Medical diagnostic sonographers are technicians that use diagnostic imaging equipment to diagnose illnesses. Sonographers are required to have proper training, but no formal licensing is required. However, many employers prefer sonographers to be registered with the American Registry of Diagnostic Medical Sonographers.
Training and Education Requirements
Medical diagnostic sonographers can get training in hospitals, schools such as colleges and universities and in the military. Although most sonographer programs prefer students to have a science or health background, they also accept those with only a high school education. Medical diagnostics sonographers usually opt to receive a 2-year associate's degree, although 4-year bachelor's degrees are also available. Whether aiming for an associate's degree or a bachelor's degree, sonography students will attend medical classroom lectures and receive clinical training. To earn either degree, students must have a sound understanding of anatomy and methods of scanning different body parts by taking courses in general physics, abdominal and vascular sonography, obstetric sonography and fetal anomalies. Along with classes specifically for sonography, students must also take and pass other math and science courses such as algebra and advanced physics.
Certification Requirements
Before becoming a registered medical diagnostics sonographer, interested candidates are required to pass two comprehensive examinations to earn the RDMS credential from the American Registry for Diagnostic Medical Sonography, as well a credential for a sonography speciality. In Spring 2009, the ARDMS began using a new Sonography Principles and Instrumentation (SPI) examination. Five percent of the questions are on patient care, safety and communication; 20 percent on physics principles; 20 percent on ultrasound transducers; 30 percent on pulse-echo instrumentation; 20 percent on doppler instrumentation and hemodynamics and 5 percent on preventive maintenance, malfunctions and performance testing with phantoms. Once RDMS-certified, registered sonographers can sit at many specialty examinations and accrue certifications for all sonography fields.
Specialities within Sonography
There are numerous types of equipment used by medical diagnostic sonographers, from magnetic resonance imaging to X rays and ultrasounds. Individual sonographers can choose to specialize in a particular practice and can choose between ophthalmologic sonography, neurosonography, obstetric and gynecology sonography, abdominal sonography and echocardiography and vascular technology. These various fields allow sonographers to work with eyes, the brain, the female reproductive system, the pancreas, spleen, gallbladder, liver and kidneys and the heart, respectively.
Employers
Most of the medical diagnostic sonographers in the United States are employed by hospitals. Laboratories and private practice doctors employ the rest. It is anticipated that more doctors and laboratories will employ sonographers as the prices for equipment have come down. Technological advances have also made equipment more mobile and insurance companies are shifting focus to outpatient care.
Employment Opportunities
The demand for sonographers is expected to increase because of the aging population and demand for imaging services. Job growth is anticipated to be faster than average as sonographic imaging is relatively harmless and people continue to look for alternatives to radiological imaging.
Earnings
Medical diagnostic sonographers earn an average income of $57,160 yearly as of 2006. In the lower end of the salary scale, sonographers were earning less than $40,960 and the high end earned more than $77,520. Those who worked in private practice offices earned an average $56,970 annually and those who worked in general medical and surgical hospitals took home $56,850 yearly.
Tags: diagnostic sonographers, Medical diagnostic, American Registry, American Registry Diagnostic, associate degree, Diagnostic Medical
