Building Echo From the Inside Out: Creating an Echo Pipeline with Hospital-Based Training, Clinical Excellence, and Student Success

What really goes into building an echocardiography training program from scratch?
In this episode of Sonographers After Dark, Lara sits down with Daniel Bourque for an honest, behind-the-scenes conversation about launching and sustaining a hospital-based echocardiography program at Orlando Health.
Daniel shares the five-year journey of developing an employer-backed echo program—from navigating state licensing, board reviews, and massive documentation requirements to selecting students, building clinical rigor, and fostering real-world decision-making at the bedside. With over 1,300–1,500 clinical scanning hours, early hands-on exposure, and strong internal recruitment, this program is a powerful example of what’s possible when education stays rooted in clinical reality.
Together, Lara and Daniel unpack:

• What hospital-based ultrasound and echo programs do right
• The challenges of accreditation and why transparency matters
• Why hands-on clinical experience still trumps everything
• The growing need for adult and pediatric echo cross-training
• What students often underestimate about becoming a sonographer
• And why perseverance is the quiet superpower behind every successful program

Whether you’re a sonographer, educator, administrator, or someone dreaming of building a training program of your own—this episode pulls back the curtain on the long game of sonography education.
Because strong programs don’t happen overnight—and the work behind them deserves to be seen. 💜💙

Watch the full episode here or listen on your favorite platform:
Spotify, Apple Podcast, iHeartRadio

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