r/SonographyStudents

The program that I applied to, that I wanted the most I got waitlisted for and I am the second alternative so two people have to drop for me to get a spot. There’s only five spots available. Feeling really discouraged, but I know that there are other programs out there and the waitlist is not a rejection. I just really wanted this cause it worked the best for my timeline and I wanted to do cardiovascular all the other programs that I’ve looked at are have other specialties in rotation, and I would have to wait another year. Anyone facing or been through something similar?

I’m currently trying to decide on if I want to apply at Smith Chason (WCUI) or Pima Medical (Phx) for DMS. I was looking into Gateway, but I heard the waitlist is unreasonably long.

Is anyone currently enrolled in these schools or has anyone completed the application process for these schools?

I could use any pointers/advice on waitlist times, the application process, the interview’s, clinical sites, and your overall experience.

Also, I know WCUI isn’t CAAHEP accredited, so does that make looking for a job/taking the ARDMS more difficult?

Any feedback will be helpful, thanks in advance!!

Hi all,

I'm more introverted and anxious. I started sonography school but don't talk to anyone. Some of the students seem to already know each other or are in healthcare already and learning a new modality.

I'm brand new to healthcare and I know we will have to practice. I don't know anyone in the city I'm going to school so I don't think I'll get a lot of lab hours or volunteers. I have a relative that might be able to go to lab with me 1x per week.

I saw that some schools give their students tablets with transducers for imaging. Does anyone have anything like that they practice with at home? If so how much does the transducer and app cost?

I’m in a healthcare/diagnostic imaging program in Tennessee and completed the academic portion of my program, passed my required credentialing exam, and completed the requirements I was given to begin clinical training.

The problem is that my school has been unable to provide the full clinical placement necessary for me to complete the program. This has significantly delayed my expected graduation and entry into the field, and the situation eventually resulted in a dispute with the school and an administrative withdrawal.

I’ve gone through the school’s internal grievance process and have extensive documentation of the situation. I’m now trying to find an attorney who handles cases involving higher education, breach of contract/misrepresentation, consumer protection, or similar disputes with private colleges.

Has anyone dealt with a similar situation where a school couldn’t provide the clinical training necessary to graduate? If so, what type of attorney did you contact, and were you able to find someone willing to take the case?

I’m especially interested in hearing from healthcare, nursing, sonography, radiology, or other programs where clinical hours/placements are required for graduation.

Happy to provide more specifics in the comments or by DM if relevant.

Hi everyone! I’m wondering if anyone has taken a similar pathway in Australia.

I’m finishing a Bachelor of Biomedical Sciences at Curtin University, with substantial anatomy, physiology and cardiovascular content.

I’m looking at postgraduate cardiac sonography/echocardiography programs. QUT specifically lists biomedical science as a relevant bachelor degree, while Adelaide uni doesnt list Biomedical science and considers unlisted fields case-by-case.

I’ve also found a few places that offer 3-month cardiac sonography training program in Melbourne (were you need to pay), so I’ll have a pathway toward supervised cardiac ultrasound experience.

Has anyone here entered an Australian cardiac/echo sonography program with a Biomedical Sciences degree.

I’d especially like to hear what degree you had, which program you entered, and whether you had any issues with the degree classification.

Thanks!

I feel like I should be way better than I am. I feel like I suck at scanning, and I feel so discouraged. I still struggle sometimes with difficult abdominal scans or vascular scans. I just feel so frustrated and upset. I feel like I can't ever do anything right.

I had a bad scan today when doing an abd complete and messed up so much because the patient was more difficult. I feel like the tech thinks I'm trash now. And I just want to cry.

Greetings,

I selected 'potential student' but 'storytime' and 'rant' may also apply. Preemptive apologies.

I have applied to 3 programs now. I have gotten only one interview, no acceptance. I have patient-facing healthcare experience, I have both my CNA and MA-P licenses. I have volunteer hours, 13 (stress/non stress) echo shadow hours, 4.0gpa across all prerequisite classes and a not-hateful 3.87 cumulative gpa, and glowing letters of recommendation from instructors and former Google manager. Which leads me to my next thing. They all say they want a compelling story. Ok, I have most recently walked away from tech after a ~16 year career as an engineer at Google. I didn't want to be in tech anymore, as epitaphs go, "Helped people buy more stuff" isn't that meaningful/fulfilling, so I wanted to do something w/an actual provision for helping people. I have family and friends with cardiac issues and believe the heart is legitimately the greatest of the organs. Hence the desire for echo specifically and exclusively. I am a 55yo pasty white male. I graduated with the transfer degree spring of 2026 ((w/High Distinction). Presumably this, so everyone tells me, is a compelling story. I actually/genuinely want to be an RDCS more than I wanted the Google gig. I wanted this before I shadowed. Post shadow, I truly don't want to do anything else w/the rest of my viable working life. I'm in excellent physical and mental shape. I'm not an idiot, and have experience in a fast-paced, high stress, long hours, environment.

So wtf is the issue? It "feels" like it's an age thing. Given the litigious nature of our society, there's exactly 0 chance I can ever get this feedback. It's always the "We had an overwhelming amount of stellar candidates." Beyond a 4.0 gpa and a story that involves curing cancer and solving banana blight level issues what is the material issue between my packet and even the lowest scoring accepted candidate? Based on the people at the one interview I did get, it seems that I'm not a early/mid 20s woman. It would be a kindness were I to just be able to know, truly, if one/both/something else, was the actual issue. If it's something I cannot alter it would certainly save everyone a lot of time, energy, effort, and my own mental health from a rejection pov. It does sting.

The latest rejection was delivered today from Johns Hopkins. The issue with this one is even more encumbered. The program director initial told me she wasn't going to be able to consider my application because my transcripts showed Anatomy and Physiology as two discrete courses rather than the more common A&P I and II format. After backfilling all manner of evidence to prove these were the equivalent via TES tool links, screenshots, course descriptions, syllabi, and even a note from my instructor, also the author one of my letters of recommendation. The program director responded that she would consider my application. But now the question is did they really? Or was that just the lowest drama way of "go pound sand!"? And my name was placed on to the rejection bucket w/narry another thought regardless? Or was it actually looked at and evaluated based on some unknown metric, age, sex, and/or just legitimately found wanting? It's also a bit of a letdown given the cachet the Johns Hopkins' name carries, I would have expected she would be intelligent/competent enough to have done some investigation into the A&P thing w/out me having to go through that level of effort to do what should have been her job.

Anyway, is there anyone in the know wrt program applications that can definitively clear up the age/sex thing? The continuing trend of rejection is not something I'm looking forward. Further does anyone know of any other reasonable pathway to getting into an accredited program? Given the 5 year shelf-life on science credits, the annual application windows, and the number viable working life before me, persons my age have an outsized negative impact/penalization w/every rejection. I wish they had a few 'pay-to-win' guaranteed slots for people that meet the prereqs and have money instead of time.

The frustration is true and real.

Any insight/advice would be welcomed.

Thanks!