Students Beware!
A recent online article described the experiences of several graduates of healthcare-related college programs who could not land jobs in their chosen fields, even after successfully completing their education.
In some cases, students paid tens of thousands of dollars to attend schools (including diagnostic medical sonography programs) that promised them they would be adequately trained and employable. However, when the new grads went to interviews they were told they could not be hired because they lacked the necessary certification. But those former students may not be eligible to sit for certification examinations because the program they attended did not meet the certifying body's prerequisites. Many times, the graduates must work full-time for a year before they are eligible to take the certifying examinations.
This leaves graduates in an unfortunate catch-22-they cannot find jobs because they are not certified, but they cannot get certified because they have not met the employment requirements.
These experiences illustrate the potential consequences of not adequately researching a school's job placement record. Some school counselors will tell prospective students anything to get them to enroll in their programs, but students must do their own due-diligence when seeking an education. Too often students learn the hard way after spending lots of money, energy and precious time attending a program that fails to meet their objectives.
In some instances lawsuits are the only recourse left for students who feel they have been misled. Several schools have had class action lawsuits lodged against them with students being awarded large sums of money when the fraudulent activities were revealed. In an ideal world, prospective students would be able to avoid attending inadequate educational programs in the first place.
Here are a few ideas to consider when selecting an educational program:
- Get job placement records from the school, but don't rely on this information alone. Ask for the names of former students and talk to them personally about their experiences finding a job after school. Reputable schools will be happy to provide you with the names of former students. If the school is reluctant to offer this information, they may be trying to hide something.
- Check the prerequisites of the sonography certifying bodies (American Registry for Diagnostic Medical Sonography or Cardiovascular Credentialing International ), and make sure that the school's curriculum and accreditation standing meet those prerequisites.
Take the time to investigate the school and the program you want to attend - it will be time well spent towards achieving your goals. The internet can be a great resource when investigating a school's track record.