• Tech schools offer programs in cardiovascular technology.nurse chris image by John Keith from Fotolia.com
  
  Echocardiographers are trained technicians who perform echocardiogram, "a test that uses sound waves to create a moving picture of the heart. The picture is much more detailed than a plain x-ray image and involves no radiation exposure," says the U.S. National Library of Medicine. To work as an entry-level echocardiograph, an associate degree is required. Several tech and medical schools offer programs in cardiovascular technology.
  
  

Mayo School of Health Science

• Mayo School of Health Science (MSHS) is an accredited school, with locations in Florida, Minnesota and Arizona. The school offers more than 60 courses in health care, including an 18-month echocardiography program, available in Rochester, Minnesota and Scottsdale, Arizona. Accredited by the Commission on Accreditation of Allied Health Educational Programs (CAAHEP), the curriculum focuses on principles of echocardiography, cardiovascular anatomy and physiology, ultrasound physics, congenital heart disease and Doppler tests, among others. Students gain clinical experience in the school's echocardiography laboratories, where they work under the supervision of qualified cardiologists.
  
  Mayo School of Health Sciences - Arizona
  College of Medicine
  13400 E. Shea Blvd.
  Scottsdale, AZ 85259
  800-626-9041
  mayo.edu
  
  

John Hopkins Heart & Vascular Institute

• Based in Baltimore, Maryland, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine has been training students in health care since 1893. The U.S. News & World Report ranks it third among the top graduate schools of the country. Johns Hopkins Heart & Vascular Institute is a part of the University and hosts a 14-month, full-time echocardiography program. To apply, students must have a two-year associate or a clinical graduate degree from an accredited school. Future professionals gain an insight about patient care, medical knowledge of echocardiography and interpersonal skills and communication. In addition, they study and perform cases under the supervision of three full-time academic cardiologists and two part-time seasoned echocardiographers .
  
  Johns Hopkins School of Cardiac Sonography
  600 N. Wolfe St., Blalock 569
  Baltimore, MD 21287
  410-614-3563
  hopkinsmedicine.org
  
  

ATI College

• ATI is an accredited, private, post-secondary vocational college, based in Norwalk, California. The school offers courses in medicine, beauty and languages, including a 14-month program in echocardiography. To apply, students must have a high school diploma or a passing score on the ATB (Ability to Benefit) assessment test. The program includes 1,740 total clock hours of instructional training and hands-on practical experience. The curriculum focuses on basic terminology, anatomy and physiology, and includes courses in coronary artery diseases, pericardial diseases and color Doppler, among others. Graduates of this program can work as an echocardiographer, vascular sonographer or an intermediate invasive cardiology technician.
  
  ATI College
  12440 Firestone Blvd., Ste 2001
  Norwalk, CA 90650
  562-864-0506
  ati.edu