Clinical Site Information
Getting Started
An associate degree and certification are necessary to become a diagnostic medical sonographer. The Jackson College Cardiac Sonography program is accredited by the Commission on Accreditation of Allied Health Education Programs (CAAHEP). Upon successful completion, students are eligible to apply for certification exams through the American Registry for Diagnostic Medical Sonography (ARDMS) or the Cardiovascular Credentialing International (CCI). Cardiac Sonography at JC is a second-admit program, admission is not guaranteed. Students must complete all general education and related prerequisite courses prior to being admitted into the program. Applications to the program are due every September 15 for a Spring semester start. Admission to the program is competitive and based on a point system. While the course work is online, there is a large clinical component that is not. Clinical education requires in-person hours at an approved clinical site. Clinical site placement is based on annual clinical site availability and geographic location, awarded by points (highest-lowest earned). Clinical site placements will not be announced prior to the admission process timeline.
Clinical Site Facts and Information
The JC sonography program was created as a hybrid program (online course work plus ground-based clinical component) to serve communities that do not have access to local accredited ultrasound education. Our policy from the beginning has always been, if you live within a 2-hour driving distance from another accredited program, you should apply locally. To comply with recent accreditation standards, a student cannot identify and initiate a clinical affiliation partnership. Requests to initiate a clinical affiliation partnership are limited to clinical site personnel, the program director, or the program clinical coordinator. Currently clinical site availability is limited to certain states where JC has established affiliations. Clinical sites are not located in every state in the nation, therefore relocating to an affiliated clinical site may be necessary. If you are unable to relocate to attend a Jackson College clinical education site, it is highly recommended to apply to another program. Please visit www.caahep.org to learn if a program is in your geographical location. To learn whether an affiliated clinical site is in your geographical area (city, town), please email sonographyinquires@d809.com.
Regardless of your reasons applying to our hybrid program (cost, online delivery, waitlists, failure of acceptance in another program, etc.) you should still apply to a program that is in your geographical location.
States with Jackson College Affiliation
- Illinois
- Indiana
- Maine
- Michigan
- Montana
- Louisiana
- Ohio
- New Mexico
- New York
- North Dakota
- South Carolina
- Tennessee
- Virginia
This list will be updated frequently as the program obtains new affiliations.
Participation of clinical sites varies each year. The Allied Health Office makes every attempt to secure and assign students to clinical sites based on the student’s preferences regarding commuting and/or relocation. However, it is not always possible to secure a site within commuting distance therefore students who are open to relocating improve their chances of getting into the program.