United Hospital Center is the result of the merger of two well-established Clarksburg hospitals, Union Protestant, which dates its beginning to 1898, and St. Mary's Hospital, which was founded in 1901.

The mission of United Hospital Center is to meet with excellence the healthcare needs of this region. A natural extension of this mission is sponsorship of the Diagnostic Medical Sonography Program beginning in 1999 to satisfy the demand, both locally and regionally, for registered diagnostic medical sonographers.


United Hospital Diagnostic Medical Sonography Program is an 18-month educational program that integrates didactic and clinical experiences. The Diagnostic Medical Sonography Program begins each year in July and charges a tuition of $3,000.

Students participate in 40 hours of didactic and clinical education each week. All sonography education is scheduled from Monday through Friday and does not require attendance on weekends or holidays. Student sonographers are awarded three weeks of vacation during the 18-month training program - one week including Christmas, one week prior to Memorial Weekend, and one week prior to Labor Day Weekend. In addition, students are given personal and disability leave days.

As a prerequisite to admission, applicants must successfully complete an accredited program in radiologic technology and possess American Registry of Radiologic Technologists (ARRT) credentials of R.T. (R) with an active status. Registry eligible applicants will be considered probationary and will be required to pass the ARRT certification examination in Radiography within the first 90 days of sonography training.

United Hospital Center's Diagnostic Medical Sonography operates under the Standards and Guidelines for an Accredited Educational Program for the Diagnostic Medical Sonographer. Didactic courses and clinical rotations are conducted primarily at United Hospital Center; however, clinical rotations are also conducted at the Clarksburg VA Medical Center, Clarksburg, WV.

A completed application must be returned to the program office by February 1 of the year in which you want to enter the training program. Upon receipt of the completed application, the candidate will be contacted so that an interview may be scheduled. Interviews will be conducted in early March so that letters of notification to all candidates may be mailed by March 15.

Reference form letters must be completed by the two individuals who are listed on the application. Applicants who are employed in radiologic technology must provide one reference from a current supervisor or manager. A Program Director or faculty representative must provide one reference for applicants who are enrolled in radiologic technology programs. These completed references, along with other required documentation, may accompany the application or may be submitted independently, however only documentation received by March 1 will be evaluated during the admission process.