Our next class begins in September of 2009. We're sorry, but all available slots have been filled for this class. If you would like to apply for the class beginning in September 2010, you may download the application by clicking on the tab to the left. We will begin accepting these applications in January of 2010.
Mission:
The mission of Cardiovascular Technology Training, Inc. is to train the highest quality practitioners in the field of cardiovascular technology. Our vision is to become one of the leading centers for cardiovascular technologists in the United States.
Our Program:
Our program at Cardiovascular Technology Training has been programmatically accredited by the Committee on Accreditation of Allied Health Education Programs (CAAHEP). This means that the training our students receive meets certain standards that have been approved by professionals in the field of echocardiography and vascular ultrasonography and is consequently of the highest quality in the country.
Currently in the United States, there has been identified a shortage in the area of specially trained and certified cardiovascular technologists (CVT). To meet this need, a group of medical professionals and educators have formed Cardiovascular Technology Training, Inc. (CTT). CTT provides personnel, equipment, and support staffing for a two (2) year program directed at producing the highest standard in CVT training.
This program is strategically located in Louisiana north of New Orleans on the north shore of Lake Pontchartrain. It is geographically diverse, with administrative offices in Lacombe, classrooms in Mandeville, and clinical sites located at various locations in Mandeville, Covington, Hammond, Lacombe, Slidell, and Bogalusa.Classroom work is held in the evenings at Southeastern Louisiana University's facility in the St. Tammany Center in Mandeville from 5:30 PM to 8:30 PM, usually on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays. Clinicals are held during normal business hours of the clinical site to which the student is assigned for that day,and is usually two days a week.
The Profession:
In contrast to an electrocardiogram (EKG) that measures the electrical currents in the heart, an echocardiogram shows a real-time image of a beating heart on a display screen as the cardiovascular technologist (CVT) performs the test. The electrocardiogram tells about the electrical health of the heart while the echocardiogram tells the structural health of the heart, its motion, and its valves.
Technologists specializing in echocardiography or vascular technology use ultrasound instrumentation to run noninvasive tests that do not require the insertion of probes or other instruments into the patient's body. Ultrasound is sound that is so high pitched it is beyond the range of normal human hearing, above a frequency of 20,000 cycles per second. The echo machine sends sound waves to a hand-held sound-sensitive device called a transducer placed on the patient's chest. The heart walls and valves reflect back the sound waves through the transducer to the machine. High-powered software puts together a picture of the heart and information about the heart's function from the returned sound for interpretation and diagnosis by a physician. The setting for the test is usually a clinic or hospital.
While performing the scan, technologists check the image on the screen for subtle differences between the healthy and the diseased areas, decide which images to include, and judge if the images are satisfactory for diagnostic purposes. They also explain the procedure to patients, record additional medical history, select appropriate equipment settings, change the patient's position as necessary, and perform numerous other duties.