Is Sonography a Good Career?
Satisfying Career
Sonographers get to play an important role in the medical field. By providing medical professionals with detailed images of the body, sonographers can help diagnose and treat various illnesses and conditions.
Good job Outlook
As technology advances, the need for sonographers is expected to rise. This makes it a great career choice for those looking for stability and job security.
Great Benefits
Many sonographers are eligible for a variety of benefits, including health insurance, vacation days, and retirement plans.
Growth Potential
Sonography is a growing field. Thus, there is potential career growth. As technology advances, the need for sonographers is expected to increase, making this a great career for those looking for job security.According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, diagnostic medical sonographers may expect a 10% job growth from 2021 to 2031. Diagnostic medical sonography is growing faster than both the health technician field at 7% growth and all occupations at 5% growth. Pursuing a career in a growing field can offer you more opportunities and stability.
Great Salary
Sonographers typically make great salaries. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), the average salary for sonographers is $91,310 per year.
For those looking for a stable, rewarding career, sonography is a great choice. With the potential for growth, a variety of specialties, and a good salary, sonography is one of the best options for those looking to enter the medical field.
Job opportunities
As a sonographer, there are many career paths you can follow, including:
DIRECTOR OR MANAGER: Experienced sonographers can move into director roles at hospitals or medical offices, overseeing an entire department of ultrasound technicians, creating and implementing quality assurance or improvement procedures and evaluating the performance of junior sonographers.
TRAINING: You could find that you have a passion for teaching others about sonography. In that case, you could grow your career into training sonographers at a college.
SYSTEMS ADMINISTRATION: You could aid hospitals with archiving images in this role which is a crossover between sonography and information technology.
APPLICATIONS SPECIALIST: These sonographers work in companies that manufacture ultrasound equipment and serve to educate health care providers and other sonographers. They typically provide demo sessions to describe the various features of the equipment and ways to operate the device.
RESEARCH SONOGRAPHER: If conducting medical research interests you, you may find a role as a research sonographer in medical colleges, hospitals, research institutes or universities. Besides using diagnostic imaging technology in clinical research, you may also have administrative duties.
What Diagnostic Medical Technicians Do?
Diagnostic medical sonographers technicians typically do the following:
Prepare patients by explaining the procedure to them and answering their questions
Prepare exam rooms and maintain diagnostic imaging equipment
Properly situate patients for imaging
Operate equipment to obtain diagnostic images or to conduct tests
Review images or test results to check for quality and adequate coverage of the areas needed for diagnoses
Analyze results for abnormalities and other diagnostic information and provide a summary of findings to physicians
Record findings and keep track of patients’ records
Diagnostic medical sonographers specialize in creating images, known as sonograms or ultrasounds, that depict the body’s organs and tissues. Sonography is often the first imaging test performed when disease is suspected.
Sonography uses high-energy sound waves to produce images of the inside of the body. The sonographer uses an instrument called a transducer to scan parts of the patient’s body that are being examined. The transducer emits pulses of sound that bounce back, causing echoes. The echoes form an image on a computer that physicians use for diagnosis.
The following are examples of types of medical sonographers:
Abdominal sonographersspecialize in imaging a patient’s abdominal cavity and nearby organs, such as the kidney, liver, gallbladder, pancreas, and spleen. Abdominal sonographers may assist with biopsies or other examinations requiring ultrasound guidance.
Musculoskeletal sonographers specialize in imaging muscles, ligaments, tendons, and joints. These sonographers may assist with ultrasound guidance for injections, or during surgical procedures, that deliver medication or treatment directly to affected tissues.
Obstetric and gynecologic sonographers specialize in imaging the female reproductive system. For example, many pregnant women receive sonograms to track the baby’s growth and health.
Vascular technologists(vascular sonographers) create images of blood vessels and collect data that help physicians diagnose disorders affecting blood flow. Vascular technologists often evaluate blood flow and identify blocked arteries or blood clots.
Proficiencies, critical thinking skills, documentation and communication skills. Clinical rotations build appropriate clinically based judgment and decision making skills, strengthening professional behaviors and
Benefits of Becoming a Medical Sonographer
Not sure if becoming a diagnostic medical sonographer is the right path for you? There are many benefits to becoming a diagnostic medical sonographer:
- Excellent job prospects: The demand for diagnostic medical sonographers is growing rapidly, and the Bureau of Labor Statistics projects that employment will grow by 24% from 2016 to 2026.
- Competitive salaries: Sonographers earn a median salary of $68,970 per year.
- Flexible work schedule: Many sonographers enjoy a flexible work schedule that allows them to balance their work and personal lives.
- If you’re interested in becoming a diagnostic medical sonographer, Austin Medical Assistant Training can help! We offer an accredited diagnostic medical sonography course that will prepare you for a career in this exciting field.
Prerequisites:
- Associates in Allied Health, Bachelors or Higher Degree in any field. Candidate must have completed general education requirements prior to start date or during the program’s module A which is the first 12 weeks of the program. The general education non-core courses required are:
- Communication skills which may be met with courses in college-level English composition or speech, College-level mathematics, Human anatomy and physiology and General physics.
Program Schedules
We offer a range of program schedules in the morning, afternoon, evening, and weekend so you can fit our training program around your schedule.
- Morning: Monday through Friday, 9:00am–2:00pm
- Afternoon: Monday through Friday, 12:00pm–5:00pm
- Evening: Monday through Friday, 5:00pm–10:00pm
- Weekend: Saturday and Sunday, 8:00am–4:30pm & Friday 5:00pm–10:00pm
Register for Our Diagnostic Medical Sonography Program Today
Ready to get started with our diagnostic medical sonographer program? Register now with Austin Medical Assistant Training. Through our education model, we work to keep the cost of education low while equipping our students with the training they need with a low student to teacher ratio and experienced instructors who are distinguished medical professionals.