“We are extremely pleased that our LSC-CyFair health science programs will soon include a cardiac focused program, echocardiography,” said Cynthia Griffith, LSC-CyFair dean of instruction.
“With heart disease being the leading cause of death in the U.S., there is a great need for well trained sonographers who specialize in cardiac ultrasound. This new associate degree program will definitely help answer that need as well as contribute to our community’s healthcare services,” said Griffith.
“Echocardiography offers a competitive salary and is a rewarding career which allows for independence, yet also being an integral part of a medical team,” said Rashmi Bapat, RDCS Memorial Herman-The Woodlands.
Job opportunities and salaries in the healthcare specialty of echocardiography have been rising steadily over the last few years and the U.S. Department of Labor predicts another 43 percent increase in the need for echocardiographers in Texas by the year 2016. The median salary for echocardiographers is $57,000 annually.
“There is a great need for appropriately trained and motivated people to become cardiac sonographers,” said Bapat.
Graduates of the LSC-CyFair echocardiography program will be eligible for employment in Houston area medical facilities as well as those throughout the state and nation. Graduates will also be eligible to apply for the Registered Diagnostic Cardiac Sonography national examination in Adult Echocardiography administered by the American Registry of Diagnostic Medical Sonographers (ARDMS) or Cardiovascular Credentialing International (CCI).
Lone Star College System consists of five colleges, including LSC-CyFair, LSC-Kingwood, LSC-Montgomery, LSC-North Harris, and LSC-Tomball, six centers and Lone Star College-University Center. With more than 50,000 students in credit classes this spring, LSCS is the largest institution of higher education in the Houston area and third largest community college system in Texas. To learn more, visit LoneStar.edu.