Accreditation for diagnostic medical sonography programs is available in three concentrations: general, vascular, and cardiac. USI received initial accreditation for its general sonography concentration in March 2009. With the accreditation of the vascular and cardiac tracks, USI′s program becomes one of only nine bachelor of science programs in the country to have accreditation in all three concentrations.
“The accreditation of our sonography-program specialties (general, cardiac, and vascular) recognizes the excellence of graduates and the collaborative teaching excellence of faculty and regional preceptors,” said Dr. Nadine Coudret, dean of the USI College of Nursing and Health Professions.
The accreditation decision was announced in July by the Commission on Accreditation of Allied Health Education Programs (CAAHEP). A team from the Joint Review Commission on Education in Diagnostic Medical Sonography (JRC-DMS) conducted a site visit in fall 2010. JRC-DMS is a member of the accrediting organization. Initial accreditation is granted for five years.
Claudine Fairchild is program director for the baccalaureate program in diagnostic medical sonography and assistant professor of radiologic and imaging sciences in the USI College of Nursing and Health Professions.
Other universities with accreditation for bachelor-degree programs in all three concentrations are University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences, George Washington University Medical Center, Washburn University, Grand Valley State University, Kettering College of Medical Arts, Thomas Jefferson University, Seattle University, and University of Wisconsin Hospitals and Clinics
