Mount Aloysius College has announced a new Bachelor of Science Echocardiography program launching in Fall 2022. With a $25,000 grant from the UPMC Altoona Foundation, echo tech students will benefit from working with a VIMEDIX ultrasonography machine and are eligible for additional scholarships.
“Thanks to the generosity of the UPMC Altoona Foundation, our students will have the opportunity to learn cardiac sonography on high-fidelity simulation equipment,” said Andrea Gutmann, chair of the Mount’s ultrasonography department. “This simulator will provide students with a realistic sonography experience in the classroom, preparing them for jobs in hospitals and clinics.”
The VIMEDIX is a manikin, designed to look and perform like a live patient, and allows students to develop their skills in ultrasound probe handling, image interpretation, diagnoses, and clinical decision-making. In addition to the manikin, the UPMC Altoona Foundation will fund four $1,000 scholarships for students entering the program this fall. John McKeegan, President of the College, says that the timing of the grant and the major couldn’t be better for prospective students.
“Students who choose to study echocardiography at the Mount will have a higher quality learning environment thanks to the VIMEDIX device and the support of the UPMC foundation,” McKeegan said. “There is a great need for echo techs in our region now and into the future, so the timing of the new program is perfect.”
Echocardiography, sometimes called cardiac sonography, uses ultrasound equipment to obtain images of a patient’s heart. Mount Aloysius is now accepting applications for the program.
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