The Challenges of Educating a Cardiac Sonography Workforce

Objective: Cardiac sonographers are challenged on a daily basis to provide excellent frontline care for a variety of patients. They face challenges of promoting quality over quantity and continued support for education and training efforts. Echocardiography requires an operator-dependent sonographer with independent judgement and critical thinking skills to obtain and integrate diagnostic information during the echo examination. The growth of echocardiographic procedures has increased the demand for qualified cardiac sonographers to cover the workload. Materials and Methods: Occupational employment and wage statistics, educational opportunities, simulation labs and clinical sites, national registries, and ASE standards for a quality echo educational environment are discussed. Results: The national curriculum for echocardiography is extensive and requires adequate clinical hands-on training to promote an opportunity for the student to become a competent cardiac sonographer. Credentialing in echocardiography demonstrates to the patients, healthcare professionals, and employers of medical facilities that the cardiac sonographer is a dedicated professional in their respective field. Conclusions: Additional accredited cardiovascular programs with active credentialed clinical sites to fulfill this shortage. The skillset has increased with new procedures requiring training in advanced imaging techniques such as three-dimensional imaging, strain, tissue Doppler, and contrast-enhanced imaging.