A sonogram technician – officially known as a diagnostic medical sonographer – is a highly paid professional whose services are very much in demand and are expected to increase.
According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, this lucrative field is expected to grow by 18% through 2018 – faster than any other occupational category. The median salary for sonogram techs was $61,980 as of May, 2008, and is probably somewhat higher today. Salaries will vary according to experience and geographic location.
What Does a Sonogram Technician Do?
In the medical field, diagnostic techniques are always at a premium, and diagnostic medical sonography is at the forefront of this demand. It involves the use of high frequency sound to penetrate the human body and create a dynamic, vivid picture of the structures within the body.
It is considered safer and more cost effective than older technologies such as x rays, since it does not involve the use of ionizing radiation, which can have deleterious effects on the human body under certain conditions.
It involves the use of a transducer, which can be described as a combination speaker and microphone which is gently moved along the human body. It projects high frequency sound waves into the body and then receives and interprets the echoes coming back.
Since different organs, tissues and blood vessels within the body will absorb the sound waves differently, the resulting echoes coming back can be interpreted by a computer to form a dynamic moving picture of these structures, which is then projected onto a computer screen and electronically recorded for future study.
And lest you think that the use of sound waves will be noisy, rest assured that these high frequency sound waves are beyond the range of human hearing and totally harmless.
Where Does a Sonogram Technician Work?
Most sonogram technicians work in hospitals, but there are also many jobs available at private doctor’s offices, outpatient care centers, clinics and medical labs.
This wide variety of job locations is based on the many specialties available within the field. There is abdominal sonography, which is the evaluation of all of the soft tissues, blood vessels and organs of the abdomen, including the liver, kidneys, gallbladder, spleen and pancreas.
There is also neurosonography (brain and other parts of the nervous system) – breast sonography (abnormalities or lumps in the breast) – cardiac sonography (heart and related blood vessels) – vascular sonography (peripheral blood vessels). As well as the more well known obstetrics/gynecology sonography which studies images of the female reproductive system.
Training and Certification
Becoming a sonogram technician requires a minimum two year accredited associate degree which includes clinical experience and studies in physics, anatomy and physiology, patient care, medical ethics and medical terminology.
Of course, there will also be extensive courses in the science of diagnostic medical sonography, including the study, care and maintenance of the ultrasound machine.
For those who are interested in extending their training to one of the ultrasound specialties previously discussed in this article, a four year bachelors degree is necessary.
In order to get a job as a sonogram technician, you must be registered as a Registered Diagnostic Medical Sonographer (RDMS). To do this, you must pass tests given by the American Registry of Diagnostic Medical Sonography (ARDMS).
A properly qualified, registered and experienced sonogram technician can expect to make the superior salaries in the $60,000 – $70,000 range previously discussed.