Claude W. Smith, MD School of Cardiovascular Technology
2435 Forest Dr, Columbia, SC 29204

Click here to download the application for the Cardiovascular Technology Program. Email the completed application to Mark Dougherty at Mary.Dougherty@ProvidenceHospitals.com.

Cardiovascular Technology Program: Future Generations of Heart Care

The Claude W. Smith, MD School of Cardiovascular Technology trains healthcare professionals to recognize, calculate, interpret, and analyze data, using state-of-the-art equipment for non-invasive echo and vascular diagnostic examinations. Students are prepared through accreditation, didactic instruction and clinical experience for the National Board Exams.

A cardiovascular technologist performs diagnostic tests at the direction of a licensed physician to identify and treat cardiovascular disease.  

Cardiovascular Technology includes two areas of expertise: Invasive and Non-Invasive.

Program participants can expect to learn: 

• resting transthoracic echocardiography,
• transesophageal echocardiography,
• emergency applications of echocardiography,
• stress echocardiography (exercise and pharmacological),
• peripheral vascular testing,
• resting and exercise extremity noninvasive arterial testing,
• noninvasive cerebrovascular arterial testing,
• transcranial Doppler,
• noninvasive extremity venous testing, and
• abdominal arterial and venous vascular applications.  

Admission

This is a limited enrollment program accepting 10 students to begin in August. In order to apply for the Cardiovascular Technology program, students must complete the listed program-ready courses with a GPA of 2.5 or higher.

Required Courses

• AHS 102 - Medical Terminology - 3.0 credits
• BIO 210 - Anatomy and Physiology I - 4.0 credits
• BIO 211 - Anatomy and Physiology II - 4.0 credits
• ENG 101 - English Composition I - 3.0 credits
• MAT 102 - Intermediate Algebra - 3.0 credits

Program Student Learning Outcomes (Non-Invasive Echo and vascular):

1. To provide a quality learning environment for staff and student.
2. Gain the necessary skills and knowledge needed by entry level sonographers specialized in performing the following modalities:  echocardiography; resting transthoracic echocardiography, transesophageal echocardiography, emergency applications of echocardiography, stress echocardiography (exercise and pharmacological), peripheral vascular testing; resting and exercise extremity noninvasive arterial testing, noninvasive cerebrovascular arterial testing, transcranial Doppler, noninvasive extremity venous testing, and abdominal arterial and venous vascular applications.  
3. To prepare the students for obtaining the RVT and RDCS credentials.
4. Meet the personnel needs of hospitals and related health agencies.
5. Recognize the potential opportunities and responsibilities of the professional sonographer for shaping the attitudes of society towards attainment of health care and the provision and utilization of health services.
6. Gain the knowledge and understanding of the principles basic to the practice of cardiovascular sonography.
7. Develop an inquisitive approach to the practice of cardiovascular sonography through continual evaluation and the incorporation of pertinent findings from research.
8. Instill in the students a professional and ethical attitude.
9. Provide and/or identify continuing education opportunities for the sonographer.

For more information about the Cardiovascular Technology program at the Providence Health School of CV Diagnostics, contact Dan Chambers or Mary Dougherty.

History of the Program

In January of 1999, Dr. Claude Smith directed a feasibility study which identified the need for a cardiovascular sonography program in the Midlands of South Carolina. A curriculum was approved, and five students comprised the first class that began in July 19. 

Dr. Smith, now retired from his practice as a cardiovascular surgeon, has remained the medical director of the program since its inception. Dan Chambers, the program director since 2007, has over thirty years of experience as a cardiovascular sonographer and instructor.  

Click here to learn about our HCM screenings. 

The program is also clinically affiliated with the University of South Carolina’s College of Arts and Sciences. This affiliation provides students an opportunity to obtain an undergraduate degree from USC upon completion of all required curriculum. For more information, please call Cammie Steele at 803-777-2505.

The Claude W Smith, MD School of Cardiovascular Technology is accredited by the Commission on Accreditation of Allied Health Education Programs (www.caahep.org) upon the recommendation of  the Joint Review Committee on Education in Cardiovascular Technology (JRC-CVT). The program has been placed on Probationary Accreditation as of July 21, 2017.