Adult Echocardiography

About the Program

Learn to use ultrasound waves to view the structure of the heart and diagnose heart disease.

Associate of Applied Science in Cardiovascular Technology
Specialty: Adult Echocardiography

An echocardiogram is one of the most widely used diagnostic tests for heart disease. These tests are performed by Echocardiography Technologists (Echo Techs). An echocardiogram is performed in a one-on-one setting in a hospital or outpatient facility. You’ll learn to perform echocardiograms using ultrasound equipment to gather data about the structure and function of the cardiac chambers, valves, and vessels leading to and from the heart. 

You will be able to perform multiple types of tests as an Echo Tech. These include: Transthoracic echocardiogram, transesophageal echocardiogram, and a stress echocardiogram, or stress test.

Your Educational Experience

As a student, you’ll learn in classrooms, skills labs, clinical settings, and online, thanks to the College’s emphasis on hybrid learning. You’ll learn material when it’s convenient for you, then come together in class to discuss what you’ve learned; or in skills labs, where you’ll apply that knowledge in a safe environment that can simulate nearly any medical condition you might encounter. You’ll gain more than 1,500 hours of hands-on experience in the classroom, skills lab, and clinical rotation – surpassing the requirements for licensure or of other programs. So you’ll graduate from Sentara College uniquely prepared for one of the most challenging and rewarding careers anywhere. This approach to education is what makes Sentara College of Health Sciences one of the top healthcare schools in the region, and will set you apart from all others.

Adult Echocardiography at a Glance

• Classes are held daytime, full-time Monday through Friday
• The Program is offered every August
• Graduate with your Associate of Applied Science degree in Cardiovascular Technology and be eligible to apply to sit for the registry examinations prior to graduation
• The CVT Program has a lab, complete with equipment and supplies, for practicing invasive and hemodynamic monitoring and cardiac or vascular ultrasound
• More than 1,500 hours of hands-on experience in skills labs, simulation, and clinicals
• Small clinical and class sizes with a ratio of 8 students to 1 faculty member
• Gain clinical experience in renowned Sentara facilities
• Intensive hands-on learning experience
• Now accepting applications for August 2025
• 2024-2025 tuition, fees, and total cost of attendance

The Sentara College Cardiovascular Technology (CVT) Program admitted its first class in 1982 in response to the need for qualified individuals to work in Sentara Norfolk General Hospital’s cardiac catheterization, cardiac ultrasound, and vascular ultrasound labs. Today, Cardiovascular Technologists in all specialties work throughout Sentara.

Career Opportunities in CVT

As a Cardiovascular Technologist, you will enjoy many employment opportunities across the country in hospitals, clinics, physician offices, imaging centers, operating rooms, clinical research laboratories, and the biomedical industry. Cardiovascular Technologists assist physicians and surgeons in performing many diagnostic and therapeutic procedures both in the hospital and in the outpatient setting. The highly specialized fields of Cardiovascular Technology are in high demand. 

To learn about this program's state authorizations and compliance disclosures, please click here.

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