. As you read through this article, take note on the key differences between different ultrasound programs in your area. Remember that ultimately your needs and the requirements set forth by the licensing bodies and the State of California should dictate your final decision on which ultrasound school to attend.
Let’s take a look at how to get the best value for your sonography education and how to choose the best ultrasound school in Orange County.
Career Options for Ultrasound / Vascular Technologists in California
Becoming an Ultrasound / Vascular Technologist is a great career choice. It pays well, the occupation is seeing major growth and there are plenty of options for ultrasound school graduates. Furthermore, Becoming an Ultrasound Tech is a vital part of the Diagnostic Healthcare community. Many people hear the term ultrasound technologist and immediately think of the OB/GYN ultrasound tech checking the gender of a baby inside a mother’s womb. However, there are many different career options for ultrasound technologists in California.
For instance, in today’s Healthcare environment, ultrasound/vascular technologists can find employment within:
- Medical Centers
- Independent/Corporate Imaging Centers
- OB/GYN Clinics
- Ultrasound Registries
- Premier Hospitals
- Private Practice
- Mobile Ultrasound Units… and more!
With so many different career options for ultrasound techs, it’s no wonder that the occupation is seeing a boom in recent years. Sonography as a whole is also seeing many advances and positive changes. Therefore, it’s also important to find an ultrasound school in Orange County that keeps up with the pace of the industry as it moves forward. Simply put, find a school that keeps on the cutting-edge of technology and provides updated training/equipment.
Creating the Perfect Image – Lab Hours & Hands-On Ultrasound / Vascular Instruction
One way in which Ultrasound / Vascular Technologists differ from X-Ray Technicians is that they must create the image. For instance, while the X-Ray Tech positions a patient properly in order to take the best image for a physician, ultrasound techs must create the perfect image in order to help the physician make a diagnosis. This is where spending the hours in an actual ultrasound lab and learning hands-on from an instructor make the difference. There’s simply no replacement for hands-on education.
Finding your way around sonography equipment — ultrasound machines and the proper use of the tools at your disposal is vital to your career as an ultrasound/vascular technologist. We believe that there’s no replacement for the actual instructional or clock hours in an ultrasound program. There’s also no replacement for a school-provided clinical internship for ultrasound, which we’ll get into shortly. When searching for the best ultrasound school in Orange County, you’re going to want to find one that offers the most clock hours and clinical internship hours for your money. There’s simply no way around spending the actual time working one-on-one with instructors and your peers.
All-Inclusive Training: Getting the Most Value Out of Your Tuition for Ultrasound School in Orange County
What does all-inclusive ultrasound training mean? For starters, it means that you’ll be able to receive more value for your tuition cost. Furthermore, it means you’ll probably have to do less legwork on your own. For instance, did you know that some schools require you to have pre-requisites before enrolling in their ultrasound programs? Other won’t offer the clinical internship portion of their ultrasound program. This means that you’d have to go out and find a clinic where you can intern on your own. Moreover, you’d have to ensure the clinic is teaching you proper sonography techniques and sticking to the minimum hours/images as dictated by the state & licensing bodies.
You can probably see where this is leading. It’s true that not every ultrasound school in Orange County is created equal. Some charge you for books and scrubs separately from your tuition. Other sonography schools may not offer financial aid to those that qualify. Finally, there are some schools that may not give you dedicated lab hours or freedom to use the sonography equipment in order to prepare for testing.
When searching for an ultrasound school in Orange County that’s right for you, take these factors into consideration:
- Are pre-requisites built-into the ultrasound program?
- Is the ultrasound/vascular clinical internship included, or do I have to find it on my own?
- Are books and scrubs included as part of your tuition for ultrasound school?
- Does the school offer financial aid to those that qualify?
- Can you use the labs at-will?
Why Clinical Internship is So Important When Choosing an Ultrasound School in Orange County
As mentioned prior, clinical internship is vital to your career as an ultrasound/vascular technologist in California. During the final portion of your education, a good ultrasound school in Orange County will place you in your clinical internship. Notice that we said “will place you.” This means the school does the legwork and has already built working relationships with ultrasound clinics, hospitals and local imaging centers where you’ll intern, and work with real patients, actual ultrasound technologists and get a feel for working in the field at an actual clinic.
Clinical internship is also important in your search for the best ultrasound school in Orange County for another reason. It’s where many schools may skimp on the actual hours provided. Some ultrasound schools may (hypothetically) advertise “4 months of clinical internship included with the program!” However after you enroll, you realize that it’s just a few hours per week, spread across those 4 months, and not a daily internship where you’d actually benefit more from the in-field training.
Therefore, a good way to know if you’re working with a reputable ultrasound school in Orange County is to ask not how long the clinical internship phase is, but how many hours are included. This gives you a chance to compare apples to apples when you search for ultrasound schools in your area. For instance, the clinical internship phase of the ultrasound program at Modern Technology School. You receive 1,000+ hours of in-field internship, which is extremely valuable to your future in imaging.
Hands-On Instruction vs. Online Ultrasound Training Courses
Based on everything we’ve discussed, you probably already know the clear winner. It’s no surprise that hands-on ultrasound training will always have a huge a major advantage over online learning. On the other hand, online ultrasound courses may have some advantages, such as being able to learn on your own time. However, remember that your entire job relies on you creating the perfect image for physicians. Therefore, online courses simply can’t compete with hands-on learning in a real-life lab, where you’ll study ultrasound under the close tutelage of an instructor with field experience.
Here are just some of the advantages of hands-on Ultrasound Training:
- Learn in a small-classroom setting from a sonography instructor who cares about their students
- Get an immediate response to your questions
- Visual demonstrations in real-life sonography labs
- Work with actual human bodies — both students & real patients (in Clinical Internship phase)
- Hands-on ultrasound equipment training — get a feel for your work
- Spend time learning directly from someone who has been in your shoes before
- Work closely with other students experiencing the same things, within a team setting
- Get guidance from your peers, the instructor, and faculty – make a human impression
All that said, we believe you should find an ultrasound school in Orange County that is taught hands-on.
Modern Technology School Offers the Best Value for Your Sonography Education
The Ultrasound / Vascular Technologist program at Modern Technology School offers the best value for your tuition. If anything you’ve read has resonated with you, then give us a call and get your questions answered. We’ve been in business since 1981 and our ACCSC accredited ultrasound school in Orange County would love to have you as a student. We teach in small class settings and offer hands-on learning in real life sonography labs. Our top-notch faculty has worked with some of the most recognizable names in Healthcare.
We offer financial aid to those that qualify and are proud to accept the GI/Veterans Bill. We’re also proud to offer an all-inclusive program where books, scrubs and pre-requisites are built-into the cost of tuition. Curious about clinical internship? We’ve forged relationships with some of the best clinics and local imaging centers in the State of California. We offer a full 1,000+ hours of clinical internship in our Ultrasound/Vascular Technologist Program.
You can reach us by calling (714) 418-9100. Our Admissions Advisor is happy to answer all of your questions and would love to give you a tour of our ultrasound school in Orange County. We’re located conveniently in a safe location in Fountain Valley, with plenty of free parking for our students. Our accelerated ultrasound program offers job placement assistance as well as help with resumes, cover letters and interview help on a one-on-one basis.
Come See for Yourself Why Modern Technology School is the Best Place to Learn Ultrasound in Orange County!
Call us Today at 714-418-9100 and Ask for Admissions
We Offer Free Tours of our Ultrasound School In Orange County 5-Days a Week
We’d Love to Help You Find a Future in Diagnostic Healthcare & Sonography Today.
Modern Technology School is accredited by the Accrediting Commission of Career Schools and Colleges – ACCSC.
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