HCHD to Launch School of Medical Sonography

HOUSTON (Feb. 15, 2008) – Does the idea of looking inside the human body with high-tech gadgets interest you? If so, perhaps a career in diagnostic medical sonography is for you.

The Harris County Hospital District is opening a School of Medical Sonography, which will begin its inaugural session in September 2008. It will host an information session on Tuesday, April 8, during which attendees will learn about the application process for the program and about sonography as a career.   

A sonographer produces diagnostic images in the human body using high-frequency sound waves. It is often used in the field of obstetrics – including the use of ultrasound imaging during pregnancy –  but this technology has many other applications in the diagnosis and treatment of medical conditions, as well.

The unique hospital-based school will offer students the valuable opportunity to train using leading-edge technology, and to learn from physicians affiliated with The University of Texas Medical School at Houston and Baylor College of Medicine. 

Students will learn detailed anatomy, pathology, physics, and scan techniques in classroom and laboratory settings. Clinical training will take place at Ben Taub and LBJ general hospitals, as well as the hospital district’s community health centers.            

After successfully completing the program, graduates will be prepared to work as a sonographer in a hospital, clinic, or doctor’s office. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the profession’s growth rate will rise faster than average, and is expected to increase about 19 percent through 2016. 

            WHAT:      HCHD School of Medical Sonography information session

            WHEN:      6 p.m. Tuesday, May 13, 2008

WHERE:    Room 217 in the UT-Houston Annex, LBJ General Hospital, 5656 Kelley St.

            PARKING: Visitor parking lot 

For more information, e-mail the School of Medical Sonography at us_school@hchd.tmc.edu or call 713-566-4736.

The Harris County Hospital District is the public health care system for the nation’s third most-populous county. It provides more than one million health care visits each year to residents of Harris County, Texas.