Curriculum

Page Content

Mayo Clinic echocardiography faculty member reviewing an anatomical model of a heart with a student

62%

time spent in clinical settings

15%

time spent in labs

23%

time spent in classroom

Student experiences

The curriculum outlined below is identical for all students, regardless of enrollment option or location. Lectures originate from both the Rochester and Scottsdale campuses and are made available to all students using interactive video-enabled classrooms. This system goes beyond traditional distance education and allows live face-to-face collaboration between students and faculty.

Classroom learning

During classroom lectures, you’ll learn the foundational skills needed to be a cardiac sonographer. The challenging, high-quality curriculum for the program is designed with courses in a specific sequence, progressively building on expertise as students advance through the program.

Scan lab

What you learn in the classroom will immediately transfer into scan labs where you’ll practice your techniques. The scan lab allows you to accurately practice your skills in a safe environment.

Hands-on clinical rotations

You’ll have hands-on training throughout the entire program, and progressively gain more clinical experience working with patients as you go through the program. During clinical rotations, you’ll work side-by-side with and be supervised by cardiologists, cardiac sonographers, and registered nurses to gain practical experience in Mayo Clinic’s echocardiography laboratories. You’ll focus on cardiovascular anatomy and function, and further study the cardiovascular hemodynamics.

You’ll have the opportunity to train in many areas of echocardiography including stress, strain, and 3-D echocardiography. In addition, you’ll also be able to observe in congenital echocardiography.

Facilities and faculty

Minnesota campus

The Mayo Clinic Echocardiography Laboratory in Rochester, Minnesota, one of the largest echocardiography laboratories in the world, features state-of-the-art diagnostic, therapeutic, educational and research facilities.

More than 30 full-feature scanning stations are located throughout the Mayo Clinic complex. Approximately 90 cardiac sonographers perform more than 250 echocardiographic procedures each day. The Echocardiography Laboratory is also active in clinical research and education.

Arizona campus

Students on the Arizona campus are required to spend a week on the Rochester campus attending various labs and courses near the beginning of the program.

The Mayo Clinic Echocardiography Laboratory in Arizona is one of the most progressive laboratories in the Southwest. The lab administers approximately 132 exams a day and is staffed with 13 echocardiologists, 23 cardiac sonographers, one advanced clinical sonographer and three support staff. The lab is active in clinical research and education and is a clinical site for the Echocardiography Program.

Teaching faculty

The Echocardiography Program is coordinated and taught by the clinical, scientific, and technical staffs of Mayo Clinic. Faculty members are chosen for their commitment to teaching, as well as clinical practice or research. Many have published and lectured extensively and are highly regarded in their fields.

You'll have direct access to these individuals throughout your training, giving you the opportunity to learn from experienced practitioners in the field of echocardiography.

Sally Miller, R.D.C.S., ACS
Program Director

Sally Miller has been the Echocardiography Program Director since December of 2014 and holds the rank of Assistant Professor of Medicine at Mayo Clinic College of Medicine and Science (MCCMS). She joined the Echocardiography Program in 2008 as a clinical coordinator and was then appointed associate program director in 2013. Sally graduated from the Mayo Clinic School of Health Sciences (MCSHS) Echocardiography Program in 2003 and began working in the Echocardiography Lab at Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota, as a cardiac sonographer. She then went on to complete a Bachelor’s Degree in echocardiography from the Oregon Institute of Technology. Prior to pursuing a career in echocardiography, Sally was a radiologic technologist.

Ms. Miller is very involved with professional societies, holding positions as a board member and various committees. She has also lectured at many national and regional conferences. She was awarded the recognition of Fellow of the American Society of Echocardiography in 2011. She has also been involved in authoring educational material in echocardiography.

Abby Biers, R.D.C.S.
Associate Program Director, Clinical Coordinator

Abby Biers has been the clinical coordinator for the Echocardiography program since 2016. She graduated from the MCSHS Echocardiography Program in 2008 and became credentialed as a registered diagnostic cardiac sonographer (RDCS) through the American Registry of Diagnostic Medical Sonography. Ms. Biers began working in the Echocardiography Lab at Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota, in 2008 as a cardiac sonographer, becoming a clinical instructor a year later. Her interests include 3-D echocardiography, as well as stress echocardiography. In September of 2017, she was appointed the academic rank of Instructor in Medicine by Mayo Clinic College of Medicine and Science. She is the primary instructor of the clinical practicum courses and scan labs, and also works with students in the clinical area.

Prior to her career in echocardiography, Ms. Biers attained her Associate of Applied Science degree in X-ray technology and worked as an X-ray tech for several years. She has a bachelor’s degree in human services.

Allison Huver, R.D.C.S.
Academic Coordinator

Allison Huver is the academic coordinator for the MCSHS Echocardiography Program. She graduated from the University of Minnesota - Rochester with a Bachelor of Science in Health Professions degree along with a certificate of completion from the MCSHS Echocardiography Program in 2017.

Since graduating, Ms. Huver has worked as a cardiac sonographer in the Echocardiography Lab at Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota. In 2019, she became the education assistant for the MCSHS Echocardiography Program and transitioned to the role of academic coordinator in 2021. As the academic coordinator, Ms. Huver's responsibilities include coordinating academic schedules, curriculum design, assisting with program accreditation, and teaching a variety of academic courses and scan labs. Her experience and interests include adult echocardiography, education, and ergonomics.

Ms. Huver is credentialed through the American Registry for Diagnostic Medical Sonography in Adult Echocardiography. She achieved the academic rank of Instructor in Medicine by MCCMS in 2021 and she is a member of the American Society of Echocardiography.

Christy Baxter, R.D.C.S.
Academic and Clinical Coordinator, Arizona Campus

Christy Baxter started her career at Mayo Clinic in Phoenix, Arizona, in 2003 working as a research technologist in cardiovascular research. In 2006, she began working in the echocardiography lab as a cardiac sonographer and clinical instructor and then joined the Echocardiography Program faculty in 2020. She graduated with her bachelor's degree in Biological Sciences in 2001.

Ms. Baxter's interests include adult echocardiography, stress echocardiography, and carotid intima-media thickness (CIMT) testing. She has participated in many research studies and has co-authored several peer-reviewed articles published in echocardiography journals, including the Journal of the American Society of Echocardiography.

Ms. Baxter is a registered cardiac sonographer (RDCS) through the American Registry of Diagnostic Medical Sonography and is also credentialed as an advanced cardiac sonographer (ACS) by Cardiac Credentialing International. She is a member of the American Society of Echocardiography and was appointed the academic rank of Instructor in Medicine by MCCMS.

Bobbi Jo Heon, R.D.C.S., ACS
Lead Clinical Educator, Arizona Campus

Bobbi Jo Heon has been a cardiac sonographer since 2016 and joined the Echocardiography Program faculty in 2021. She graduated from Southeast Missouri State University in Cape Girardeau, MO, with a B.S. in Speech-Language Pathology. She graduated from the MCSHS Echocardiography Program in 2016 and the Advanced Cardiovascular Program in December 2021.

Mrs. Heon is responsible for coordinating the student clinical experience and teaching clinical practicum courses, scan labs, and works with students in the clinical area. She is also involved in training cardiology fellows the basics of cardiac ultrasound. She is the primary RSS coordinator for the Arizona Echocardiography Conference and is responsible for scheduling educational activities for CME credit for the Mayo Clinic School of Continuous Professional Development (MCSCPD). Her interests include 3-D echocardiography, strain-imaging, and stress echocardiography. In 2021, she was appointed the academic rank of Instructor in Medicine by MCCMS. She is currently preparing to take the registry examination to be credentialed as an advanced cardiac sonographer (ACS) by Cardiac Credentialing International (CCI).

Mary Wright, R.D.C.S

Academic and Clinical Coordinator, Eau Claire Campus

Mary Wright is an Academic and Clinical Coordinator for the MCSHS Echocardiography Program. She has been a cardiac sonographer since 2002 and joined the Echocardiography Program Faculty in 2023. She graduated from the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire with a B.S. in Chemistry with a Business Emphasis. She graduated from Argosy University -Twin Cities with an Associate degree in Diagnostic Medical Sonography in 2002. Mrs. Wright is a registered diagnostic cardiac sonographer (RDCS) through the American Registry of Diagnostic Medical Sonography (ARDMS) and is also credentialed in Vascular, Abdomen, and Ob/Gyn through the ARDMS. She is also a member of the American Society of Echocardiography.

Mrs. Wright’s responsibilities include teaching a variety of academic courses and scan labs as well as helping with instructing students and clinical instructors in the clinical area. Her interests include Adult and Congenital Echocardiography, TEE, and Stress Echocardiography.

Zachary Barrett-O'Keefe, Ph.D., R.D.C.S.
Academic and Clinical Instructor

Zachary Barrett-O'Keefe is an adjunct academic and clinical instructor in the Echocardiography program. Dr. Barrett-O'Keefe earned his B.A. in human physiology from the University of Oregon in 2009 and his Ph.D. in integrative physiology from the University of Utah in 2015. He subsequently trained in adult echocardiography in the MCSHS Echocardiography Program followed by an appointment to the echocardiography lab staff at Indiana University Methodist Hospital, where he had the opportunity to train under Dr. Harvey Feigenbaum, a pioneer in the field of echocardiography. Dr. Barrett-O'Keefe joined the echocardiography lab at Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota, in 2018, and transitioned to a research sonographer position within the Mayo Clinic Echocardiography and Vascular Physiology Research Unit in 2019. He primarily assists Alexander Egbe, M.B.B.S., M.P.H., in his research practice, investigating ventricular and arterial hemodynamics and their interaction during physical stress in patients with congenital heart disease.

Hours

This program is full-time (40 hours a week). Your learning schedule includes eight-hour days, five days a week.

Students enrolled in the program may find it difficult to hold outside employment and are therefore encouraged to avoid it if possible.

Course sequence

There are a total of 66 credits in the program.

1. Fall semester (14 credits)

Number	Course	Credits
HP 3021	Patient Care Techniques	1
ECHO 3011	Foundations of Echocardiography	2
ECHO 3101	Cardiovascular Anatomy & Physiology	3
ECHO 3301	Clinical Practicum I (with lab)	8

2. Spring semester (13 credits)

Number	Course	Credits
ECHO 3202	Adult Echocardiography	6
ECHO 3302	Clinical Practicum II (with lab)	7

3. Summer semester (13 credits)

Number	Course	Credits
ECHO 3403	Echocardiographic Application	3
ECHO 3503	Stress Echocardiography	2
ECHO 4460	Special Procedures	2
ECHO 4303	Clinical Practicum III (with lab)	6

4. Fall semester (13 credits)

Number	Course	Credits
ECHO 4111	Ultrasound Physics I	2
ECHO 4211	Congenital Heart Disease I	2
ECHO 4501	Research Project and Publication I	1
ECHO 4401	Clinical Practicum IV	8

5. Spring semester (13 credits)

Number	Course	Credits
ECHO 4112	Ultrasound Physics II	2
ECHO 4502	Research Project and Publication II	1
ECHO 4540	Professional Growth and Development	1
ECHO 4402	Clinical Practicum V	9

Grading or evaluation

Academic and clinical coursework is graded on a 4.0 scale. Mayo Clinic School of Health Sciences uses these evaluative tools: written examination, demonstration of skills, self-assessment exercises and faculty reviews.

Mayo Clinic's system of evaluation provides students and faculty with a comprehensive look at individual performance. This allows faculty and administrative staff to direct students who are experiencing academic difficulty to the appropriate support resources, including tutoring programs and counseling opportunities.

Graduation and certification

After successfully completing this program, you receive a certificate of completion from Mayo Clinic School of Health Sciences. If you are enrolled in an affiliated bachelor's degree program, you will receive a bachelor's degree when you graduate from your college or university.

Graduates are also eligible to take the credentialing exams prior to graduation in order to be certified by time their training is complete.

You may take the registry exams offered through the American Registry for Diagnostic Medical Sonography to become credentialed as a Registered Diagnostic Cardiac Sonographer (RDCS), or the registry exam through the Cardiovascular Credentialing International to become credentialed as a Registered Cardiac Sonographer (RCS). The exams are an additional expense to the student, not included in the tuition.