WEBVTT 1 "Ericka Thompson" (4131002112) 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:21.110 Ericka Thompson, I'm the assistant director for programs in the office for academic and pre professional advising and Valerie Bardhi is going to be talking to us about the diagnostic medical sonography option that we have. So I would love for you all. 2 "Ericka Thompson" (4131002112) 00:00:21.110 --> 00:00:36.220 To give her your attention, and if you have any questions, there will be some natural pauses within the presentation, but also feel free to put your questions in the chat, ok? Alright, so I'm turning it over to you, Valerie. 3 "Valerie Bardhi" (2057293312) 00:00:36.220 --> 00:00:53.090 Thank you so much Erica, and thank you all for joining today's virtual session on umbc's diagnostic Medical sonography program. I'm Valerie Bardhi. I'm the recruitment enrollment and student success manager for this dia. 4 "Valerie Bardhi" (2057293312) 00:00:53.090 --> 00:01:13.090 Agnostic medical sonography program at UMBC, which means I help students who are at the very initial or beginning stages when they're researching the profession of sonography and are thinking about maybe coming into our program through helping the applicants who are actively applying to get into our program. And then once you're an admitted student I am a. 5 "Valerie Bardhi" (2057293312) 00:01:13.090 --> 00:01:41.360 Student success coach, and I am the liaison between our program and UMBC main campus, so I help students take utilize all of the wonderful resources that UMBC has and provide guidance with things like resumes and interview skills and things. So it's a really wonderful position and I'm so glad to just give an initial presentation about our program. We host information sessions throughout the calendar year. 6 "Valerie Bardhi" (2057293312) 00:01:41.360 --> 00:02:01.360 That are in person and are very useful to you as a potential applicant. We have our faculty and staff present, we have our current students present where you'll ask Q&A and you get to tour the scan lab. So attending a full in person info session is a admission requirement before you can apply. 7 "Valerie Bardhi" (2057293312) 00:02:01.360 --> 00:02:21.090 Apply to our program. But today's session is going to give you a really nice overview about what the profession is and give you an insight about what it's like to apply for the UMBC diagnostic Medical sonography program. And welcome, welcome as y'all are trickling in. So I'm going to share my screen now and go through the slides. 8 "Valerie Bardhi" (2057293312) 00:02:21.090 --> 00:02:40.080 And I do have the chat on the side, so like Erica said at the top, if you have a question and you'd like to type it in the chat, there will be places for us to go through our questions. So with that, let's get started. I'm so excited to talk to you about synography, and I thought we might just start with. 9 "Valerie Bardhi" (2057293312) 00:02:40.080 --> 00:03:00.080 Plain text definition of what is synography and some terms. So you may have all heard or maybe received a medical treatment with ultrasound. And so ultrasound is a medical imaging technique, and it uses sound waves that are admitted through the body and the sound. 10 "Valerie Bardhi" (2057293312) 00:03:00.080 --> 00:03:20.080 Noise kind of bounce back, echoes back, and they help create images. It's really wonderful physics. Ultrasound is not evasive and it does not involve radiation, so it's different than the imaging of let's say an x ray or an MRI. So ultrasound is also unique because they can capture images in real time showing. 11 "Valerie Bardhi" (2057293312) 00:03:20.080 --> 00:03:35.220 The structure of the anatomy of the body, the pathology and as well as blood flow. So when it comes to our terms, you may hear the term ultrasound, which is the technique. You may hear, hear the term sonography. 12 "4432****61" (3367230208) 00:03:35.220 --> 00:03:42.182 Which is the specialty and the procedure. I can ask that everybody go on mute. 13 "Valerie Bardhi" (2057293312) 00:03:42.182 --> 00:03:43.737 I kind of hear some background noise. 14 "4432****61" (3367230208) 00:03:43.737 --> 00:03:46.814 Thank you. 15 "Valerie Bardhi" (2057293312) 00:03:46.814 --> 00:04:04.920 So sonography is the specialty and the procedure. A sonogram is an is a picture that you receive as a result of your exam or that the dr. reviews, and sonographer is the trained professional who operates the ultrasound equipment and performs the sonography exam. 16 "Valerie Bardhi" (2057293312) 00:04:04.920 --> 00:04:24.920 So the UMBC sonography program has been along for a really long time. In fact, we're one of the 1st programs on the east coast. We started in 1976, as a organization, and we were part of UMBC for a long time and we moved to UMBC Training Center. 17 "Valerie Bardhi" (2057293312) 00:04:24.920 --> 00:04:44.920 And since then we've moved back to UMBC. So now we are a program that is sponsored by umbc's Institute of Extended Learning under the Division of professional studies. And we are an accredited program, which is very important when you're researching allied health professions and allied health, academic programs, you really wanna make. 18 "Valerie Bardhi" (2057293312) 00:04:44.920 --> 00:05:05.749 Sure that program is accredited. And accreditation means that that academic program follows set standards or guidelines for the best instruction and making sure that graduates of that program have equal knowledge and and very important. So when you're looking for sonography programs, you want to make sure that they're accredited through care. 19 "Valerie Bardhi" (2057293312) 00:05:05.749 --> 00:05:37.999 Hayhap, that's what we have on the screen. Commission on accreditation for Allied Health program. So we've been continuously accredited since 1986 and UMBC overall is also accredited through middle States. So why might you choose UMBC to complete your sonography training? Well, since we've been around for so long, and we do such a good job of teaching, we have an excellent reputation in the sonography community. Our instructors are so experienced and care so much about nurturing our students to become the best. 20 "Valerie Bardhi" (2057293312) 00:05:37.999 --> 00:06:00.769 They can be. We have exceeded the standards by K hep in terms of our employment and our credentialing rates. I'll talk about credentialing a little bit later. And because we have clinical sites through Maryland, including Virginia and Delaware, the students get a really high learning experience, high quality clinical learning experience and. 21 "Valerie Bardhi" (2057293312) 00:06:00.769 --> 00:06:24.719 And we are a program that is an inclusive program. We foster creativity, but also respect and helpfulness. These are our values. They align with UMBC overall. So within our program, we actually have three specialties. So accepted students will apply, they'll let us know their top two choices and they'll be selected into one specialty. And the whole goal of the program is to be. 22 "Valerie Bardhi" (2057293312) 00:06:24.719 --> 00:06:39.749 Help prepare you become an entry level sonographer in one of the concentrations. So the 1st concentration is the abdomen extended OBGYN program. It used to be called the general sonography program. So not only are you learning how to scan. 23 "Valerie Bardhi" (2057293312) 00:06:39.749 --> 00:06:59.749 The female anatomy and the growing fetus, the baby, as they become. You also learn all of the internal organs, the abdomens, so livers and kidneys, and including small parts like thyroids and breasts and scrotum. We also have a cardiac sonography program, an adult cardiac sonography program. So you learn one organ, but you go very. 24 "Valerie Bardhi" (2057293312) 00:06:59.749 --> 00:07:26.029 Very, very deep, and so you understand the anatomy and pathology of the heart. Vasculars in between these two, in terms of variety and what you're scanning. So vascular sonography is all about looking at the veins and arteries throughout the entire body. So you can be scanning brains one day and in a different clinical site you can be scanning toes. So they all are equal and different in terms of what you learn in the program and the. 25 "Valerie Bardhi" (2057293312) 00:07:26.029 --> 00:07:55.129 Career opportunities. Sonography is a growing profession. So it's wonderful to come to an accredited program like UMBC sonography program to get this specialized training. Sonography is one of those professions that require its employees to have a lot of knowledge and across three different learning domains. So every job that's out there demands that you learn either cognitive skills or psychomotor skills or effective skills. 26 "Valerie Bardhi" (2057293312) 00:07:55.129 --> 00:08:15.129 So with a sonographer, they need a lot of medical knowledge, you learn anatomy and physiology, pathology, that's all cognitive, that's critical thinking. Psychomotor skills. So sonographers operate the technology, they move the transducer up and down, and they lift the patient and lower, so it's a very hands on. 27 "Valerie Bardhi" (2057293312) 00:08:15.129 --> 00:08:40.789 Profession. It's the most operator dependent of the medical imaging. So using fine muscle control, and then effective is all about behavior. So a sonographer has to be very attentive to the patient, so be excellent with patient care, have to follow medical ethics, have to have good judgment, and so all three learning domains, you'll, you'll be employ employing if you become a sonographer and you come into our program. 28 "Valerie Bardhi" (2057293312) 00:08:42.179 --> 00:09:02.179 So our program is unique in that it is a full time daytime program that is a professional certificate and it is accelerated. There's not a quicker way to become a sonographer in terms of going to an accredited program. Our program is 13 and a half months. The students start in July and they graduate in the following August. They learn. 29 "Valerie Bardhi" (2057293312) 00:09:02.179 --> 00:09:27.229 Academic skills and clinical skills simultaneously throughout the program. Upon graduation, they earn a professional certificate in their specialty. So this example would be what your certificate would look like if you completed the program in cardiac sonography. We have a wonderful faculty and staff. You can see I'm listed here, but we also have specialized clinical coordinators and instructors. 30 "Valerie Bardhi" (2057293312) 00:09:27.229 --> 00:10:00.349 For the three specialties. We also have medical directors who advise the program and it's just a very, it's a small team, but you would learn quite a lot working with our faculty and staff. So next in the presentation, I'm just gonna show just some examples of cardiac, abdomen extended OPE sonography, images and what you would expect. So with cardiac sonography, you are learning the heart and our program director is also a cardiac synographer at the information session, they actually. 31 "Valerie Bardhi" (2057293312) 00:10:00.349 --> 00:10:11.129 Go into much better detail than I can about these images of of exactly what view and what we're seeing. But when we see the red and blue, that's blood flow through the heart. 32 "Valerie Bardhi" (2057293312) 00:10:11.129 --> 00:10:31.129 Abdomen extended OBGYn. Lots of folks when they 1st hear about sonography or understand about ultrasound, they're thinking about the growing fetus and the prenatal care that a birthing person will go through. But our students who are doing the specialty of obgyn, they're also learning all of the abdominal. 33 "Valerie Bardhi" (2057293312) 00:10:31.129 --> 00:10:51.709 Organs as well. So this is an example of blood flow to the liver. Vascular is a growing field. This is also a kidney, and this is a corrotted artery with a stent in it. And so vascular sonographers work very closely with vascular surgeons. 34 "Valerie Bardhi" (2057293312) 00:10:51.709 --> 00:11:18.619 And so, not only do you go through hospital settings, but also outpatient settings. Okay, so let's say you go through an academic program like our sonography program, what would you do need to do next in order to become a fully fledged sonographer and work? You do need to become credentialed. So that means taking credentialing exams. It's not dissimilar from something like maybe you're familiar. 35 "Valerie Bardhi" (2057293312) 00:11:18.619 --> 00:11:35.039 Familiar with registered nurses having to take the N clax exam. Sonographers do have to take both the sonography principles and instrumentation exam, also called SPI, AKA ultrasound physics, which is what we teach you in the program, and then their specialty exam. 36 "Valerie Bardhi" (2057293312) 00:11:35.039 --> 00:11:52.619 So somebody who is doing the cardiac specialty, they'll take the SPI exam and they'll take the cardiac, the adult cardiac exam. Students who are in our abdomen extended OBGYN program, they also take an abdomen extended exam and an OB exam. So they take three exams. 37 "Valerie Bardhi" (2057293312) 00:11:52.619 --> 00:12:11.729 And it's interesting to note that in the state of Maryland there's NO state mandated license to be a sonographer. The credentialing through the American Registry of diagnostic Medical sonographers, AR DMS, that's a national credential, which really means flexibility if you wanted to travel and work outside of Maryland. 38 "Valerie Bardhi" (2057293312) 00:12:11.729 --> 00:12:35.089 So, these next few slides are all about why you might want to be a sonographer and the skill set, like kind of putting into practice what we're talking about. So this is an example of one of our current students, graduates actually, in our scan lab, but sonography is a very highly skilled. 39 "Valerie Bardhi" (2057293312) 00:12:35.089 --> 00:12:57.169 Critical thinking dependent profession. So we talked about the cognitive clinical reasoning that you'll need to know. So you'll need to know anatomy, so where the organs are in relation to each other, the normal anatomy and the abnormal pathology disease, and the technical expertise of the of the machines itself. And sonographers are diagnostic. 40 "Valerie Bardhi" (2057293312) 00:12:57.169 --> 00:13:16.859 Questions, which means they understand the diagnosis, but they don't provide it. They don't make the final diagnosis that's outside of their scope. A dr. would make the final diagnosis. However, their images are painting the story, are telling the story of what's going on with the patient. So a sonographer has to work very, detailed. 41 "Valerie Bardhi" (2057293312) 00:13:16.859 --> 00:13:35.279 And follow through a thinking process. So when the patient comes in, they get the clinical history of the patient, they start to make a hypothesis about what could be going on with the patient based on their symptoms and history. They'll ask some more questions of the patient, like let's say the patient says, oh. 42 "Valerie Bardhi" (2057293312) 00:13:35.279 --> 00:13:55.279 I have chest pain. A sonographer might ask, when do you experience that chest pain? Is it after eating or after exercising? Where does the paid pain come from? And they'll take all those notes as they go through with the exam. So they make a plan, so there are scanning protocols, so taking pictures. 43 "Valerie Bardhi" (2057293312) 00:13:55.279 --> 00:14:25.549 In a certain order and they'll make sure that they use the best technique and analysis to take those images. So we have on the screen here about how the frequency and depth of the sound waves will optimize or make images more clear or less clear. And as they go through the scan, if they see something unexpected, they will extend the scope of their exam. They'll keep going and try to investigate even further. Why am I seeing this abnormality and what's going on with the surrounding structure. 44 "Valerie Bardhi" (2057293312) 00:14:25.549 --> 00:14:46.649 So other arteries and veins or other organs. So they have to be very systematic and our program teaches students on how to be following these protocols, and all throughout they're making detailed observations. They're notating it with the machine, the location, the size and shape of the finding, they're looking at texture. 45 "Valerie Bardhi" (2057293312) 00:14:46.649 --> 00:15:06.649 Blood flow using doppler. That's the, that's the audio technique that kind of sounds like wash wish wish. And so they catalog all of this information and they evaluate this data and they compare it to their initial hypothesis, and they write a report. So sonographers have to be excellent communicators in order to organize their objectives. 46 "Valerie Bardhi" (2057293312) 00:15:06.649 --> 00:15:33.779 Observations in such a way that when the dr. comes in or when they go to the dr., they can both understand they're speaking the same medical language to help the patient. Communication is so important for sonography. And so when the scan is finished, they need to alert the physician, and sometimes it's life or death, sometimes it's that quick where an initial scan will show the sonographer something very urgent, like a blood clot, and they will stop the exam and go get. 47 "Valerie Bardhi" (2057293312) 00:15:33.779 --> 00:15:53.779 You know, a, a physician or a nurse team to help with the code, e.g.. And other times it tells the physician, oh, we actually have some time to strategize over this surgery et cetera. And so it is a profession that requires a lot of critical thinking and a lot of physical skill, a lot of mental skill, and this collaboration is very rewarding for. 48 "Valerie Bardhi" (2057293312) 00:15:53.779 --> 00:16:20.569 There are a lot of sonographers to be so relied on as a high, high thinking medical profession. So those are some of the things that are, I would say enticing about the sonography profession, and you all can do your own research after today. There are a lot of websites that can kind of go through what it's like to be a sonographer. One such site is ultrasound Schools info.com, and they have an assessment that you can do for yourself. 49 "Valerie Bardhi" (2057293312) 00:16:20.569 --> 00:16:50.539 On your own time, which are questions that you'll ask, to see if you're kind of thinking along the same lines or ready for this type of profession. So sometimes sonographers might or interested students in sonography might not realize that there's actually a big physical component beyond just moving the transducer on the patient. And so these are kind of the questions that surround the profession and if you say yes to a majority of these questions, you're on the right track. 50 "Valerie Bardhi" (2057293312) 00:16:50.539 --> 00:17:11.599 Towards perhaps moving towards a career and sonography. But if you say NO to one of these questions, you can ask yourself, well, am I willing to learn and make that NO a yes or is this kind of the end of the journey of, of exploring sonography as a profession, maybe I need to look in a different allied health profession. So I thought this would. 51 "Valerie Bardhi" (2057293312) 00:17:11.599 --> 00:17:33.409 Be valuable for this group today. We can't talk about a career in Sonarfi without also talking about the salary and the job market and what you can expect if you graduate from a program like ours. And so you all can research through the US Bureau of labor statistics. They have statistics on all professions through. 52 "Valerie Bardhi" (2057293312) 00:17:33.409 --> 00:17:56.489 Throughout the United States. They give you a high level throughout US kind of knowledge, but also by state. And sonography's job outlook through the next ten years is much faster than the average. It's growing by 13 %. And so that's a really good sign when you're looking to start an academic program like ours and thinking about graduating a year or two later. 53 "Valerie Bardhi" (2057293312) 00:17:56.489 --> 00:18:16.489 What kind of job outlook is there? And the median pay, so there are folks that make more than this amount and folks that make less, this is right in the middle. Across the US is $89340 per year or an equivalent of $42.95 per hour, and this is across all diagnostic medical sonographers. 54 "Valerie Bardhi" (2057293312) 00:18:16.489 --> 00:18:36.489 One useful statistic that we bring to the information session about our recent graduates is that local hospitals and clinics, their pay range begins at $35 an hour and that PRN, which is working as needed or temp employment technically pays more like $40 an hour, but won't give you like the. 55 "Valerie Bardhi" (2057293312) 00:18:36.489 --> 00:19:00.779 Benefits like health insurance as a full time position. So in summary, sonographers can earn a very competitive income with, a good amount of education. And so this slide kind of explains through oh Net another wonderful resource about Maryland's status. So Maryland is up top in the orange here. The Maryland median workers on average earn 905K. 56 "Valerie Bardhi" (2057293312) 00:19:00.779 --> 00:19:20.779 And through the United States we saw that BLS number. So with a credential and sonography, what kind of jobs are out there for you? Most sonographers go out and they become a sonographer or staff sonographer, this is the 51 % or. 57 "Valerie Bardhi" (2057293312) 00:19:20.779 --> 00:19:45.979 Senior or lead sonographer, that's at 35 %. With an associate's degree level of education, so at least 60 college credits plus specialized training in sonography through in a program like ours, you would be prepared to work your entire career as a sonographer and that would be sufficient education. So you don't necessarily need a bachelor's degree. 58 "Valerie Bardhi" (2057293312) 00:19:45.979 --> 00:20:05.979 To become a sonographer, where there is other allied health programs which absolutely require a bachelor's or another higher level degree, more time and study before getting into work. Sonography is not structured this way. So a lot of our applicants are coming from the community colleges or combining their credits. 59 "Valerie Bardhi" (2057293312) 00:20:05.979 --> 00:20:33.589 With an associates level of education plus our training program of 13 and a half months. But there are candidates who are excited about completing a bachelor's degree. It's a personal and professional goal. We love those candidates as well. So with a bachelor's degree and sonography training, you open up new career opportunities like management, healthcare management. You also go into, you could go into the field of education and actually teach future sonographers through clinical. 60 "Valerie Bardhi" (2057293312) 00:20:33.589 --> 00:20:54.659 Education or through an academic program like ours. In fact, one of our, current instructors was a recent graduate, of the last ten years, so she came back to teach and give back to the program. And there's also jobs with the technology itself, with the ultrasound technology, which is kind of the, the little slice of the pie. 61 "Valerie Bardhi" (2057293312) 00:20:54.659 --> 00:21:15.949 So I'm just taking a look at the chats just to see. We're, we're gonna talk about prereqs and things. So we're gonna, we're gonna go through a little bit more. I want to talk about the technical standards. These are standards that as a program, we have been very thoughtful to offer to make sure that. 62 "Valerie Bardhi" (2057293312) 00:21:15.949 --> 00:21:44.479 That all candidates, all applicants to our program understand the demands of the sonography profession. It's a very physically intensive profession. You'll have to move the technology, you'll also have to move patients and assist patients from lifting and sitting, and part of our training in our program through our scan lab is simulating this and helping you learn how to do these skills. And you also have to have adequate visual acuity. 63 "Valerie Bardhi" (2057293312) 00:21:44.479 --> 00:22:04.439 With or without correction like lenses and in order to be a sonographer, you do have to be able to discern color, and have capable hearing because we use color to help diagnose. So this is an example of a machine scanning a heart and it has Doppler in in that. 64 "Valerie Bardhi" (2057293312) 00:22:04.439 --> 00:22:24.439 We also have professional standards about co cooperation and communication with other professionals, other sonographers, and these are the kind of skills that we also help train students. Our program, the way it's structured, I talked about it, we're a 13 and a half month full time. 65 "Valerie Bardhi" (2057293312) 00:22:24.439 --> 00:22:43.199 Daytime program. A lot of it is didactic, so that's classroom education, that's 450 h. At minimum students spend a hundred and 75 h in our scan lab on our campus practicing on each other. And we have a minimum of 1070 or 1070 h in clinical sites. 66 "Valerie Bardhi" (2057293312) 00:22:43.199 --> 00:23:03.199 The schedule would look something like this, where in the 1st session you do all classes five days a week, and classes between eight 03:30 P.M. generally speaking. Then starting in session two, our students start to go to clinical internship twice a week, and that increases as they get to session four, which is the final session where. 67 "Valerie Bardhi" (2057293312) 00:23:03.199 --> 00:23:28.159 We're at clinical internship four or five days a week at academic classes one day a week. The course curriculum, so all three tracks learn the same things in session one in bold. So introduction to sonography fundamentals of scanning. They take a self paced relational anatomy course. This is after you take anatomy in physiology one and two, we teach a special anatomy course that helps teach you. 68 "Valerie Bardhi" (2057293312) 00:23:28.159 --> 00:23:52.039 The, the space, the between of the organs. And then as you go on through session four, you learn the specialized skills of your specialty, like vascular scan lab, e.g.. So students learn in this program by scanning each other. So students are to volunteer to be scanned. 69 "Valerie Bardhi" (2057293312) 00:23:52.039 --> 00:24:12.319 And to scan others. So all students are expected to scan others, but it's completely voluntary if a student wants to be scanned themselves. But we have never had a student in our program who's denied that outright for the whole program. So we teach the same privacy and comfort message methods that are used by the professionals in the field and students became. 70 "Valerie Bardhi" (2057293312) 00:24:12.319 --> 00:24:38.239 Not begin to develop very professional relationships and they feel at ease while they're scanning each other. These are a example of our current students in the scan lab. So I tend to receive a lot of questions about clinical sites and the clinical instruction is such an important part of our educational model. The students start to go in session two and we can send students up to 75 mi from the UMBC campus and we're so far. 71 "Valerie Bardhi" (2057293312) 00:24:38.239 --> 00:24:58.239 Fortunate that we have so many hospitals and outpatient centers that have spots reserved for our students to come and shadow and actually take images of real patients in the clinical sites. And so most of them are in the Baltimore Metro area, but there are a few clinical sites in southern Pennsylvania and in. 72 "Valerie Bardhi" (2057293312) 00:24:58.239 --> 00:25:18.239 Who are in Virginia and students don't select their own clinical site rotations, that is done by the clinical rotate instructor, but we make sure that the students have an equitable learning experience. And so your location to where you live relative to the program will matter because your will be expected. 73 "Valerie Bardhi" (2057293312) 00:25:18.239 --> 00:25:51.649 To travel to clinical sites. I did see a question in the chat about do we accept students from out of county like Anna Rundo county? And I will say we accept students from all over Maryland and even outside of Maryland into our program. I also want to make clear that our program, we have such great reputation and great standards and that's because we hold our students to a high standard of professionalism, which means that we have a strict attendance policy and we have an 80 % pass requirement for each and every test in. 74 "Valerie Bardhi" (2057293312) 00:25:51.649 --> 00:26:11.649 Of course. That 80 % isn't just pulled out of nowhere. We are very thoughtful that for those credentialing exams that you would be doing to be credentialed as a full time sonographer, their pass rate is a 79 %, so we want to make sure that our students are at or above that 80 % in our pro. 75 "Valerie Bardhi" (2057293312) 00:26:11.649 --> 00:26:16.919 Grants so that they're ready to take those credentialing exams. 76 "Valerie Bardhi" (2057293312) 00:26:16.919 --> 00:26:36.919 Okay, so I wanna pause here and just see if there's any questions about the profession of sonography. Maybe I didn't address it before I go through what it's like to apply to our specific program. I do see a question in the chat about the prerequisites that'll be in the next part of the presentation, but does anyone have any other questions? 77 "Valerie Bardhi" (2057293312) 00:26:41.489 --> 00:27:01.489 Okay. Okay, let's keep going. So our admission timeline. So if you were interested in our program, you would apply through our online application. It's not the same as the UMBC undergraduate or graduate application. We have a separate continuing education application that's only available through an applicant. 78 "Valerie Bardhi" (2057293312) 00:27:01.489 --> 00:27:24.209 Window. So the application for the July 2026 cohort actually closed yesterday, but the students who applied, the most competitive students are invited to interview. The interview is a very important part of our admission process. Students aren't notified if they're accepted or if they're on a wait list and they attend an orientation and students begin in July. 79 "Valerie Bardhi" (2057293312) 00:27:24.209 --> 00:27:46.789 So our application requirements are official transcripts from the previous colleges and universities and making sure that we have your prereqs completed. We'll talk about that. We also have a patient care experience requirement, and that's so that you all get experience working with patients and have a good understanding of what that's like. 80 "Valerie Bardhi" (2057293312) 00:27:46.789 --> 00:28:11.369 Before entering our program. We require a resume and exactly two recommendation forms and a $50 application fee. Internationally educated students will need to have their foreign transcripts transcripts that were completed outside of the United States through West. And in terms of our academic prereqs, we have some, we have up. 81 "Valerie Bardhi" (2057293312) 00:28:11.369 --> 00:28:31.369 A few policies in place. I'll just highlight that our prerequisites must be taken at any accredited community college at university. So if you're already at UMBC and you're working on classes at UMBC, UMBC classes, of course, we'll transfer to our program very well. But we also have high transfer rates with all the Maryland. 82 "Valerie Bardhi" (2057293312) 00:28:31.369 --> 00:28:49.499 Community colleges and even colleges outside of Maryland as long as the institution is accredited. And notably, there's NO time limit on the prereq courses. That's different from some other programs that are out there. We require a sea or better and NO prerequisites can be waived. 83 "Valerie Bardhi" (2057293312) 00:28:49.499 --> 00:29:09.149 We have two, options for students who are thinking about applying to our program based on their level of academic history of what college classes they've completed. Our option A pathway is for students who have a minimum of 60 college credits with this year better or they might be somebody with an associate's degree. 84 "Valerie Bardhi" (2057293312) 00:29:09.149 --> 00:29:25.439 So with option A, there are eleven prereq classes, which I'll show in the next slide. Option B will be for those who will have a bachelor's degree by the spring term. And so for that option, there are five prerequisite classes. I'll just note that 60 college credits is. 85 "Valerie Bardhi" (2057293312) 00:29:25.439 --> 00:29:42.659 Typical of an associate's degree, so, but there are students who attend more than one college and have not organized their college credits into an associate's degree. I really recommend that students work with a community college academic advisor to ensure that. 86 "Valerie Bardhi" (2057293312) 00:29:42.659 --> 00:29:58.079 They can work on their credits towards an associate's degree because an associate's degree minimum opens up more job opportunities for that applicant, but we will consider applications from even students who have done quite a bit of some college classes and don't have a degree quite yet. 87 "Valerie Bardhi" (2057293312) 00:29:58.079 --> 00:30:18.079 So just to make that little note. So prerequisites for option A, and there there's going to be overlap with option B We have all of this on our website. I recommend that students work with academic advising to make sure that the classes that they are taking. 88 "Valerie Bardhi" (2057293312) 00:30:18.079 --> 00:30:38.079 At UMBC or at other institutions line up with their goal of applying to our program. These are absolutely what we require of students to complete English composition one and two, speech or communications class and introductory psychology class, medical terminology, medical healthcare, ethics and law. 89 "Valerie Bardhi" (2057293312) 00:30:38.079 --> 00:31:01.969 Physics and biology, mathematics, anatomy and physiology one and two. For option B, this would be for the folks who already have a bachelor's degree, maybe you're working on your bachelors here at UNBC. These are absolutely the five prerequisites we would require. And so we've spent a lot of time thinking about our prerequisites and making sure that we're requiring courses that help students have a baseline of success. 90 "Valerie Bardhi" (2057293312) 00:31:01.969 --> 00:31:21.969 To coming into our program, which is why we require things like medical terminology before you come into sonography, and also physics because the whole principle of ultrasound, that technology is actually physics. So we need students to come in with an introductory level physics course with that relational mass skills and critical thinking skills. 91 "Valerie Bardhi" (2057293312) 00:31:21.969 --> 00:31:40.169 And we do have a note on our website about what kind of physics class we will not accept. So if it's a course that's designed for non science majors, it's not going to help you be successful as another course that is designed for allied health majors even or an introductory physics class. 92 "Valerie Bardhi" (2057293312) 00:31:40.169 --> 00:32:00.169 So, and there was a question about do you need to work in a medical setting to train or get into this program? And we'll talk about the patient care experience, but as we can see with option B, which might be applicable for lots of people in the room today, there isn't a math prereq. 93 "Valerie Bardhi" (2057293312) 00:32:00.169 --> 00:32:12.539 Requisite that we require, but generally speaking, in order to take a physics class, you'll, you'll likely need a math class. So you'll work with your advisor to make sure that you're taking the courses. 94 "Valerie Bardhi" (2057293312) 00:32:12.539 --> 00:32:31.349 Okay? And so we require that all prerequisite courses must be completed by the end of the spring term before you would start our program July. And so beginning with the July 2027 cohort, we'll give priority admissions to applicants who have completed all prerequisites by the 30 November deadline. 95 "Valerie Bardhi" (2057293312) 00:32:31.349 --> 00:32:51.349 And in the years past we have permitted two prerequisites in progress in the spring, but going forward, we're going to limit that to one. So please take note of that and make adjustments as needed. And there's a good question about statistics for the math prereq, and we do accept statistics as long as it's a 100. 96 "Valerie Bardhi" (2057293312) 00:32:51.349 --> 00:33:24.919 Hundred level statistics class or higher, and you earn a seeer better. So great math classes to take for the math prerequisite for option A would be college level algebra, statistics, calculus, precalculus, treeconometry or higher. So statistics will work very well. Patient care experience. So this kind of addresses a question that's in the chat about working in a medical setting. So all students who are applying to this program must complete 40 h of patient care experience either. 97 "Valerie Bardhi" (2057293312) 00:33:24.919 --> 00:33:45.989 Either through volunteer work or paid employment. And so with coming into our program, you do not necessarily need to already be working in allied health or in healthcare in order to get accepted to our program and be successful in our program. We have helped a lot of people do a career change. 98 "Valerie Bardhi" (2057293312) 00:33:45.989 --> 00:34:05.989 Or people that are working just through school and they haven't gotten a lot of experience in the workplace. Though I will say the candidates who have worked in patient care, that is taken into consideration as a benefit to them professionally, financially, but also academically. And so with volunteer hours, we, we set. 99 "Valerie Bardhi" (2057293312) 00:34:05.989 --> 00:34:20.639 A 40 h requirement before the application deadline, and so a great example of something like this would be becoming like a patient transporter in a hospital. That would give you a lot of great exposure to helping patients and working in a hospital setting. 100 "Valerie Bardhi" (2057293312) 00:34:20.639 --> 00:34:40.639 And we get a lot of questions about shadowing versus volunteer hours, and if you're researching allied health programs, there maybe other allied health programs that require shadowing or observing a professional doing the work that you might be doing one day. For our program, we don't require that applicants shadow with some. 101 "Valerie Bardhi" (2057293312) 00:34:40.639 --> 00:35:13.939 As an admission requirement, but we do encourage students to seek that opportunity out. So it maybe difficult for some students to achieve the shadowing require the to be able to get in with a hospital or an outpatient center to welcome them as a shadow, but there are lots of hospitals in the region, very many and outpatient centers who are very happy to take in folks who want to volunteer and folks who want to shadow and just observe for a day. Just see what a day in the. 102 "Valerie Bardhi" (2057293312) 00:35:13.939 --> 00:35:38.749 Life is as a sonotapher, so we encourage our applicants to do their own research and reach out. So with all of those admission requirements, how do we make our selection? How do we decide who we're gonna accept into the program and our our our waitlist or alternate list? So it's a holistic review, so we're taking account your academic history, those applicant appraisals, those were those recommendation forms. 103 "Valerie Bardhi" (2057293312) 00:35:38.749 --> 00:36:01.669 And your interview score does factor a great deal. We don't share their ranking with the applicants, but if students are not initially selected for the program with an acceptance letter, they maybe put on the alternate list and if a seat becomes available in any track, we may call the next alternate off the list to offer them the seat. So not everybody who gets accepted. 104 "Valerie Bardhi" (2057293312) 00:36:01.669 --> 00:36:23.959 That on the very 1st day of acceptance actually says yes to us and accept their seat, lots of things can change. So, being on the alternate list is not the end of the road. It's it's quite possibly continuing on the road of becoming a sonographer, but if you're not selected off the alternate list and you still want to be a sonographer through our program, you would need to reapply in the future term. 105 "Valerie Bardhi" (2057293312) 00:36:23.959 --> 00:36:45.529 Term if you're not selected. And I do have to touch on this because, because we send students to clinical sites and this is an allied health profession, we have those academic admission requirements, and then we have these clinical admission requirements. So the students who are accepted to the program are given further instruction to complete their. 106 "Valerie Bardhi" (2057293312) 00:36:45.529 --> 00:37:15.059 Requirements we see on our screen here. Drug screening, background checks CPR, health insurance, vaccinations, and health exam to ensure that you meet the technical standards. And so these are non negotiable, so all students must go through drug screening and be drug free throughout the program, including marijuana, even though it's legal in the, in the state, you need to be drug free. Criminal background check is an important process and vaccinations are also non negotiable. 107 "Valerie Bardhi" (2057293312) 00:37:15.059 --> 00:37:31.169 And so students who go to our information session get a lot more information about these clinical requirements, and of course students who are at the interview stage get even more info, and then once they're accepted, we give them the instructions to get started on these requirements so that they can rotate through those clinical sites. 108 "Valerie Bardhi" (2057293312) 00:37:31.169 --> 00:37:52.909 How can you become a competitive applicant? So I talked about how our process is very holistic. We're looking at your academics, we're looking at the appraisals, you, you turn in a resume, the patient care experience. So you want to be really thoughtful about who you ask to complete the appraisal form. So. 109 "Valerie Bardhi" (2057293312) 00:37:52.909 --> 00:38:22.309 Ask two professionals in your network, that can be a coach, that can be an academic advisor, that can be a teacher, that can be a manager, a supervisor. Anyone who can speak to your strengths and who would be willing to write out the appraisal form, be strategic about that. It's very important that you study and retain the knowledge gained in those prerequises, so not just taking the class to get it done. These classes give you a great foundation of success. 110 "Valerie Bardhi" (2057293312) 00:38:22.309 --> 00:38:50.220 So practicing your study skills and retaining the knowledge refreshing your knowledge of anatomy and physiology will definitely help you become a more competitive applicant, and at the interview, you'll be expected to clearly communicate why you want to pursue this career in sonography and demonstrate that you are mature and that you're enthusiastic and you have a thoughtful understanding of what the profession is. And I hope that with today's. 111 "Valerie Bardhi" (2057293312) 00:38:50.220 --> 00:39:10.220 Presentation, you've gotten a lot more insight about the initial expectations of what it's like to be a sonographer, the professional expectations, and the academic expectations. I want to throw out here that there are lots of online resources for you to research sonography programs in general and the career. 112 "Valerie Bardhi" (2057293312) 00:39:10.220 --> 00:39:28.950 The Society of Diagnostic Medical Sonographers is a wonderful resource SDMS.org. I really like these so you want to be a sonographer blog post, it's very good. So I encourage you to take a look at that. And we have our own website for our program. 113 "Valerie Bardhi" (2057293312) 00:39:28.950 --> 00:39:48.540 And you also can contact me. I will put a contact form in the chat, and that is the overview of the program that I wanted to give today. We have plenty of time for questions now, so I'll stop sharing my screen. I'll pull up what's necessary, but I thank you all for your attention. 114 "Valerie Bardhi" (2057293312) 00:39:48.540 --> 00:40:08.460 And let's see if anyone has a question. Oh, we've got a very expanded room here. You are welcome to put it in the chat and or raise your hand. I see a question about does having a CPR certificate from somewhere else count? 115 "Valerie Bardhi" (2057293312) 00:40:08.460 --> 00:40:28.460 Like as long as it's AHA certified. So to translate, for those who are unfamiliar with AHA, AHA is American Heart Association and it's one of those great organizations that train folks on CPR and AED, and so we require that students complete American heart. 116 "Valerie Bardhi" (2057293312) 00:40:28.460 --> 00:40:46.050 Start Association basic life support CPR, only after they are accepted though. So having a CPR certification already completed is wonderful for you as an applicant professionally, but it's not an emission requirement that you finished CPR before you start applying to our program. 117 "Valerie Bardhi" (2057293312) 00:40:46.050 --> 00:41:06.390 Okay, tuition and total cost for program. I can go over quite a bit about the cost of program. I had removed those from these slides for today, but since y'all are asking, I am very happy to say that we are very transparent about the program costs for this program. 118 "Valerie Bardhi" (2057293312) 00:41:06.390 --> 00:41:26.390 I'll share my screen once more, and I wanted to make sure I had plenty of time to address questions, which is why I took out, the sonography program costs and at the in person information session, one of the 30 min sessions is with me and it goes, we go over how to pay for sonography school. 119 "Valerie Bardhi" (2057293312) 00:41:26.390 --> 00:41:46.390 So we talk about the costs of the program, the indirect, the direct payment plans, financial aid considerations, and things. So this site within our Institute of extended learning goes through the tuition and fees. So we will publish the updated tuition for future classes when it becomes applicable. 120 "Valerie Bardhi" (2057293312) 00:41:46.390 --> 00:42:14.570 And for the July 2026 cohort, they can expect to pay $27820. And as I researched the additional costs for this program, a conservative estimate, so giving you a lot of cushion to pay for the additional indirect costs of the program like the CPR class and gas and tolls and parking fees to clinical sites is budgeting in an additional $3000. 121 "Valerie Bardhi" (2057293312) 00:42:14.570 --> 00:42:41.150 So this tuition is built in a is built in exactly two equal installments, and so that requires a lot of forethought and planning. And when you think about this tuition rate and your expected salary upon graduation and earning, some students find that this tuition rate is actually a great deal. Others find that this tuition seems. 122 "Valerie Bardhi" (2057293312) 00:42:41.150 --> 00:43:00.510 Very out of reach for an immediate payment. So what we've done on our website is provide additional information about there are private scholarships that you can research. There is the Maryland Workforce and Innovation Opportunity Act, which I talk about more in that. 123 "Valerie Bardhi" (2057293312) 00:43:00.510 --> 00:43:20.510 Info session, but basically the state of Maryland provides funding through the counties at their workforce development offices. You can go to the workforce development office of the county where you live in Maryland and depending on the criteria you may qualify for funding to help pay for career preparedness programs. 124 "Valerie Bardhi" (2057293312) 00:43:20.510 --> 00:43:40.510 Our programs has been approved by this Opportunity Act. So we've had students who have successfully used grant money through this Maryland Workforce Innovation Act. Because we're not a degree program and the way the federal government's financial aid is structured, our program's not eligible for federal. 125 "Valerie Bardhi" (2057293312) 00:43:40.510 --> 00:44:05.730 Financial aid through the free act application for FASA. So we cannot accept FASA for this program. A lot of students also pay through GI bill or through private soon loans. So I put this link in the chat. I hope that gives you an initial answer to those questions about the costs of the program. I go through it in much more detail. 126 "Valerie Bardhi" (2057293312) 00:44:05.730 --> 00:44:25.730 Later. So, can we apply after completing a GED and prerequisites of option A? At minimum with option A, you need to have 60 college credits. So if you completed all eleven prerequisites under option A I'll. 127 "Valerie Bardhi" (2057293312) 00:44:25.730 --> 00:44:30.900 Share my screen once more. 128 "Valerie Bardhi" (2057293312) 00:44:30.900 --> 00:44:50.900 Even if you completed all eleven of these prereqs, you would not have 60 college credits. You would need to complete more credits than what's listed here. So it's not typically possible that students do a GED and just our prereqs and then get in. We have had candidates who have done a GED instead of a official. 129 "Valerie Bardhi" (2057293312) 00:44:50.900 --> 00:45:05.119 High school, but they have also done 60 college credits, including our eleven prerequisites. Okay, those were some great questions. Any more questions? 130 "Ericka Thompson" (4131002112) 00:45:05.119 --> 00:45:23.454 Hey Valerie, student had asked me once before about AP scores, and I saw in the presentation that you do accept AP scores or AP credits. Do you have a list of the scores that accepted or should we just go by the list that UMBC in undergrad had? 131 "Valerie Bardhi" (2057293312) 00:45:23.454 --> 00:45:39.090 We do have a list, we, we compared the list that is accepted by UNBC main campus and made sure to be as broadly acceptable as we can be. The. 132 "Valerie Bardhi" (2057293312) 00:45:39.090 --> 00:45:54.690 We accept APN Clep as well, but the course that I caution is the AP physics exams and CLEP exams. While students maybe successful in taking those exams. 133 "Valerie Bardhi" (2057293312) 00:45:54.690 --> 00:46:13.140 We might not, they might not have the full depth necessary. So that's kind of under revision. I haven't seen an applicant try to apply with an AP physics exam, but a successful AP exam score that I've accepted happily was, interest to psychology. 134 "Valerie Bardhi" (2057293312) 00:46:13.140 --> 00:46:33.140 That's really helped students a lot and AP English literature, that's also been helpful. So I'll work with you Erica on sending you that internal document, and we're, we are also working on updating our website to say a little bit more about AP and clip. So generally speaking, most AP and clip. 135 "Valerie Bardhi" (2057293312) 00:46:33.140 --> 00:46:39.361 The score of three or higher for AP and then the club scoring follows the UMBC model. 136 "Ericka Thompson" (4131002112) 00:46:39.361 --> 00:46:43.094 Perfect. Thank you so much. Yeah. 137 "Valerie Bardhi" (2057293312) 00:46:43.094 --> 00:46:54.810 Other questions about applying to this program, the sonography profession? 138 "Valerie Bardhi" (2057293312) 00:46:54.810 --> 00:47:12.056 I'll put my contact form in the chat as well, which is just a simple Google form that you can think fill out if you want to get on my email list, if you're not already on my email list, and you can send me additional questions. 139 "Ericka Thompson" (4131002112) 00:47:12.056 --> 00:47:17.975 I see a question in the chat asking how many people applied to the program? 140 "Valerie Bardhi" (2057293312) 00:47:17.975 --> 00:47:45.300 So I'm not able to share applicant statistics with prospective students. I will say that that information doesn't give you a lot of information of how to behave or how to change your application, so it wouldn't even be that valuable to know how many people apply. What's more important to that student in all is thinking about what are the factors under my control? 141 "Valerie Bardhi" (2057293312) 00:47:45.300 --> 00:48:03.060 Like signing up for my prerequisite classes, giving a really good effort into those prerequ classes researching sonography as a profession so that when you're at the interview, you can talk honestly about why you're so excited about the vascular program. Those things are more impactful than knowing how many other. 142 "Valerie Bardhi" (2057293312) 00:48:03.060 --> 00:48:23.060 Applicants are accepted to this program. How do we have our transcript evaluated before applying? Good question. So students can contact me as the recruitment manager, and I'm happy to review an unofficial transfer. 143 "Valerie Bardhi" (2057293312) 00:48:23.060 --> 00:48:53.660 Script to let students know if they're on track with option A or option B I am not able to provide direct advising about which classes at all of the possible Maryland community colleges and UMBC might be best for you. That's I'm limited in that scope, but I can also review course descriptions and course syllabuy of classes you've already taken or planned to take if you're unsure if that class will meet that requirement. 144 "Valerie Bardhi" (2057293312) 00:48:53.660 --> 00:49:16.820 So a perfect example of this would be like, if you're thinking about taking physics at UMBC physics 01:21, the introductory physics four credit, that's an easy yes we accept that physics. But there's some other physics classes like, e.g., at Hartford community college, they have a physical science class and it's designed for non science majors. We wouldn't accept that. 145 "Valerie Bardhi" (2057293312) 00:49:16.820 --> 00:49:37.880 So students can contact me at sonography, I'll put the email in the chat. When you do contact me and you're requesting a transcript evaluation to help you figure out your plan for applying to the program, please include a little bit more information about yourself, like if you're planning on applying for option A or B or if you're unsure, like. 146 "Valerie Bardhi" (2057293312) 00:49:37.880 --> 00:50:06.860 Like what year you're hoping to apply for, like if you're applying for July 2027 or in the future after you finish a bachelor's degree, that would be really good. So what does someone with a master's in public health require? That's a wonderful question. So with a master's degree, we've assumed you've also completed a bachelor's degree, so you would complete the prerequisites listed under option B So you'd still be expected to demonstrate in your undergraduate career. 147 "Valerie Bardhi" (2057293312) 00:50:06.860 --> 00:50:14.430 That you've completed a physics class AMP one and two, medical terminology and medical healthcare ethics and law. 148 "Valerie Bardhi" (2057293312) 00:50:14.430 --> 00:50:34.430 And let's see. There's an, there's a couple more questions. So as, as a student at a community college like Anuragile community college, a wonderful school, reviewing classes and transferring. So it's best that you work with the academic advisor at that community college to review when classes are available. 149 "Valerie Bardhi" (2057293312) 00:50:34.430 --> 00:50:56.030 Available and to actually register for classes, I do not have that capability working for UMBC. So what I tell students is start with your academic advisor at your home college, whether you're at UNBC, maybe you meet with the team here or at your community college, bring our website to them. 150 "Valerie Bardhi" (2057293312) 00:50:57.540 --> 00:51:17.540 And if after that dialogue, you still have questions, then you can communicate with me. I also work with the academic advisors at the Maryland Community College to ensure that we're all on the same page about what classes are acceptable. I do have a virtual limited virtual appointments for students outside of the application review period, so right now. 151 "Valerie Bardhi" (2057293312) 00:51:17.540 --> 00:51:44.790 In my busy season of reviewing all of the applications that have come in for 26 July, so I have limited hours to meet with students right now, but there's a lot that you can do to be ready to have a dialogue with me over email. I'm happy to help. I think if you, so there are some couple of follow up questions with CPR and I'll just say in general that even if students are already CPR certified. 152 "Valerie Bardhi" (2057293312) 00:51:44.790 --> 00:52:01.080 In our program, we require a specific CPR for allied Health professionals and we give the students the instructions for that after they are accepted. Is Artice a good site to review what classes? 153 "Valerie Bardhi" (2057293312) 00:52:01.080 --> 00:52:18.420 Transfer. Yes, yes. So, this is where I would say broadly speaking, courses like, let me pull up our website real quick. 154 "Valerie Bardhi" (2057293312) 00:52:18.420 --> 00:52:38.420 Our prerequisite. Courses like mathematics, as long as it's 100 level or higher, will accept any math of Algeberra statistics from any college. There's really NO trouble with transferring. Physics is one of those courses which requires a careful review because even. 155 "Valerie Bardhi" (2057293312) 00:52:38.420 --> 00:53:05.870 If UMBC accepts a physics class that's for non science major for a transfer credit to UMBC, that physics class for nonscience major won't satisfy our sonography program requirement. Any college level biology course for the prereq for option A, that's really NO NO concern. With anatomy and physiology one and two, it's to ensure that you have at least eight credits. 156 "Valerie Bardhi" (2057293312) 00:53:05.870 --> 00:53:29.990 Of anatomy and physiology. A lot of the schools break up the the courses into the way we've structured it here. We've also accepted human biology one and two. English composition and English writing or literature course, you can use artists and for certain you will find great transferability. Same with speech or communications, it needs to be an oral communications class. 157 "Valerie Bardhi" (2057293312) 00:53:29.990 --> 00:53:49.990 Psychology introduction to psychology is usually what we accept. I look for the psychology course where you've gotten the best grade. Same with math. I look for your best grade. In math medical terminology UNBC does offer this class, and medical ethics and law. So another one like physics, there are students who have taken. 158 "Valerie Bardhi" (2057293312) 00:53:49.990 --> 00:54:08.940 We can maybe fit philosophy 100 level ethics, and that course is valuable. However, it doesn't go into the depth of a healthcare ethics class that's focused on medical examples, so we tell students to look out for the course that includes HIPAA. 159 "Valerie Bardhi" (2057293312) 00:54:08.940 --> 00:54:28.940 And we have an on credit option as well. So artists is like a really great place to start to understand what classes will transfer to UMBC main campus. And broadly speaking, that will also transfer well for our program, but there's just a little bit of nuance when it comes to the physics and the medical ethics class. 160 "Valerie Bardhi" (2057293312) 00:54:28.940 --> 00:54:55.320 That I might suggest that if those are the classes you're thinking about, email me your course description and I'll be happy to tell you if it's acceptable or not. I think I saw another question in the chat. Let me stop sharing for a moment again so I can see it better. Do the anatomy and physiology courses expire? No, we do not have an expiration date for anatomy and physiology for our program. 161 "Valerie Bardhi" (2057293312) 00:54:55.320 --> 00:55:12.180 Where can I get the prereqs done for option B? Well, think about UMBC. UNBC offers all of these courses very well, but I also suggest students to consider the community college that's near where they live or where they work. 162 "Valerie Bardhi" (2057293312) 00:55:12.180 --> 00:55:29.580 So, with that answer, I hope that gets you started of thinking about where you might take the classes. How old should the prereq be? There's NO time limit for our prereqs. What if my community college doesn't have medical health care earth fits, but just medical tech terminology? 163 "Valerie Bardhi" (2057293312) 00:55:29.580 --> 00:55:47.970 An ethic class offered. Well, we definitely want you to see you complete the medical terminology class and depending on the community college, there maybe another course that's not titled exactly the same as medical healthcare ethics and law, but it would be accepted. So. 164 "Valerie Bardhi" (2057293312) 00:55:47.970 --> 00:56:04.860 Diamond I would say, can you email me after this session where you're thinking about taking the class and I have a list of acceptable medical ethics classes at the community colleges in Maryland. We also have an option through UMBC Institute for extended learning. 165 "Valerie Bardhi" (2057293312) 00:56:04.860 --> 00:56:21.450 Yeah that lots of applicants have done for the ethics course. Will grades from a class that aren't in the preclass prereqs will also be considered. You need a minimum GPA of 2.5 across your institutions. So in that sense yes. 166 "Valerie Bardhi" (2057293312) 00:56:21.450 --> 00:56:39.690 But we don't place more weight on those grades that are outside of your prereqs. So you need to ensure that you have a 2.5 minimum, but we're really focusing on your prereq classes. Okay? 167 "Valerie Bardhi" (2057293312) 00:56:39.690 --> 00:57:02.520 Is math one oh six at UNBC a sufficient course of the math credit or is another math required for the credit? So math at UNBC Algebra and out elementary functions is acceptable for our prereq requirement if you earn a C or better. 168 "Valerie Bardhi" (2057293312) 00:57:02.520 --> 00:57:22.520 It's just a question of, do you need a different math to get into the physics class you need or the biology class you need? But the math one oh six on its own would be acceptable for the option A student. Alright, I'm looking at the time we. 169 "Valerie Bardhi" (2057293312) 00:57:22.520 --> 00:57:31.527 We have about 2 min. Does anyone else have any final questions? 170 "Ericka Thompson" (4131002112) 00:57:31.527 --> 00:57:52.160 If not, I want to thank you so much Valerie for the information that you have shared. This was so, so valuable and informative and we really appreciate it. I'm super glad that it was recorded. Again, I'll put it on our allies help website and just to quickly answer that question. 171 "Ericka Thompson" (4131002112) 00:57:52.160 --> 00:58:15.890 Yes, those courses are at UNBC that I put in the chat. So, thank you all so much for coming and I hope that you found this to be very informative and please feel free to contact Valerie if you haven't already clicked on what she put in the chat so that you can keep in contact with her. And for those that are here at UMBC could. 172 "Ericka Thompson" (4131002112) 00:58:15.890 --> 00:58:31.039 Feel free to contact me as well. I'll put my email address in the chat so that you can contact with me. Contact me with any questions that you may have. All right? I hope you all have a great day. Thank you so much again, Valerie. Excellent. Excellent. 173 "Valerie Bardhi" (2057293312) 00:58:31.039 --> 00:58:48.630 Thank you, everyone. Erica, can I ask you one question when everyone exit? Yep. 174 "Valerie Bardhi" (2057293312) 00:58:48.630 --> 00:59:08.630 Absolutely. 175 "Valerie Bardhi" (2057293312) 00:59:08.630 --> 00:59:37.880 What's the next info session for 2027? It will be in March. Sign up through my link above and you'll get an email when registration opens. I might just send you a message Erica I wanted to know about how many folks were here today cause I think there were lots of people coming in and out, but it seemed like a well attended thing but. 176 "Ericka Thompson" (4131002112) 00:59:37.880 --> 00:59:45.241 Very well attended. I, was keeping account and my last count was 20. 177 "Valerie Bardhi" (2057293312) 00:59:45.241 --> 01:00:04.920 Wonderful. Okay, great. Yeah. Excellent. Yeah. Very good. Alright, well, as I said during the presentation I hope I was as elegant as I wanted to be. This next few weeks I'm reviewing all the applications for 26 July. We're doing interviews in January and so once we get through. 178 "Valerie Bardhi" (2057293312) 01:00:04.920 --> 01:00:22.457 That I'll open up more appointment times for students to meet with me, but, I like for students to come to our info session as a really good preliminary step, but since the next info session isn't until March, I'll make sure I have some appointments times in, in February and mid January. 179 "Ericka Thompson" (4131002112) 01:00:22.457 --> 01:00:28.921 Okay. Sounds good. All right, I'm gonna go ahead since this after 01:00 and end the meeting for everyone. 180 "Valerie Bardhi" (2057293312) 01:00:28.921 --> 01:00:32.400 Have a good day. Bye. Alright, bye bye.