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Best cardiac sonographer certifications
Cardiac sonographer certifications allow job seekers to demonstrate their competency as an cardiac sonographer to employers. However, not all cardiac sonographer certifications provide the same value for job seekers.
The best certifications for a cardiac sonographer are Registered Diagnostic Cardiac Sonographer - Adult Echocardiography (RDCS), Registered Cardiac Sonographer (RCS), and Registered Diagnostic Cardiac Sonographer (RDCS).
Below is a list of the best cardiac sonographer certifications. Obtaining an cardiac sonographer certification will give you a leg up when you apply for jobs and increase your potential salary.
5 best certifications for cardiac sonographers
| Rank | Cardiac sonographer certification | Organization |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Registered Diagnostic Cardiac Sonographer - Adult Echocardiography (RDCS) | ARDMS |
| 2 | Registered Cardiac Sonographer (RCS) | CCI |
| 3 | Registered Diagnostic Cardiac Sonographer (RDCS) | ARDMS |
| 4 | Advanced Cardiac Sonographer (ACS) | CCI |
| 5 | Registered Diagnostic Medical Sonographer - Abdomen (RDMS) | ARDMS |
5 best cardiac sonographer certifications
1. Registered Diagnostic Cardiac Sonographer - Adult Echocardiography (RDCS)
The Adult Echocardiography (AE) examination tests basic adult echocardiography knowledge and skills essential to Sonography Professionals. To earn a Registered Diagnostic Cardiac Sonographer (RDCS) credential with an AE specialty, you must pass the Sonography Principles and Instrumentation (SPI) examination and the AE examination within five years. After passing the SPI examination, you can earn additional credentials without having to retake the SPI examination, provided you maintain active status.
- More than two years of education or training after high school required? Yes
- More than two years of work experience required? No
- Oral or written exam required? Yes
- Renewal required? Every 10 year(s)
2. Registered Cardiac Sonographer (RCS)
- More than two years of education or training after high school required? No
- More than two years of work experience required? No
- Oral or written exam required? Yes
- Renewal required? Every 3 year(s)
3. Registered Diagnostic Cardiac Sonographer (RDCS)
- More than two years of education or training after high school required? Yes
- More than two years of work experience required? Yes
- Oral or written exam required? Yes
- Renewal required? Every 10 year(s)
4. Advanced Cardiac Sonographer (ACS)
The Advanced Cardiac Sonographer (ACS) examination was developed in response to a need to create a career track for sonographers who practice at an advanced level in the echocardiography laboratory. The ACS is committed to improving lab quality and efficiency through preparing preliminary echo assessments; performing advanced echocardiograms; mentoring fellows, students, residents, and staff; developing and implementing educational plans; facilitating continuous quality improvement; and coordinating cardiac ultrasound research.
- More than two years of education or training after high school required? Yes
- More than two years of work experience required? Yes
- Oral or written exam required? Yes
- Renewal required? Every 3 year(s)
5. Registered Diagnostic Medical Sonographer - Abdomen (RDMS)
The Abdomen (AB) examination tests basic abdomen knowledge and skills essential to Sonography Professionals. To earn a Registered Diagnostic Medical Sonographer (RDMS) credential with an AB specialty, you must pass the Sonography Principles and Instrumentation (SPI) examination and the AB examination within five years. After passing the SPI examination, you can earn additional credentials without having to retake the SPI examination, provided you maintain active status.
- More than two years of education or training after high school required? Yes
- More than two years of work experience required? Yes
- Oral or written exam required? Yes
- Renewal required? Every 10 year(s)
What is the best certification for a cardiac sonographer?
The best cardiac sonographer certification is Registered Diagnostic Cardiac Sonographer - Adult Echocardiography (RDCS). The Registered Diagnostic Cardiac Sonographer - Adult Echocardiography (RDCS) is awarded by the American Registry of Diagnostic Medical Sonographers. This certification corresponds to a specialty within a recognized occupation.
Here's a bit more background on how to obtain this cardiac sonographer certification:
- To become a certified Registered Diagnostic Cardiac Sonographer - Adult Echocardiography (RDCS), you need to pass the exam.
- Lucky you - certification doesn't require more than two years of work experience.
- Renew certification every 10 year.
What are some of the most in-demand certifications for cardiac sonographers?
The most in-demand cardiac sonographer certification is Registered Cardiac Sonographer based on all active job postings. Having this cardiac sonographer certification will give you access to more cardiac sonographer jobs with higher salaries.
What certifications can impact a cardiac sonographer career and salary?
The Registered Diagnostic Cardiac Sonographer certification will help you to secure a cardiovascular sonographer position, which will increase your pay and career trajectory. A cardiovascular sonographer's average salary is $66,636 whereas cardiac sonographers make an average salary of $79,641.
The most common combination of cardiac sonographer certifications include: Registered Diagnostic Cardiac Sonographer - Adult Echocardiography (RDCS), Registered Cardiac Sonographer (RCS), and Registered Diagnostic Cardiac Sonographer (RDCS).
Online courses for cardiac sonographers to earn certifications
1. Medical Emergencies: CPR, Toxicology, and Wilderness
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2. Emergency Care: Pregnancy, Infants, and Children
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3. ACLS & PALS
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5. Palliative Care Always Capstone Course
The Palliative Care Always Capstone course is designed to let you test your knowledge about palliative and help others understand the value of palliative care, while showing your creative side. In this course, you will impact community awareness about palliative care, promote self-care and wellness, show-off your communication skills in a virtual environment, and finish the course off by proving your thoughts on ways to offer psychosocial support to a patient and family...
6. Prehospital care of acute stroke and patient selection for endovascular treatment using the RACE scale
Acute stroke is a time-dependent medical emergency. In acute ischemic stroke, the first objective is to restore brain flow using sistemic thrombolytic treatment and, in patients with large vessel occlusion, by endovascular treatment. In hemorrhagic stroke there are also specific treatments that can improve the clinical outcome. The sooner the initiation of all these therapies the higher the clinical benefit. Thus, the organization of Stroke Code systems coordinated between emergency medical...
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9. Value-Based Care: Managing Processes to Improve Outcomes
COURSE 3 of 7. This course is designed to introduce you to critical office-based processes that a value-based practice must manage in the drive towards improved patient outcomes. In Module 2, we’ll focus on office-based and clinical patient-based supporting functions. At every level in healthcare, guidelines, processes, and functions exist to improve outcomes, and following a consistent process will return the best effect. Refine your understanding of value and learn strategies to provide real...
10. Trauma Emergencies and Care
Welcome to Trauma Emergencies and Care. In this course, you will learn about some of the mechanics and physics of trauma on the human body, and how this can cause injury. You will continue to expand your new vocabulary with medical terminology, and learn how to describe the different injuries you may see. You will also learn about the trauma system itself- and when it is important to transport patients to a trauma center. Then we will dive into specific injuries based on what part of the body...
11. The Complete Guide to Bubble Visual Programming
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12. The Stress Detox: A Stress Management Framework for Leaders
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13. Health After Cancer: Cancer Survivorship for Primary Care
This course presents basic principles of cancer survivorship to primary-care physicians. Developed by a team of experts in caring for cancer survivors, and narrated by a primary-care physician, this course provides practical tips and tools that can be easily integrated into medical practice. You will learn about the complex physical and psychosocial needs and concerns of the growing number of cancer survivors, along with the key role that primary care physicians have in guiding these patients...
14. Prepare for the EMT Certification Test
Welcome to your final course in Become and EMT! Prepare for the National Registry exam. The title for this course is a little bit misleading. We do hope that at the completion of this course that you feel more prepared to take the skills portion as well as the written portion of the national registry exam. More than anything else, however, our greatest hope is that we have given you the knowledge and tools to provide high quality patient care once you are certified as an EMT or once you achieve...
15. Stress Management - For Relief From Stress of Life & Work
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16. Traditional herbal medicine in supportive cancer care: From alternative to integrative
Please join us for an exciting and innovative journey, examining one of the most important and often overlooked aspects of the oncology setting: Traditional Herbal Medicine in Supportive Cancer Care. This course is presented with short lectures offering a wide range of issues related to the principles and practice of herbal medicine in cancer care. The course includes interviews with leading world experts from the field of Integrative Oncology, from the U.S. and Canada, as well as Europe, the...
17. Operations and Patient Safety for Healthcare IT Staff
Now that you've been introduced to the world of Health IT and the important role played by electronic health records (EHRs), we'll focus on other technologies that play a role in maintaining ongoing operations in healthcare. Telemedicine, patient portals, barcode scanners, printers, and medical devices are just some of the technologies that impact providers and patients. As an IT support specialist, you’ll be asked to troubleshoot issues with a wide variety of tools. You'll see a scenario with...
18. Health for All Through Primary Health Care
This course explores why primary health care is central for achieving Health for All. It provides examples of how primary health care has been instrumental in approaching this goal in selected populations and how the principles of primary health care can guide future policies and actions. Two of the most inspiring, least understood, and most often derided terms in global health discourse are “Health for All” and “Primary Health Care.” In this course, we will explore these terms in the context...
19. Pain Management: Easing Pain in Palliative Care
In this course, you will be able to develop a systems view for assessing and managing pain in the palliative care setting. By the end of the course, you will be able to: 1) Describe the pain problem in the palliative care setting; 2) Assess a person’s pain, 3) Explain the benefits of integrative therapies and pharmacologic strategies to manage pain...
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