In a year’s time, you can be prepared to take on a Diagnostic Medical Sonography career, starting this fall semester at Pearl River Community College’s Forrest County Campus.
Sonography will begin in August and run for 12 months. Only 15 students will be accepted into the program.
Classes will run during the day, Monday through Thursday. The median annual income is $56,534 at the state level.
Diagnostic Medical Sonography uses high frequency sound waves to produce images of organs, masses, fluid collections, and vascular structures within the human body. Sonography is user dependent, requiring competent and highly skilled professionals to be a part of the integral health care system.
“Pearl River has worked hard to add and expand programs that both align to the needs of local healthcare providers and provide high-paying skills for the people in our district,” said Dr. James David Collum, Dean of Career and Technical Education at the Forrest County Campus.
“The fact that our healthcare providers request new programs and more graduates, speaks to the value they see in our faculty and students.”
To apply to the Diagnostic Medical Sonography program, a student must have graduated from a JCERT Radiologic Technology program (must include Radiographic Physics and Medical Terminology component, could be built into Fundamental of Radiography or approved by the Program Director) or an A.A.S. degree in a Health Science & Nursing or an allied health program with an acute patient care component approved by the Diagnostic Medical Sonography Director.
Some additional pre-requisites include:
-Verification of RTR credential by the first Diagnostic Medical Sonography class.
-Prerequisites for the first Diagnostic Medical Sonography course: College Algebra, Human Anatomy & Physiology I and II with labs, English Composition I and II, Public Speaking or Interpersonal Communication, Humanities/Fine Arts Elective, and a Social/Behavioral Science Elective.
All prerequisite courses must be completed with a “C” or above by the first Diagnostic Medical Sonography clinical.
Dr. Jana Causey, Vice President for Forrest County Campus, Allied Health and Nursing Programs, says PRCC is answering the call to a Healthcare shortage by implementing this new program.
“Many healthcare providers are sending people out of state to get this much needed training and we need to meet their needs by providing this service right here in the Pine Belt,” said Dr. Causey. “Our goal is to listen to our community needs and then provide training that builds and produces top notch services. We want healthcare to be the absolute best for the people in South Mississippi.”
PRCC is only the second community college in Mississippi to offer this program.
For information about the Sonography program, call 601-554-5505, email: jcollum@prcc.edu; or visit the Forrest County Campus on U.S. 49 South.
To apply, go to: https://prcc.edu/academics/plans/health-nursing/sonography/apply
For the latest news on Pearl River Community College, visit PRCC.edu and follow us on Twitter (@PRCC_Wildcats) Instagram](PRCCWILDCATS) and Facebook(@PRCCMKTG).
Article written by Chuck Abadie.
