Ultrasound technicians are requiring some basic education. Let’s see the facts of ultrasound technician’s job details. To be specialized ultrasound technician, technicians have to complete special training program in ultrasound technology. These training programs provide acknowledgement about physics, anatomy, patient care and other necessary skills.
Ultrasound technicians are main job objective is to create images of internal organs of patients’ by operating sonography machine. They can get work opportunities in different places like physician’s offices, hospitals or clinics. Sonographers might require doing night shift or weekend shifts.
Sonographers can be specializing in certain areas like obstetric, breasts, vascular or any other sonography. People can get successful career as ultrasound technologist by getting relevant associate’s or bachelor’s degree. The person who already has degree another area of healthcare sector is also eligible to be ultrasound technician by taking sonography training by one-year certificate program.
| Mandatory Education | Associate's or bachelor's degree in sonography; some healthcare workers can earn certificates |
| Other Requirements | Professional certification not mandatory but is preferred by most employers |
| Projected Job Growth (2018-2024)* | 24% for diagnostic medical sonographers |
| Median Salary (2019)* | $68,970 for diagnostic medical sonographers |
Duties:
Before starting ultrasound process, basically ultrasound technician explain the ultrasound process to the patients and adjust the scanner for the specific procedure. The sonographer will make a video recording of the ultrasound images and they will capture the other important sonograms images for the diagnostic purpose. The ultrasound technicians are mostly do sonography of obstetric and gynecologic process. The ultrasound technicians are also specialist in other sonography likes neurological (brain), breast, heart or abdominal sonography.
Education and certification:
Based on the U.S. Bureau of Labor (BLS), ultrasound technician require formal training, basically an associate’s or bachelor’s degree in sonography. The certificate programs of sonographer are available in www.bls.gov. These programs are cover subjects like anatomy, physics, physiology, patient care, ethics and instrumentation.
The BLS report also suggests that most employers prefer ultrasound technicians that have achieved industry certification from reputed organization like the American Registry for Diagnostic Medical Sonography (ARDMS). The ARDMS is conducting exam based on physical principles and instrumentation and ultrasound technicians need to clear that exam. The pass out ultrasound technician will receive title of Registered Diagnostic Medical Sonographer (RDMS).