If you are searching for a new career in the health or medical field and have  good people skills, have an interest in anatomy and like the idea of working with complex equipment, chances are you may enjoy a career as an ultrasound technician, also known as ultrasonographers or sonographic technicians.   Ultrasound techs work with sonography to view internal ares of the body that cannot otherwise be seen with traditional x-rays that capture images to help diagnose illnesses and maintain health.  Some of the most common uses for ultrasound technicians include obstetric and gynecologic sonography, adominal sonography, breast, cardiac, vasculaar and neurosonography sonography.

Ultrasound Technician Training/Schooling

Training to become an ultrasound technician can be obtained through several different avenues.  This can be done through a hospital, community colleges and universities or vocational or technical schools.  Training is also available through the Armed Forces if you so desire.

As of now, states are not specifically requiring licensing for ultrasound technicians, but hospitals and clinics do require that you have to have a certificate of diploma from a recognized training program.  Keep in mind though that although  two-year associate or certificate programs are more prevalent  a four year program  can lead to a bachelor’s degree.

You can also choose to attain certification through the American Registry of Diagnostic Medical  Sonographers.  According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, most new openings for ultrasound technicians will occur at hospitals, but the possibilities are also very high in private physicians offices, laboratories and specialized diagnostic imaging centers.

Ultrasound Technician Job Description

As an ultrasound tech, your main job duties will be that of working with patients and using sonographic equipment known as a transducer to view real-time, three-dimensiional images of a person’s organs, muscles, or even a developing baby!  The ultrasonographer applys a sound-enhancing gel to the patient’s skin, places against it the transducer, which emits a beam of high-frequency sound waves into the body.  These waves then bounce off body fluids and soft tissue and the transducer records the minute variations in the echoes and uses these to formulate a live feed of the person’s internal organs.  This procedure is absolutely painless and harmless.

Ultrasound  modalities are also used to image such areas as the eyes, abdominal organs, heart, and blood vessels in order to diagnose infections, pain or swelling.  The technician must know how to evaluate the quality of the imge to best assist the physician in making a correct diagnosis as well as having a thorough understanding of the internal structure of the body, the function of the organs, and medical ethics in patient care.

It is vital that you know and understand how all of the equipment works so that if there are any problems with the captured images, you are able to troubleshoot them.  You also will have to explain the procedure to your patients and answer any questions that they may have in a friendly and knowledgeable manner.

Ultrasound Technician Salary

The averaged ultrasound technician salary will be based on several different factors as is true with any job, such as your location, whether you go for it full time or opt for part-time and in what kind of facality you choose to work in.  According to the BLS, employment opportunities for ultrasound technicians are predicted to grow rapidly through 2012 and in 2008 the average annual income was $62,660. Straight out of college you will have to start at the bottom and work your way up in the rankings. With hard work you can expect salary increases as you are given more job responsibilities and promotions.