If you are not a physician but are interested in applying for the ARDMS RDCS certification, please visit the RDCS certification page on the ARDMS website.
The RDCS certification, offered by APCA’s companion council, the American Registry for Diagnostic Medical Sonography (ARDMS), raises the standard of cardiac ultrasound practice internationally and promotes best practices for enhanced patient safety.
As a physician, you are eligible to earn many of the certifications offered by the ARDMS. ARDMS manages the RDMS certification and its associated sonographer-level specialty examinations (listed below). As a physician, you may apply, prepare for, schedule and maintain both your APCA and ARDMS certifications through APCA and MY APCA .
The RDCS certification has been developed for medical professionals in the cardiac sonography field. By earning the RDCS certification, healthcare professionals gain a critical edge in promoting patient safety in cardiac sonography.
Please consult the information below on how to become RDCS certified, the application and examination process, and how the certification pertains to your career in cardiac sonography.
RDCS Certification Prerequisites
To obtain the RDCS certification, you must meet the examination prerequisites and pass the physics and a corresponding specialty examination within five years :
Physics Examination:
AND
Specialty Examinations:
Note: Applicants may pursue the FE specialty under either the RDMS or RDCS certification. Once you pass the examination toward earning either the RDMS or RDCS certification, it cannot be switched.
Important Announcement About FE and PE Windowed Administration Testing
The Fetal Echocardiography (FE) and Pediatric Echocardiography (PE) specialty examinations for the RDMS certification (and the FE examination for the RDCS certification) are administered twice during select times of the year at Pearson VUE test centers. Visit the FE or PE examination page and click on the “Schedule” tab to view the examination application and administration dates.
