GAYLORD — Students interested in the specialized study of cardiac sonography (ultrasound) need not go any farther than M-TEC at Kirtland-Gaylord.

According to Kathy Marsh, Kirtland Community College (KCC) Dean of Instruction, KCC partnered with the Michigan School of Cardiovascular Stenography (MSOCS) in August 2007 to offer students the cardiac sonography program.

MSOCS searched for a community college to partner with it to offer their sonography students the applied science associate’s degree.

In January, KCC purchased the sonography equipment from MSOCS and students will officially start the program with M-TEC at Kirtland-Gaylord in August.

“We’re very excited because we feel the sonography (program) could become a signature program for us,” said Marsh. “There’s only one other community college in Michigan that offers cardiac and vascular sonography.”

M-TEC will offer the cardiac sonography for the fall semester and hopes to bring vascular sonography to the program for the summer 2009 semester.

Chris and Evalene Martin owned the program in Sault Ste. Marie for eight years before bringing MSOCS to Gaylord.

“We looked at 19 colleges,” said Chris Martin of the journey to find a college that fit their program.

“We chose Kirtland because the technology is unbelievable at M-TEC — it’s worked out very good for us,” he said.

Students take the applied science prerequisite courses the first year and sonography training the second year.

“We have a 98 percent placement,” Martin said of the program.

According to the M-TEC Web site, the program “trains students to become proficient sonographers able to obtain high-quality images from various views. Throughout the program, students are trained in proper patient care skills, physics, human anatomy, pathology and physiology. This allows graduates to have a wealth of knowledge when entering the career field, which will only make them more valuable to prospective employers.”

For more information, contact M-TEC at Kirtland-Gaylord at 705-3600 or e-mail mtec@kirtland.edu.

— Contact Jil Schult at 748-4518 or jil@gaylordheraldtimes.com.

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