March
September
Total Program Hours: 1680 Hours
Clinical Hours: 920 Hours
Program Length: 72 Weeks
Accreditation: CAAHEP Accredited
Credential Awarded: Diploma
Clinical Instructors Earn SDMS Credits
Program Director:
Bashir Noori RDCS (PE)(AE), RCIS
(916) 533-9898 | [email protected]
It is my pleasure to introduce you to the Cardiac Sonography Program at Sacramento Ultrasound Institute — a program designed to prepare skilled, compassionate, and confident echocardiographers. At SUI, we focus on mastering the art and science of cardiac imaging through hands-on learning, rigorous academics, and real-world clinical experience. Our curriculum emphasizes patient-centered care and technical excellence. Students learn to perform high-quality echocardiograms, interpret cardiovascular anatomy and pathology, and communicate effectively with healthcare teams. By the time they enter clinical rotations, our students are confident, professional, and ready to make meaningful contributions to your cardiology department.
The Cardiac Sonography Program trains students to perform diagnostic echocardiographic examinations used to evaluate the structure and function of the heart. Coursework covers anatomy, physiology, hemodynamics, Doppler principles, and pathology — reinforced through extensive laboratory practice.
From the beginning, SUI emphasizes hands-on scanning. Students spend significant time in the lab mastering transthoracic echocardiography (TTE) techniques before clinical placement. By the time they begin rotations, they are expected to independently perform standard echo views on healthy patients, demonstrating both technical skill and professional bedside manner.
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Metric
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Value
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Notes
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24-25 Retention Rate
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98%
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Measured July 1, 2024 – June 30, 2025
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Measured July 1, 2024 – June 30, 2025
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ARDMS Exam Pass Rate
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100%
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After completing intensive, hands-on training in SUI’s on-campus labs, students transition into clinical rotations at hospitals, outpatient centers, and imaging facilities across California.
By this stage, students have mastered the foundational scanning techniques and professional conduct required to perform independently on healthy patients — allowing clinical partners to integrate them smoothly into their departments.
Each rotation is designed to strengthen real-world scanning proficiency, image interpretation, and patient care skills through supervised, on-site experience. Students rotate through multiple modalities and specialties, including abdominal, OB/GYN, vascular, and small parts imaging, gaining exposure to diverse patient populations and clinical settings.
SUI’s Clinical Coordination Team works closely with every partner site to ensure a seamless experience. We tailor student schedules to each facility’s operational needs, typically aligning with 32-40 clinical hours per week. Our coordinators handle onboarding, documentation, and communication, allowing your staff to focus on mentorship and workflow integration.
SUI’s ultrasound labs are designed to replicate the clinical environment and provide direct, hands-on learning opportunities. Each lab is equipped with advanced ultrasound systems, including:
To maximize hands-on training, we maintain a 2:1 student-to-machine ratio — one student scans while the other serves as the patient. This peer-scanning model strengthens both image acquisition skills and patient communication abilities.
Lab sessions are capped at 12 students per instructor, ensuring personalized attention, immediate feedback, and mastery of scanning techniques before entering clinical practice.
SUI is committed to ensuring that every partnership is smooth, well-supported, and beneficial for both the facility and the students.
As a CAAHEP-accredited program, SUI awards up to 6.0 SDMS CME credits per year to qualified clinical instructors for providing student instruction. This benefit allows clinical educators to earn recognized continuing education credit while mentoring the next generation of sonographers.
SUI students enter clinical rotations having already demonstrated competence in scanning healthy patients and understanding sonographic anatomy. They’re confident, professional, and ready to contribute from day one.
Each clinical partner is supported by a dedicated SUI Clinical Coordinator who manages student placement, onboarding documentation, and ongoing communication throughout the rotation. Coordinators visit the site during the first week of a new student’s onboarding to ensure a smooth start, and return for monthly in-person visits to support both students and staff. They also oversee Trajecsys, ensuring students are clocking in correctly, logging progress accurately, and maintaining compliance with program requirements.
Credentialed faculty continuously monitor student performance to align clinical training with program objectives and accreditation standards, ensuring consistency and quality across all sites.
SUI maintains open communication with every clinical partner through routine check-ins, progress evaluations, and responsive follow-up whenever concerns arise. Our goal is to provide full transparency and proactive problem-solving throughout each rotation.
SUI values every clinical partner and highlights participating sites through institutional materials, community outreach, and collaborative initiatives that showcase their contribution to student success.
Our clinical partners play an essential role in shaping the next generation of echocardiographers. By offering clinical training opportunities, your department helps bridge the gap between classroom learning and real-world patient care.
We ask partners to:
Provide a safe, professional clinical environment that allows students to observe and perform examinations under supervision.
Assign a designated clinical instructor or lead technologist who can provide daily guidance, feedback, and performance evaluation.
Offer students the opportunity to gain hands-on experience with adult echocardiography procedures, including 2D, M-mode, color, and spectral Doppler imaging.
Verify and approve attendance and competencies in Trajecsys, SUI’s clinical tracking system, ensuring accurate documentation of student progress.
SUI provides full administrative and faculty support throughout the rotation — so the partnership remains organized, compliant, and easy for your staff to manage.
SUI uses the Trajecsys Clinical Tracking System, a secure online platform that allows students, clinical instructors, and program faculty to record and monitor clinical activity in real time. Through Trajecsys, instructors verify attendance, log competency evaluations, and submit performance feedback. This system ensures complete transparency and accountability, allowing SUI’s clinical coordinators to track student progress, hours, and case experience remotely while maintaining compliance with accreditation standards.
Clinical Handbook
We’re always looking to expand our clinical partnerships and welcome new sites that share our commitment to quality education and patient care.
If your facility is interested in becoming a partner or learning more about our programs, please complete the form below — our Clinical Coordination Team will reach out to you directly.
