Diagnostic Medical Sonographer
A Diagnostic Medical Sonographer is also known as an Ultrasonographer or Ultrasound Technologist.
They use special equipment to direct high frequency sound waves into a patient's body. Results are interpreted and diagnosed by a physician.This is another medical career that is expected to grow faster than average. Job prospect are excellent due to increasing demand.
Here's what you need to know:
1) What is a Diagnostic Medical Sonographer?
2) Requirements for the career
3) Registration
4) Salary Potential
5) Schools
1) What is a Diagnostic Medical Sonographer?
Sonography or ultrasonography, is the use of sound waves to generate an image for the assessment and diagnosis of various medical conditions.
Diagnostic Medical Sonographers begin by explaining the procedure to the patient and recording any medical history that may be relevant to the condition being viewed.
They then select appropriate equipment settings and direct the patient to move into positions that will provide the best view.
To perform the exam, sonographers use a transducer, which transmits sound waves in a cone or rectangle-shaped beam.
Although techniques vary with the area being examined, sonographers usually spread a special gel on the skin to aid the transmission of sound waves.
Viewing the screen during the scan, Diagnostic Medical Sonographers look for subtle visual cues that contrast healthy areas with unhealthy ones.
They decide whether the images are satisfactory for diagnostic purposes and select which ones to show to the physician.
Diagnostic medical sonographers may specialize in one of these areas:
- obstetric and gynecologic sonography (the female reproductive system)
- abdominal sonography (the liver, kidneys, gallbladder, spleen, and pancreas)
- neurosonography (the brain)
- ophthalmologic sonography (the eyes).
2) Career Requirements
Below are some basic requirements:
- Complete training in hospitals, vocational or technical institutions, colleges and universities or the Armed Forces; OR
- Complete formal training formal of a 2 or 4-year program leading to an associate or a bachelor?s degree.
- State licensure is not required
- Registration with the American Registry of Diagnostic Medical Sonographers (ARDMS) is desired because it certifies the competency of the diagnostic medical sonographer
- Good communication and interpersonal skills
- Good vision
- Attentiveness to detail
- Fingerprint clearance may be required by employer
3) Registration
The American Registry of Diagnostic Medical Sonographers (ARDMS) certify the competency of a sonographers through registration.
Many employers prefer to hire registered sonographers.
To be registered with ARDMS, you have to pass a general physics and instrumentation examination, in addition to passing an exam in a specialty such as obstetric and gynecologic sonography, abdominal sonography, or neurosonography.
Completion of 30 hours of continuing education every 3 years is required for registration renewal.
4) Salary Potential
Earnings vary by geographic location, employment setting, and years of experience.
More than half of all sonographers were employed by hospitals, and most of the rest worked in offices of physicians or in medical and diagnostic laboratories, including diagnostic imaging centers.
The average annual salary of a diagnostic medical sonographer is approximately $60,000.
Salaries range from about $36,000/year to over $66,000/year.
5) Diagnostic Medical Sonographer Schools
The Commission on Accreditation of Allied Health Education Programs (CAAHEP) is the largest programmatic/specialized accreditor in the health sciences field.
CAAHEP reviews and assesses the quality of institutions, programs and services to make sure that they meet the required standards.
If accreditation is important to you, please verify the status of the school prior to enrolling.
Below are the diagnostic medical sonographer schools accredited by the Commission on Accreditation of Allied Health Education Programs (CAAHEP) :
Alabama
Baptist Medical Center South - Montgomery, AL
Institute of Ultrasound Diagnostics - Mobile, AL
Wallace State Community College - Hanceville, AL
Arizona
GateWay Community College - Phoenix, AZ
Arkansas
University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences - Little Rock, AR
California
Cypress College - Cypress, CA
Foothill College - Los Altos Hills, CA
Kaiser Permanente School of Allied Health Sciences - Richmond, CA
Loma Linda University - Loma Linda, CA
Orange Coast College - Costa Mesa, CA
University of California San Diego Medical Center - San Diego, CA
Colorado
University of Colorado Hospital - Denver, CO
Connecticut
St Francis Hospital and Medical Center - Hartford, CT
Yale - New Haven Hospital - New Haven, CT
Delaware
Delaware Tech & Comm Coll - Wilmington - Wilmington, DE
District of Columbia
George Washington University - Washington, DC
Florida
Broward Community College - Ft Lauderdale, FL
Florida Hospital Coll of Health Sciences - Orlando, FL
Hillsborough Community College - Tampa, FL
Keiser College - Daytona Beach - Daytona Beach, FL
Keiser College - Ft. Lauderdale - Ft. Lauderdale, FL
Miami-Dade College - Miami, FL
St Vincents Medical Center - Jacksonville, FL
Valencia Community College - Orlando, FL
More diagnostic medical sonographer schools accredited by the Commission on Accreditation of Allied Health Education Programs (CAAHEP):
Georgia
Coosa Valley Technical College - Rome, GA
Grady Memorial Hospital - Atlanta, GA
Medical College of Georgia - Augusta, GA
Ogeechee Technical College - Statesboro, GA
Sanford Brown Institute - Atlanta, GA
Idaho
Boise State University - Boise, ID
Illinois
College of DuPage - Glen Ellyn, IL
John A. Logan College - Carterville, IL
South Suburban College of Cook County - South Holland, IL
Southern Illinois Univ at Carbondale - Carbondale, IL
Triton College - River Grove, IL
Iowa
Mercy College of Health Sciences - Des Moines, IA
University of Iowa Healthcare - Iowa City, IA
Kansas
University of Kansas Medical Center - Kansas City, KS
Kentucky
Bowling Green Technical College - Bowling Green, KY
St Catherine College - Bardstown Program - St Catherine, KY
West Kentucky Community and Technical College - Paducah, KY
Louisiana
Delgado Community College - New Orleans, LA
Louisiana State University at Eunice - Eunice, LA
Maryland
Johns Hopkins Hospital - Baltimore, MD
Montgomery College - Rockville, MD
University of Maryland Baltimore County - Baltimore, MD
Massachusetts
Bunker Hill Community College - Boston, MA
Middlesex Community College - Bedford, MA
Springfield Technical Community College - Springfield, MA
Michigan
Delta College - University Center, MI
Henry Ford Hospital - Detroit, MI
Jackson Community College - Jackson, MI
Lansing Community College - Lansing, MI
Oakland Community College - Southfield, MI
Providence Hospital School of Diagnostic Medical Sonography - Southfield, MI
More diagnostic medical sonographer schools accredited by the Commission on Accreditation of Allied Health Education Programs (CAAHEP):
Minnesota
Argosy University/Twin Cities - Bloomington, MN
College of St Catherine-Minneapolis - St. Paul, MN
Mayo School of Health Sciences - Rochester, MN
St Cloud Technical College - St Cloud, MN
Mississippi
Itawamba Community College - Fulton, MS
Missouri
Cox Health Systems - Springfield, MO
St Louis Comm College at Forest Park - St Louis, MO
Nebraska
Nebraska Methodist Coll Nursing & Allied Hlth - Omaha, NE
University of Nebraska Medical Center - Omaha, NE
Nevada
Community College of Southern Nevada - Las Vegas, NV
New Hampshire
New Hampshire Technical Institute - Concord, NH
New Jersey
Bergen Community College - Paramus, NJ
Gloucester County College - Sewell, NJ
Muhlenberg Regional Medical Center - Plainfield, NJ
Sanford Brown Institute - Iselin, NJ
University of Medicine & Dentistry of New Jersey - Newark, NJ
New Mexico
Albuquerque Tech Voc Institute - Albuquerque, NM
New York
Hudson Valley Community College - Troy, NY
New York University - New York, NY
Rochester Institute of Technology - Rochester, NY
SUNY Downstate Medical Center - Brooklyn, NY
Western Suffolk BOCES - Dix Hills, NY
North Carolina
Asheville-Buncombe Technical Community College - Asheville, NC
Caldwell Comm College & Tech Institute - Hudson, NC
Forsyth Technical Community College - Winston-Salem, NC
Johnston Community College - Smithfield, NC
Pitt Community College - Greenville, NC
South Piedmont Community College - Polkton, NC
Ohio
Central Ohio Technical College - Newark, OH
Cincinnati State Tech and Comm College - Cincinnati, OH
Cuyahoga Community College - Cleveland, OH
Kettering College of Medical Arts - Kettering, OH
Lorain County Community College - Elyria, OH
Mercy Medical Center - Canton, OH
Owens Community College - Toledo, OH
Sanford Brown Institute - Middleburg Heights, OH
More diagnostic medical sonographer schools accredited by the Commission on Accreditation of Allied Health Education Programs (CAAHEP):
Oklahoma
University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center - Oklahoma City, OK
Pennsylvania
College Misericordia - Dallas, PA
Community College of Allegheny Cty-Boyce Campus - Monroeville, PA
Crozer-Chester Med Ctr - Upland, PA
Great Lakes Institute of Technology - Erie, PA
Harrisburg Area Community College - Harrisburg, PA
Lackawanna College - Scranton, PA
Lancaster General College of Nursing and Health Sciences - Lancaster, PA
Northampton Community College - Bethlehem, PA
Thomas Jefferson University - Philadelphia, PA
Western Sch of Hlth & Business Careers - Pittsburgh, PA
Wyoming Valley Health Care System - Hospital - Wilkes-Barre, PA
Rhode Island
Rhode Island Hospital - Providence, RI
South Carolina
Greenville Technical College - Greenville, SC
Tennessee
Baptist Memorial College of Health Science - Memphis, TN
Chattanooga State Technical Comm College - Chattanooga, TN
Methodist Le Bonheur Healthcare - Memphis, TN
Vanderbilt University Medical Center - Nashville, TN
Volunteer State Community College - Gallatin, TN
More diagnostic medical sonographer schools accredited by the Commission on Accreditation of Allied Health Education Programs (CAAHEP):
Texas
Austin Community College - Austin, TX
Cy-Fair College - Cypress, TX
Del Mar College - Corpus Christi, TX
El Centro College - Dallas, TX
El Paso Community College - El Paso, TX
Lamar Univ Institute of Tech - Beaumont Campus - Beaumont, TX
Midland College - Midland, TX
Sanford Brown Institute - Dallas, TX
Sanford Brown Institute - Houston - Houston, TX
Tyler Junior College - Tyler, TX
University Tx at Brownsville/Tx Southmost Coll - Brownsville, TX
Wharton County Junior College - Wharton, TX
Virginia
Southwest Virginia Community College - Richlands, VA
Tidewater Community College - Norfolk, VA
Washington
Bellevue Community College - Bellevue, WA
Seattle University - Seattle, WA
West Virginia
Mountain State University - Beckley, WV
West Virginia University Hospitals - Morgantown, WV
Wisconsin
Chippewa Valley Technical College - Eau Claire, WI
Columbia/St Mary's Hospital - Milwaukee, WI
Northeast Wisconsin Technical College - Green Bay, WI
St Francis Hospital - Milwaukee, WI
St Luke's Medical Center - Milwaukee, WI
University of Wisconsin Hosp & Clinics - Madison, WI