Diagnostic Computed Tomography - DCT.AC

Accreditation

The Advanced Imaging Certificate in Computed Tomography falls under, and is being offered by, the Radiologic Technology program that is accredited by the Joint Review Committee on Education in Radiologic Technology (JRCERT) www.jrcert.org/. The certificate does not require accreditation.

Joint Review Committee on Education in Radiologic Technology
20 North Wacker Drive, Suite 2850
Chicago, Illinois 60606-3182
312-704-5300     FAX: 312-704-5304 mail@jrcert.org

Program Goals

1. To provide a compressive computed tomography curriculum that prepares students to be academically competent for the American Registry of Radiologic Technologists Computed Tomography examination.
2. To graduate computed tomography students who demonstrate exam competencies as defined by the American Registry of Radiologic Technologists.
3. To graduate computed tomography students who work as team members, showing initiative and responsibility while integrating legal and ethical principles into job responsibilities.
4. To graduate computed tomography students who demonstrate expertise in the application of CT principles, instrumentation, and select appropriate protocols based on patient diagnosis.
5. To graduate computed tomography students who are capable of thinking critically and solving problems within their scope of practice.

Applying to this Program

• All applications for consideration for acceptance into the program should be received by the Admissions Office no later than March 31 of the application year.
• Fall start, Hybrid program

Admission Prerequisites

• Proof of High School transcript, GED or HISET
• Must be registered as a radiologic technologist (ARRT), radiation therapist (ARRT), or nuclear medicine technologist (NMTCB)
• State Radiologic License required (RT, RTx, NM) per location of clinical site
• Proof of Associate degree in Radiologic Technology, Radiation Therapy or Nuclear Medicine Technology from a program accredited by either JRCERT or JRCNMT
• Current American Heart Association BLS certification
• A 4-credit Sectional Anatomy course (At STCC it is BIO 240/240L)

Notes:

• Students who enroll in the Advanced Certificate program need to maintain their license in good standing throughout the course of the program. If there is any change in your licensure at any point during your studies, you need to notify the college

• This hybrid course offers 2 semesters of on line course content and OTJ clinical
• Clinical component is required in both semesters, it is competency/repetition based and requires a minimum of 250 clinical hours.

Additional Requirements for Accepted Students

• Deposit: If offered admission, a non-refundable $50.00 deposit will be required to secure your acceptance to this Program.
• Mandatory Health Records*:  All required health records, immunizations, and physicals MUST be filed in the STCC Health and Wellness Center by July 1 of the admission year. The Health and Wellness Center is located in the Building 19 , Room 177 (413-755-4230). For additional information and required forms please visit the Health and Wellness Center website at http://www.stcc.edu/healthservices. The college/program reserves the right to rescind the admission status of any student not meeting, as well as not submitting, all post-admission requirements in a timely manner. 
• *NOTE: Hospital employees may be eligible to sign a waiver for health requirements (physical exam, immunizations etc.) if they can demonstrate clinical compliance with their current employer.
• Background Check: College programs involving potentially unsupervised contact with children, the disabled, or the elderly, including fieldwork (a clinical affiliation, internship, externship, or field placement) with a private or public healthcare provider or daycare provider, will be required to undergo state-wide and/or national criminal background checks, including but not limited to: Massachusetts Criminal Offender Record Information (CORI) and Sex Offender Record Information (SORI), Seven (7) year residential Search, and FBI Fingerprinting checks. The purpose of the background check is to ensure a safe and protective environment for all clients, particularly members of vulnerable populations.
• Students choosing not to consent to the required background checks will be ineligible to participate in fieldwork involving vulnerable populations. Ineligibility to participate in fieldwork may affect a student’s ability to successfully complete the program.
• Based upon the results of the background checks, a student may be deemed ineligible to participate in academic or clinical activities, which may impact a student’s ability to successfully complete program requirements. Background checks are reviewed by the College’s CORI Board. The CORI Board determines eligibility to participate in academic and/or clinical activities. Students have the right to appeal the determination of the CORI Board by filing a written appeal with the Vice President of Student and Multicultural Affairs within 10 business days of receiving the CORI Board’s determination.
• Furthermore, please be advised that eligibility to participate in College academic and/or clinical activities following a background check does not guarantee eligibility to sit for a professional credentialing examination(s) or for employment upon program completion. It is the student’s responsibility to contact the certification or licensure board for a particular healthcare or other service profession to determine the standards that must be met for credentialing, licensing and/or employment in that field.
• Drug Screening Policy for Clinical Placement: The School of Health & Patient Simulation is committed to high quality education and providing excellent clinical experiences to students in the health professions. Students are expected to perform at their highest functional level during all educational and clinical experiences in order to maximize the learning environment and ensure patient safety. Thus a student’s performance at all times must be free of any impairment caused by prescription or non-prescribed drugs or alcohol use. Students enrolling in Health Professions programs are required to undergo and pass a drug and/or alcohol screening analysis in order to be eligible for placement in a clinical facility. Students assigned to clinical education experiences at our contracted facilities may also be required to undergo and pass random drug screening analysis in order to remain at that clinical facility and in the program. Students who fail a screening, or refuse to submit to a screening within the designated time frame will be ineligible for clinical placement, which will affect their status in the program. Students with a positive drug test may challenge the results of the test within five (5) business days of notification of the drug test results. This challenge must be in writing and delivered to the college’s Director of Health Services. Students may re-apply for re-entry into a health program after one year. Requests for re-admission will be considered on a case by case basis.
• Students who are notified of a negative-dilute result will submit to a random drug test within 24 hours of the previous test in order to confirm the negative status of the screening. Additional random testing may also be required under the guidelines listed in your program’s handbook. A student who claims that he/she tested positive due to a prescription drug and was unable to clarify this matter with the medical review officer (MRO) from the drug testing lab shall be required to provide evidence from a health care provider of the type of prescription, dates of permissible use and dosage amounts within five (5) business days of notification of the drug test results to the college’s Director of the Health and Wellness Center. Failure to complete this notification will result in the student being ineligible for clinical placement, which will affect their status in the program
• Students who test positive for marijuana are unable to continue in a clinical placement, which will affect their status in the health program. A student who has a prescription for Medical Marijuana and tests positive for marijuana will also be ineligible to participate in clinical placement due to the federal restriction on the use of marijuana. While the use of Medical Marijuana is permitted in Massachusetts, marijuana remains classified as a controlled substance under federal law and its use, possession, and/or cultivation at educational institutions remains prohibited.
• NOTE: The ARRT requires all examinees to disclose any prior felony or misdemeanor conviction.  If this situation applies to a student, it is recommended they contact the ARRT at (612) 687-0048 to discuss their particular case.  This process is to prevent the student from having completed the A.S. degree program and being ineligible to take the ARRT exam.

(DCT.AC) Curriculum

Department Personnel