Where will I be assigned for clinical rotations?
Clinical assignments for all programs are made by the Program Director with input from the program staff. Clinical assignments are made to ensure all students receive an equitable high quality clinical education during their enrollment. Every attempt is made to place a student as close to home as possible, however clinical rotations are often limited by the number of students living within a specific geographic region and by the number of clinical sites available in that area. In addition, students may be required to rotate between clinical sites during the course of their clinical education to ensure all students receive exposure to a variety of imaging equipment or imaging procedures. Due to the nature of traffic in Northern California, students may be required to travel several hours to clinical sites. All students must be prepared and willing to commit themselves to any travel time required to achieve the educational goals of the program. Rotation requirements will be presented to the student by their respective Program Director. Due to the potential for conflict of interests (i.e., imposed work demands supercede learning obligations), students are discouraged from training at their work places. Some Imaging Department Directors have officially ruled against allowing their Program-enrolled employees to train at their workplaces.

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Are all clinical sites Kaiser Permanente facilities?
A majority of the clinical sites used for clinical rotations by the sonography program are Kaiser Facilities. We do have affiliation agreements with several non-Kaiser facilities located throughout Northern California.

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Are all Kaiser Permanente Medical Facilities clinical sites?
Not all Kaiser Permanente medical facilities are clinical site of the Program. A clinical site is carefully evaluated to ensure they meet the requirements of a clinical education center and can offer optimum training for the students.

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Is a particular uniform required for clinical education?
Students represent the School when they are participating in clinical rotations and are required to dress conservatively in business attire during participation in clinical rotations. In addition, all students are required to wear a clean and pressed white lab-coat over their clothing.

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Is the program hard?
Learning ultrasound is much harder than most people think. There is a tremendous amount of material to cover in a minimal amount of time. Learning ultrasound requires extensive study of ultrasound physics and instrumentation as well as anatomy, physiology, typical sonographic appearances, and pathophysiology of the abdomen, pelvis, superficial structures, and fetus. A tremendous amount of time outside of class is required for reading and studying. Learning to "see" anatomy and pathology on ultrasound is challenging as well. Ultrasound is a skill that requires considerable thought and practice.

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What is the average pay for a sonographer in the Bay Area?
Entry salaries range from $30 to $33 per hour. Salaries usually vary with experience and the number of specialty areas a sonographer is registered in.

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When and where is the orientation?
Prior to the start of class there is a mandatory week-long program orientation. Orientation is usually the last week of September. Students accepted into KPSAHS programs must attend this orientation or they forfeit their admission. During this week students will receive orientation to Kaiser Permanente, KPSAHS, CPR and specific information related to the program.

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Is the sonography program accredited?
The Sonography program has been reviewed by the Joint Review Committee on Education in Diagnostic Medical Sonography (JRCDMS) and is accredited by the Commission on Accreditation of Allied Health Education Programs (CAAHEP). The Kaiser Permanente School of Allied Health Sciences has received full institutional approval to operate from the Bureau for Private Postsecondary and Vocational Education (BPPVE). The Bureau has determined that this institution’s operational plan satisfies the minimum standards listed in Education Code Section 94915 (b).

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When is Graduation?
Sonography students will finish classes and receive a certificate of completion at the end of March. Students may apply to take the ARDMS registry examinations upon completing the program and can test as soon as they receive a verification letter from the ARDMS upon satisfactory completion of the program. The graduation ceremony is held in September each year for all KPSAHS programs. Graduates from all programs are recognized at this single ceremony.

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Will I learn to do vascular ultrasound or echocardiography?
The Sonography program is a "general" ultrasound program. The curriculum content centers on teaching abdominal, OB/Gyn, and superficial structure sonography. The program is designed to prepare graduates for work in a general hospital setting. While the curriculum does include a study of hemodynamics, Doppler, color Doppler, power Doppler, and an introduction to vascular sonography, graduates are not trained to do vascular sonography or echocardiography. The JRCDMS and ARDMS recommend a minimum of six months additional experience for additional specialty education.

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