REGISTERED DIAGNOSTIC CARDIAC SONOGRAPHER® (RDCS®)

You can now take the Adult Echocardiography, Pediatric Echocardiography, and Fetal Echocardiography exams online. Learn more!

If you are a physician interested in the Registered Diagnostic Cardiac Sonographer (RDCS) credential please visit the website for ARDMS’s new physician-centric companion Council, the Alliance for Physician Certification & Advancement (APCA).

The RDCS credential raises the standard of cardiac ultrasound practice internationally to promote best practices for enhanced patient safety. The RDCS credential has been developed for medical professionals in the cardiac sonography field. By earning the RDCS credential, 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 credential pertains to your career in cardiac sonography.

RDCS Credential Prerequisites
To obtain the RDCS credential, you must meet the examination prerequisites and pass the physics and a corresponding specialty examination within five years:

Physics Examination:
• Sonography Principles and Instrumentation (SPI)

AND

Specialty examinations:
• Adult Echocardiography (AE)*
• Fetal Echocardiography (FE)**
• Pediatric Echocardiography (PE)**

Note: Applicants may pursue the FE specialty under either the RDMS or RDCS credential. Once you pass the examination toward earning either the RDMS or RDCS credential, 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 RDCS credential (and the FE examination for the RDMS credential) 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.

* The application for On Demand examinations is always open, candidates are provided with a 90 day eligibility period and scores are available directly after completion of the examination.  

** The application for Windowed examinations is only open during certain “windows” of time (see specific examination for details), candidates are provided with an approximately 30 day window of eligibility and scores are available approximately 60 days after the close of the administration.