Diagnostic Cardiovascular Sonography, Vascular Sonography, A.A.S.

(CIP 51.0910)

281-756-5625

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Purpose: The Diagnostic Cardiovascular Sonography Program offers a two-year curriculum to prepare individuals for an allied health career in Adult Echocardiography, Pediatric Echocardiography, or Vascular Sonography which are branches of Diagnostic Medical Sonography. Upon graduation, students will possess the skills necessary to perform ultrasound and related diagnostic exams of the heart and blood vessels. Echocardiographers and Vascular Sonographers practice in a variety of settings including hospitals, diagnostic centers, doctors’ offices, contract services, self-employment, sales, education, and research. The Diagnostic Cardiovascular Sonography core curriculum consists of classroom, lab, and clinical instruction on subjects including basic healthcare skills, professional issues, medical terminology, ethics, cardiovascular anatomy and physiology, hemodynamics, pathophysiology, pharmacology, electrocardiography, ultrasound physics, echocardiographic techniques and vascular diagnostic techniques. The program has many clinical affiliations around the greater Houston - Galveston area. Graduates of the program earn their credentials by taking the national registry exam offered by the American Registry of Diagnostic Medical Sonographers (ARDMS) or Cardiovascular Credentialing International (CCI).

The Diagnostic Cardiovascular Sonography programs are accredited through the Joint Review Committee for Diagnostic Medical Sonography (JRC-DMS) which is under the umbrella of the Commission on Accreditation of Allied Health Education Programs CAAHEP), 9355 113th St. No, #7709, Seminole, FL 33775, Tel: 727-210-2350.

A person who has been convicted of or received deferred adjudication for anything other than a minor traffic violation, should contact the American Registry for Diagnostic Medical Sonography (ARDMS) for compliance pre-determination eligibility, www.ardms.org/compliance-predetermination-application/ .
Individuals with felonies are ineligible for admission to the DCVS Program.

Admission Requirements: 

A new class begins each fall semester. Applications are available at www.alvincollege.edu/dcvs during the application period. The application period typically opens in February and closes in April. Refer to the website for the specific dates of each application period. To be considered for admission to the Diagnostic Cardiovascular Sonography (DCVS) Program, the applicant must:

1. Have a high school diploma or GED certificate.
2. Be fully admitted to Alvin Community College.
3. TSI (Texas Success Initiative) requirement satisfied as determined by ACC’s testing and placement policies. Transfer students must meet the transfer institution’s TSI requirements if not enrolled at ACC.
4. Submit to the ACC registrar’s office official transcripts from all colleges/universities attended. Applicant cannot be on suspension or academic probation from ACC or any other college. Students are ineligible for admission if at the time of application transcripts reflect more than one (1) D or F in a sonography course or sonography curriculum science course (BIOL 2401, 2402) taken within five years of the application deadline. This includes DMSO, DSAE, DSPE, and DSVT courses regardless if the course is in the ACC DCVS curriculum. The student is ineligible even if the course is repeated and the student earns an A, B, or C in the subsequent attempt.
5. A student is ineligible for admission to the ACC DCVS program if he/she has been dismissed for unprofessional or unethical conduct while previously enrolled in a health occupation program
6. Complete all pre-requisites with a grade of C or better including: BIOL 2401 , BIOL 2402 , MATH 1314  or MATH 1332 , PHYS 1401  or PHYS 1410 .
7. BIOL 2402 must be taken within five years of application deadline. BIOL 2402 courses completed more than five years prior to the application deadline must be repeated or the student may take and complete Cardiovascular Concepts (DSAE 2403) with no lower than a “C”.
8. Take the Pegasus Ultrasound Student Assessment (USA) exam. Ultrasound Student Assessment scores do not expire. If a student is not accepted to the program as a first time applicant, they may choose to retake the assessment for the following year as a re-applicant. The USA may only be taken twice by any Sonography program applicant, and only once per application cycle. 
    (The DCVS department does not accept USA score reports from students. USA score reports are automatically available to the DCVS department if the student indicates Alvin Community College when registering for the exam. If the USA results are sent to another institution, the applicant must pay a fee to Pegasus to have the official score report sent to the DCVS department.)
9. Complete a minimum of 2 hours of observation in each modality for which the student plans to apply prior to application deadline in Adult Echocardiography, Pediatric Echocardiography, and Vascular Sonography. Observation appointments can be made online. Please visit www.alvincollege.edu/dcvs/application for scheduling.
10. Attend one of the mandatory DCVS information sessions discussing specific program policies and requirements for the application period. Please visit www.alvincollege.edu/dcvs/application for DCVS information session scheduling.
11. Submit the online DCVS application to the DCVS department during the application period.
12. Students who are in progress with prerequisites during the application period may still apply: however, prerequisites must be complete with grade C or better prior to application deadline. 
13. Completed Hepatitis B series with positive titer.

Requirements to be completed after initial acceptance and before the start of the program:

1. Pass a criminal background check and drug screen.
2. Up-to-date immunizations as required by the Texas Department of Health and clinical affiliates (measles, mumps, rubella, tetanus, diphtheria, pertussis, varicella, positive hepatitis B titer, seasonal flu).

3.  Attend DCVS new student orientation.

4. Negative tuberculin screen (yearly) [Initial testing must be a 2-step skin test or Quantiferon Gold blood test.]

5. Proof of health insurance is required before the 1st semester.

6. Purchase of a school uniform.

 

Transfer Students:

1. Meet the above admission criteria.
2. Have a grade of C or better in all courses being transferred into the DCVS curriculum. Sonography course(s) will be considered only if the course contains similar content with comparable credit and contact hours (classroom, laboratory and clinical) to the course offered at ACC.
3. Provide the DCVS department with a description and syllabus of each sonography course being considered for transfer.
4. Transfer may only be accepted if the prior Sonography program enrollment was within the past year. Any DCVS course completed more than one (1) year prior to the time the student is accepted will require demonstration of retention of knowledge and skills before being accepted for transfer.
5. Must complete a minimum of 18 semester credit hours at ACC in order to graduate.
6. Course substitution approval will follow current ACC guidelines as stated in the college catalog. WECM (technical) course substitutions will be reviewed by the DCVS Program Director and Dean.
7. Only students who leave their previous school in good standing will be considered for admission to ACC. ACC DCVS program will not admit a student who was on probation, dismissal, or withdrawn due to unprofessional or unsafe practices. ACC DCVS program will not admit a student who has 2 previous unsuccessful attempts in the prior Sonography program courses.
8. Transfer students will only be considered if there is availability within the current cohort.

Selection for Admission

Admission to the DCVS program is competitive. After the application deadline, applicants are ranked primarily according to the DCVS prerequisite courses and USA exam scores. 

Priority admission is given to applicants who: 

1. Achieved high USA exam scores and 
2. Earned a high GPA in the DCVS prerequisite coursework. 

Additional consideration is given to applicants who: 

1. Complete DCVS curriculum courses without repeating or withdrawing from courses in the last five years from the application deadline; 
2. Complete DCVS curriculum courses at ACC; 
3. Completed ENGL 1301, DSAE 1303, DSAE 2304; 
4. Hold a current certificate in a health profession (for example, but not limited to: CNA, CMA, EMT, dental assistant, etc.) 
5. Hold a Bachelor’s or higher degree from an accredited college or university; and, 
6. Reside in the ACC tax district.

   Please refer to www.alvincollege.edu/dcvs for more information.

Prior Learning Assessment Opportunity:

1. Credit may be awarded toward the AAS degree if the student meets DCVS requirements.
2. Registered by ARDMS or CCI with a minimum of two (2) years of full-time work experience in sonography.
3. These courses must be challenged sequentially.
4. Not all DCVS courses are available for PLA, refer to PLA approved opportunities in ACC Catalog.

Note: Admission requirements, pre-requisites and academic courses are still required.

Auditing
Practicing echocardiographers and vascular sonographers who wish to take courses for refresher or registry exam review. This option is available to all sonographers with advanced permission from Program Director, course credit is not awarded for transcript, but registration and fees apply.

Program Progression

1. Students will abide by the admission and curriculum requirements of Alvin Community College and the DCVS Department at the time they are admitted or re-admitted to the program.
2. Once a student has enrolled in the DCVS Program, all courses must be completed in the proper sequence (lock-step) as shown in the catalog degree plan, or must have the approval of the Program Director.
3. No grade below a C (75) will be acceptable for progression.
4. All students must demonstrate competence in affective, cognitive, and psychomotor domains as required by accreditation standards outlined by CAAHEP. Competence in scanning modality must be proven prior to    graduation for the safety of patients.
5. Students may be dismissed from the program if performance in class, lab, or clinical is deemed unsafe or unprofessional by a clinical affiliate or ACC instructor. This action may be taken at any time during the program, after the proper sequence of documentation, notification, and due process has been completed according to ACC Board policy.
6. Students may be dismissed from the program in the event they are asked to leave a clinical affiliate and not return. This action may be taken at any time during the program, after the proper sequence of documentation, notification, and due process has been completed according to ACC Board policy. The student may not be allowed to continue in the program depending on the severity of the   issue. Clinical resources are very difficult to   maintain, if a student cannot complete rotations in accordance with ACC and DCVS policy, they will not be allowed to return to clinical.
7. Only two (2) attempts in any DCVS course will be permitted. If a student does not successfully complete a course in the DCVS core with two attempts they are no longer able to continue in the program and are not eligible to return.
8. A student requiring hospitalization, serious illness, pregnant or sustaining an injury will be required to obtain a written statement from his/ her physician verifying that the health status of the student is adequate for  performance in class, lab and in the clinical setting. A student may not be allowed to return to clinical or lab if unable to perform the required job tasks, nor if medication is required which may interfere with the ability to perform required job functions.
9. Due to the physical nature of the profession, technical standards, and job requirements, there is no “light duty” in this program. If a student cannot perform the required duties for any reason, they will be allowed to withdraw in good standing and return. As soon as they are cleared by their physician, a plan for completion will be established that meets the needs of the student and the college time line.
10. Students must complete the program within three (3) years after initial acceptance. If a student returns to complete the program after 3 years, they must start over at the very beginning and repeat the entire program.

Readmission: Students may be readmitted to the DCVS Program ONCE after withdrawal or failure of a course.

1. Once enrolled in the DCVS program, a student who receives a D, F, or W in a DCVS course or drops a DCVS course must, if eligible apply for readmission.
2. Students are readmitted on a space available basis and on the student’s compliance with conditions/requirements established by the Director. These requirements may include remediation in academic course work, repeat of DCVS course(s) previously taken, or documentation of recovery from illness. Inability to meet the readmission stipulations may be grounds for denial or permanent dismissal from the program.
3. Students applying for readmission must submit a program readmission request to the Program Director by the application deadline for readmission. Include the following information: Date of withdrawal from the Program; primary reason(s) for withdrawal from the Program; understanding of the requirements for readmission at the time of withdrawal; ways in which recommendations at the time of withdrawal have been completed; and what has been done to improve chances for successful completion.
4. A student who has withdrawn from the DCVS program during the first semester must reapply during the program application period and be ranked with that applicant pool.
5. Evidence of competency in previously completed DCVS courses will be required prior to readmission. This will be accomplished through didactic examination and scanning skills competency demonstration. Students not enrolled for more than one (1) semester must be evaluated on their clinical skills before returning to the clinical site(s). Supervised scanning opportunities will be offered and should be performed to retain skills.
6. Re-entering students must abide by the current admission, curriculum and program requirements of the department at the expense of the returning student. This includes but not limited to: completed up-to-date physical examination and immunizations, up-to-date transcript of any college work done since previous program enrollment, repeat drug screen and criminal background check, CPR renewal, renewal of required programs such as Complio and Trajecsys.
7. Following a second withdrawal from the program, a student will not be readmitted. Students may petition for re-admission when a withdrawal occurs because of a catastrophic event. The student must have had a passing grade in all DCVS courses at the time of withdrawal. Petition will be considered by a faculty review committee.
8. Students who have withdrawn or failed due to technical or academic deficiencies may be readmitted to the program on a probationary status. If the student fails to maintain a satisfactory grade point average (GPA 2.0), attendance, and class, lab and clinical, and acceptable conduct during the first semester after the readmission, he/she may be dismissed from the program and will not be eligible for readmission at any future date.
9. The department reserves the right to deny readmission to a student who discontinued the program due to academic dishonesty or exhibited unsafe and/or unprofessional behavior. The decision to deny or accept readmission will be made by a faculty review committee.
10. All courses must be completed within three (3) years of initial acceptance into the DCVS program.

 

Statutory law (Texas Occupations Code, Chapter 53) requires the Alvin Community College nursing and allied health programs to notify prospective applicants and future healthcare professionals a licensing/credentialing authority may suspend or revoke a license/credential, disqualify a person from receiving a license/credential, or deny to a person the opportunity to take a licensing/credentialing examination on the grounds that the person has been convicted of certain criminal behavior.