American Institute - West Hartford — Local services in West Hartford

I am a recent graduate of American Institute - West Hartford campus. I was there from October 2023 until March 2025 for Diagnostic Medical Sonography. While I did have a good experience I must say I have to truly thank Kate Townsend for being an instructor/teacher who has taught me so much over the past two years. She was patient and kind with each and every one of my classmates as we navigated the complexities of ultrasound. I truly can say that without her I would not be the sonographer I am today just 6 months post graduation. Kate took her time and explained and gave critiques with such care that pushed me to want to work harder to show her I can produce such high quality work. She truly cares about the sonographers that she is training ensuring that they are the best that they truly can be. Now while I speak so highly of Kate, the reason for the 3 stars is due to the how unorganized the DMS program truly is, classes being switched so last minute canvas not being up to date and links or exams NEVER working and instructors being unable to fix it because they have such limited access to their own classes so they will try to reach out to the program director who runs both CT and NJ campuses who take 6-10 business days to respond if at all. Some instructors would read off the slide and not really answer any questions when having our online classes forcing me to teach myself the material as well as anything else that was not included in our once a week live lecture. I did speak with my program director about it and she stated that while she has heard other students complain and that she will do something about it, I had not seen any changes made to better help future students be able to succeed better in that class. When it came down to my clinical experience while I might not have had the worst experience because I was placed in a site and even was able to find my own. I had to watch my classmates even in our last term after being told "you guys will get first priority" be skipped over given clinical sites until week 10/12 of the term. My classmates would reach out to the program director who handles clinical placement and her response to them was "i'm working on it" and then not reach back out to them for weeks having them stressed about finishing the program in time. I truly wish the program director roles and responsibilities would be looked into and maybe expand a new role for maybe one of the instructors who would be willing to be the program directors right hand so that students can have a more pleasant experience at American Institute and be willing to recommend it to others who are looking into...

This is my second review on this school. When I began the program it was all good and dandy but once I started to go through term 1 I found that there was flaws with the anatomy and physiology instructor I’ve never failed any other anatomy and physiology class that I’ve taken in person but I failed hers my 5 points. She had an attitude if you asked if she could go back a slide so you could get the notes. The other instructors were great like Ms Liz Kate and Darcy. As I finished term 1 I passed the scan lab protocol and my other three classes but I didn’t move on to term 2 because I failed Anatomy and physiology. So as I’m repeating the class there’s a different instructor she seemed okay in the beginning but things went south when I asked her about my grade I went from a 95% to an 85% because she said I plagiarized mind you they plagiarized as well because all of the answer are from Quizlet. I spoke to Melissa about and she was being argumentative with me and asking me where I got my answers from. That was strike 1 for me. So then two weeks went by and I got another 0 talking about I plagiarized because I didn’t cite where I got my information from I put the information in my own wording but Melissa copy and pasted what I used and posted it to the question. I used information that the instructor had told me to help me answer the question. That was the second strike mind you was traveling from Stratford Ct to West Hartford to get to campus for 8am and I was always the first one there. If that wasn’t dedication I don’t what is lol like I really wanted to finish the program. However to make a long story short would I recommend the program probably not I feel like I...

I recently graduated from the American Institute for Diagnostic Medical Sonography. My experience with the program was a mix of positives and challenges. One of the strongest aspects of the program was the support I received from a specific instructor Kate. This teacher genuinely cares about the students and goes above and beyond to help them succeed. In many ways, Kate is the backbone of the program, and I’m incredibly grateful for her dedication and guidance throughout my time there. However, the program overall has room for improvement—particularly when it comes to organization and student support during clinical placements. Despite being promised guaranteed clinical placements upon acceptance, many of us waited weeks (sometimes longer) to be placed, which created a lot of stress and uncertainty. The clinical director appeared unorganized, and communication during those periods was often lacking and sometimes nonexistent. Another concern is that the school sometimes seems more focused on enrollment numbers and revenue rather than prioritizing the quality of education and the readiness of students they admit. This affects not only the learning environment but also the reputation of the program in the field. While I did complete the program and appreciate the parts of it that worked well—especially the support from Kate—I hope the administration takes steps to improve the structure and put more emphasis on student outcomes rather than just enrollment figures. Would I recommend this school? It depends. If you're self-driven and lucky enough to get the right support, you can succeed here. But be prepared to advocate for yourself and navigate some frustrating...