RDCS - AE - RDCS Adult Echocardiography

Sonography is a vast field with many specialties. One area of interest for many sonography professionals is the Registered Diagnostic Cardiac Sonographer with an Adult Echocardiography specialty (RDCS-AE), offered by the American Registry for Diagnostic Medical Sonography (ARDMS).

This certification tests the sonographer’s knowledge, skills, and abilities concerning adult echocardiography. This is a test that uses sound waves to create a moving image of the heart that helps doctors assess how well it is functioning. 

To pursue this certification, you must also pass the Sonography Principles and Instrumentation or SPI examination. This two-hour exam consists of 110 multiple-choice questions. It costs $225, including a non-refundable processing fee. If you wish to take the exam at a testing center outside of the U.S. in Canada or Mexico, there is an additional non-refundable $50 fee.

Cost

Exam fee - $250, includes processing fee $100 (non-refundable)

Exam fee effective April 4, 2023 - $275

There is an additional $50 non-refundable fee if you schedule your exam outside of the United States, Canada or Mexico.

The RDCS-AE exam is three hours long and features a combination of multiple-choice and higher-order thinking hot spot questions. Multiple-choice questions may include images and video, and hotspot questions involve a large image with a question requiring you to move the cursor to mark a part of the image on the screen to assess your sonography skills. The free schedule is the same as the SPI examination.

To earn an RDCS-AE certification, you must pass both the SPI and the RDCS-AE exam within five years. This period starts the day that you pass the first exam and continues to the end of the fifth calendar year. For example, if you pass the SPI exam on March 6, 2022, you have until December 31, 2027, to pass the second. 

If you don’t complete both exams in this time frame, you will have to retake the first exam. For both exams, you must wait 60 days before retaking them if you fail, but you can apply to retake the exam after three days.

Information on Obtaining this Certification

Both the SPI and RDCS-AE exams are taken on computers at testing centers around the country. 

Prerequisites for the SPI exam are as follows:

• Successful completion of a sonography course or seminar

• Transcripts showing successful completion of a graded sonography course and a post-secondary physics course with a grade of a C or higher OR a CME certificate showing completion of a sonography course, physics review course, or physics correspondence course worth at least 12 CME credits

• Official non-expired government ID

Prerequisites for the RDCS-AE exam vary depending on your level of education. 

Prerequisite 1

• Education: 2-year patient-related allied health program, including diagnostic sonographer, registered nurse, and radiologic technologist

• Clinical Ultrasound Experience: 1 year full-time

• Application Requirements: transcript from two-year allied health program, copy of education certificate or license, reference letter from supervising physician, ARDMS-registered technologist, or program director indicating 12 months of full-time clinical experience, signed clinical verification form, copy of non-expired government-issued ID

Prerequisite 2

• Education: Graduate or student of an accredited program in diagnostic medical sonography, diagnostic cardiac sonography, or vascular technology

• Clinical Ultrasound Experience: No additional experience is required

• Application Requirements: Copy of diploma from the program including the date of completion, signed letter from program director or medical director indicating date of program completion, copy of non-expired government-issued ID. If more than a year has passed after completion of the program, a signed and completed CV form is also required.

Prerequisite 3a

• Education: Bachelor’s degree in any field

• Clinical Ultrasound Experience: 12 months full time

• Application Requirements: copy of degree or official transcript, reference letter from supervising physician, ARDMS-registered technologist, or program director indicating 12 months of full-time clinical experience, signed and completed CV form, copy of non-expired government ID

Prerequisite 3b

• Education: Graduate or student of bachelor’s in a sonography program

• Clinical Ultrasound Experience: No additional requirement is required

• Application requirements: copy of bachelor’s degree or transcripts, signed letter from program director verifying the length of ultrasound experience, copy of non-expired government ID. If more than a year has passed after completion of the program, a signed and completed CV form is also required. If a student has not yet completed the program, a signed letter from the program director indicating graduation date and verifying appropriate clinical experience is also required. 

Prerequisite 5

• Education: Hold an approved credential from the Cardiovascular Credentialing International (CCI, American Registry of Radiologic Technologists (ARRT), Sonography Canada, or Australasian Society of Ultrasound in Medicine (ASUM).

• Clinical Ultrasound Experience: No additional requirement is required as clinical hours met my previous certification.

• Application Requirements: copy of active credential or license, signed and completed CV form, copy of non-expired government-issued ID.

There are four parts to maintaining your certification. 

1. Pay the renewal fee before December 31 of each year. 

2. Attest to ARDMS compliance policies and rules every year.

3. Earn 30 CMEs

4. Recertification

RDMS renewal costs $95 annually.

First reinstatement opportunity:

• $95 renewal fee + $150 administrative fee.

• Must be completed by February 28, 2023.

Final reinstatement opportunity:

• $95 renewal fee + $300 administrative fee.

• Must be completed by August 1, 2023.

The prerequisites for this certification are a bit complicated, but the ARDMS Prerequisite PREP Tool can help you figure it out.

The ARDMS offers a

• Content Outline

• Practice Test - purchased under your MyARDMS account. Cost $35, price will increase to $45 April 4, 2023.

ARDMS offers many other certifications, too, all of which are options for people wishing to explore other areas of this field. They include: 

• RDMS Abdomen (AB)

• RDMS Breast (BR)

• RDCS Fetal Echocardiography (FE)

• Midwife Sonography

• RDMS Registered Musculoskeletal Sonographer (RMSKS)

• RDMS Obstetrics and Gynecology (OB-GYN)

• RDCS Pediatric Echocardiography (PE)

• RDMS Vascular Technology (RVT-VT)

• Sonography Principles and Instrumentation (SPI)