The Claude W. Smith M.D. School of Cardiovascular Technology at MUSC Health

About Our Program

Industry demand for professionals in cardiovascular technology is at an all-time high, and rapidly growing. If you’ve considered a career as a cardiovascular technician, now is the time. The Claude W. Smith M.D School of Cardiovascular Technology at MUSC Health offers an 17-month CAAHEP accredited cardiovascular technology programs dedicated to training healthcare professionals in the field of cardiovascular technology.

Upon completion of our program, you’ll be prepared to:

• Assist cardiologists in performing interventional and diagnostic cardiac and peripheral catherizations
• Work with a life-saving team to stop and / or prevent patients from having ischemic attacks caused by a heart attack, stroke, or peripheral artery disease
• Learn how to interpret a patient's hemodynamic and physiological state through state-of-the-art monitoring and x-ray systems
• Be employed in one of the highest-paying, rewarding, in-demand, and adrenaline-filled careers in health care

Our Objectives & Goals

You’ve got goals, and so do we! In collaboration with MUSC’s Medical University Hospital Authority (MUHA) we’ve identified the following goals to help you start your career.

Our Program Objectives:

1. Our leading team of expert educators will teach you the physical principals of sonography, adult echocardiography and non-invasive vascular sonography and testing.
2. We will provide challenging hands-on training in a demanding lab environment with qualified sonographers and preceptors to the develop the skills and knowledge required for quality entry level sonographers.
3. You’ll have opportunities to train in the following modalities:
   • Adult Transthoracic and Transesophageal Echocardiography
   • Structural heart procedures
   • Emergency applications of echocardiography
   • Peripheral vascular arterial and venous sonography
   • Physiologic arterial testing
   • Extracranial duplex vascular sonography
4. We will prepare you to qualify for, and successfully pass, the national credentialing examinations offered by the American Registry for Diagnostic Medical Sonography (ARDMS) including:
   • Adult echo and vascular technology
   • The RVS and RCS credentials offered by Cardiovascular Credentialing International (CCI).

Our Goals:

• We strive to provide you, and our team members, with a quality learning environment
• We value working closely with our community
• We aim to serve the uninsured and underinsured by providing diagnostic exams to local clinics
• We will work to identify and provide you with continuing education opportunities
• We want to create opportunities for the health care community as whole
• We will assist in meeting their growing needs for high quality trained health professionals 
• We will instill a professional and ethical attitude in everyone who represents our program

Program Expectations

Pursuing a career in cardiovascular technology is challenging, and rewarding. Standards will be set incredibly high for your work ethic and abilities. We will help you meet those standards by following these expectations: 

Adult Echocardiography Expectations

We will prepare you to be a competent entry-level cardiovascular technologist in the cognitive, psychomotor, and affective learning domains for adult echocardiography.

Non-Invasive Vascular

We will prepare you to be a competent entry-level cardiovascular technologist in the cognitive, psychomotor, and affective learning domains for non-invasive vascular study.

JRC-CVT Standards

Our cardiovascular technology program is based on the Standards and Guidelines for Cardiovascular Technology Educational Programs as established by the Joint Review Committee for Education in Cardiovascular Technology (JRC-CVT). These are the essential standards are covered in the lab orientation manual and the course catalog.

Admission Requirements

The following criteria have been established to screen applicants for the cardiovascular ultrasound program offered by MUHA. These requirements are instituted in an attempt to offer a fair and equitable selection process that will support the mission statement of MUHA and ensure success of the selected students. These requirements are intended to be fair, forthright, and meet the growing demands of acceptance into the CWS School of Cardiovascular Technology.

In addition to each application, official transcripts from all institutions attended and applicable letters of recommendation must be submitted at the time of application. If transcripts and/or letters of recommendation are not provided, the application will be deemed incomplete and will not be valid until the required documentation is supplied.

Course Prerequisites

To meet the minimum educational requirements for our program, you’ll need:

EITHER

• Transcripts from the University of South Carolina showing progress towards a BSCVT degree 

OR

• 30 credit hours of post-high school education (post high school educational classes must include the following five classes):
  • Human Anatomy and Physiology I with lab (4 credits)
  • Human Anatomy and Physiology II with lab (4 credits)
  • Medical Terminology
  • College Algebra
  • English Composition 

• A minimum overall GPA of 2.5 is required for the candidate to be considered for admission

Facilities & Equipment

The CWS School of Cardiovascular Technology is located on the first floor of 2001 Laurel St. Columbia, SC 29204.

Our program ensures an environment built for learning with:

• A traditional classroom providing a comfortable learning experience for an average of 18 students AV equipment for lectures and presentations
• Technological resources to ensure students are provided materials applicable to the course work
• A scanning laboratory consisting of six cardiovascular sonography systems
• Supplies utilized for hands-on training exercises
• Accommodations including a faculty office, lounge area and bathrooms

Licensure & Certification

An accredited program is accredited by an agency recognized by the Council for Higher Education Accreditation (CHEA), United States Department of Education (USDOE), or Canadian Medical Association (CMA) that specifically conducts programmatic accreditation for cardiovascular technology, diagnostic cardiac sonography, or vascular technology. Students that have a criminal record may be prevented from employment in some healthcare facilities.

Successful completion of a noninvasive cardiovascular technology program will earn a graduate certificate in adult echocardiography and vascular technology. 

CHEA

The adult echocardiography and vascular technology specialty examinations are qualified for under the Prerequisite 2 Education requirement: Graduate or student in a program accredited by an agency recognized by the Council for Higher Education Accreditation (CHEA).

Currently the only organization in the United States that offer programmatic accreditation under CHEA is the Commission on accreditation of Allied Health Education Programs (CAAHEP).The graduate will be eligible for national credentialing with the American Registry for Diagnostic Medical Sonographers (ARDMS) and Cardiovascular International (CCI).

ARDMS Prerequisites

• SPI Examination
  • Applicant must successfully complete a general, medical, or sonographic physics class, seminar or course

CCI (Cardiovascular Credentialing International) Eligibility:

• Registered Cardiac Sonographer (RVS)
  • Will qualify for RCS exam under: RCS4
  • Applicant must be a graduate of a programmatically accredited program** in cardiac ultrasound (echocardiography).
• Registered Vascular Specialist (RVS)
  • Will qualify for RVS exam under: RVS4
  • Applicant must be a graduate of a programmatically accredited program** in vascular ultrasound.

Please see ARDMS.org and CCI-online.org for details about the requirements for the adult echocardiography and vascular technology exams of these credentialing organizations.