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Clinical Experiences

The online Bachelor of Science in Advanced Medical Imaging is divided into two distinct phases: pre-advanced medical imaging and a modality year. The modality year typically takes place during your final year in the program and includes modality-specific courses and clinical experiences.

Clinical experiences prepare you for licensure exams and allow you to gain real-world, hands-on experience with patients in your community. During these experiences, you will apply what you have learned in class and practice providing patient care, assessment and medical imaging in a real clinical setting while building your professional network — all while being supervised by established medical imaging providers.

Clinical experiences are required for each modality in the advanced medical imaging program. To learn more about finding and securing an appropriate clinical experience for your modality, visit the program resource site in Canvas.

Log Into Canvas

Note: The Canvas program resource site is only accessible to students who have been admitted to the pre-advanced medical imaging phase.

Clinical Experience Process Overview

To participate in clinical experiences, you must complete the following steps:

  1. Find a clinical location within reasonable driving distance of where you live.
  2. Obtain a verbal agreement for clinical placement. If your site does not have a current clinical affiliation agreement, our clinical affiliation coordinator will work with your site to create one. This process can take from six to 12 months.
  3. Finalize your clinical placement by providing the department with the clinical site’s contact information and a site survey filled out by the department manager.

Students completing their clinical in the Treasure Valley for the interventional radiology and interventional cardiology modalities will be placed for clinical experiences.

These steps are outlined in more detail in the subsequent sections on this page. Please continue reading to learn more.

Application Deadlines

To be eligible for clinical experiences, the department must receive your application materials by March 1 for fall semester clinical experiences.

Time Commitment

Once you begin your modality year, you are required to shift to a full-time schedule. Clinical experiences range from 24 to 40 hours per week in addition to the time allotted for online coursework.

Each modality in the advanced medical imaging program requires clinical experience; however, your time commitment will vary depending on which modality you choose to pursue.

We understand that shifting to a full-time schedule may impact your financial situation. Some clinical sites offer compensation for clinical hours and/or tuition assistance; contact your clinical site directly for more information about additional funding opportunities. Note: Diagnostic medical sonography sites do not offer compensation for clinical time.

Requirements by Modality

Computed Tomography

The computed tomography modality requires one semester of clinical experience to satisfy your clinical experience in computed tomography.

Clinicals must be completed in the fall semester and consist of three eight-hour shifts per week.

Diagnostic Medical Sonography

The diagnostic medical sonography modality requires three semesters of clinical experience to satisfy your clinical experience in diagnostic medical sonography.

Clinicals must begin in the fall semester and continue through the spring and summer semesters. For the fall and spring semesters, clinicals consist of three eight-hour shifts per week. For the summer semester, clinicals consist of five eight-hour shifts or four ten-hour shifts per week.

Interventional Cardiology

The interventional cardiology modality requires two semesters of clinical experience to satisfy your clinical experiences in interventional cardiology.

Clinicals must begin in the spring semester, continue through the summer semester and consist of five eight-hour shifts or four ten-hour shifts per week.

Interventional Radiology

The interventional radiology modality requires two semesters of clinical experience to satisfy your clinical experiences in interventional radiology.

Clinicals must begin in the spring semester, continue through the summer semester and consist of five eight-hour shifts or four ten-hour shifts per week.

Magnetic Resonance Imaging

The magnetic resonance imaging modality requires two semesters of clinical experience to satisfy your clinical experiences in magnetic resonance imaging.

Clinicals must begin in the fall semester, continue through the spring semester and consist of three eight-hour shifts per week.

Finding a Clinical Location

U.S map of the treasure valley
The Treasure Valley covers a section of Idaho and Oregon and includes, but is not limited to, the following cities: Boise, Cascade, Caldwell, Idaho City, McCall, Meridian, Mountain Home, Nampa, Ontario, Payette and Weiser.

Clinical experiences must be performed in the United States and in your local area.

If you live within the Treasure Valley, modality program directors will only accept the number of students for which clinical placement is available. You must apply prior to the application deadline to be considered.

If you live outside the Treasure Valley, you are responsible for finding your own clinical sites within a reasonable driving distance from where you live.

Securing Clinical Placement

This content only applies to students who plan to complete their clinical outside of the Treasure Valley.

After identifying your clinical location, you are responsible for contacting the clinical site and achieving a verbal agreement to host you. The department’s recruitment coordinator can help you make contact and script a conversation to achieve a verbal agreement. AMI 234 Introduction to Clinical Experience will also walk you through this process.

Clinical sites must have a clinical affiliation with Boise State University. Boise State has hundreds of clinical affiliation agreements across the United States. If the clinical site you prefer is not affiliated with Boise State, our clinical affiliation coordinator will work to create one. This process can take from six to 12 months.

To learn more about finding and securing an appropriate clinical experience for your modality, visit the program resource site in Canvas.

Log Into Canvas

Note: The Canvas program resource site is only accessible to students who have been admitted to the pre-advanced medical imaging phase.

Finalizing Clinical Placement

This content only applies to students who plan to complete their clinical outside of the Treasure Valley.

To finalize your clinical placement, you will provide the department with the clinical site’s contact information and a site survey filled out by the department manager within your advanced medical imaging application packet.

Clinical Site Requirements

The College of Health Sciences requires a background check, proof of vaccination/titers, drug tests and current CPR certification for health care professional certification. Requirements by clinical site may vary, and it is your responsibility to understand and follow the requirements of the clinical site.

Information from the background check or drug and alcohol testing deemed to be detrimental to the care of patients will result in revocation of admission status. Visit the Department of Radiologic Science website for more information about the criminal background check, drug and alcohol testing and health status verification policies.

To participate in clinical experiences, you must also meet physical and sensory standards to perform the essential functions of the profession. These standards are also criteria for your success in the Department of Radiologic Sciences at Boise State University, including the advanced medical imaging program. Learn more about physical and sensory standards.

Criminal convictions may prevent applicants from taking national certification examinations and/or gaining employment after graduation. Refer to the ARRT website or your credentialing body for more information.

More Program Details

Didn’t find what you’re looking for?

Contact our enrollment and student success team for support by emailing us at AMIonline@boisestate.edu or calling (208) 426-5921.