Sonographers use sophisticated equipment to do their work.
Sometimes it is possible for a nurse or a doctor to make a diagnosis without having to look inside the body. In many cases, however, this simply isn't possible. When this happens, doctors and nurses may turn to diagnostic medical sonography to "see" internal issues. This branch of medicine covers over 50,000 jobs, based on 2008 data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), and is in high demand.
Definition
Diagnostic medical sonography, also known as ultrasound, is a set of techniques by which a trained professional uses sound waves to create images of internal body structures, according to the BLS and the Society of Diagnostic Medical Sonography (SDMS). Sonography works because sound waves bounce back off matter. As explained by Craig Freudenrich of the University of Toronto, ultrasound probes "listen" for the sound waves that bounce off body tissues and calculate the distance between the probe and the tissue. The ultrasound machine then translates these calculations into visual images.
Sonographer Duties
According to the BLS, SDMS and Freudenrich, sonographers explain sonography procedures to their patients. They also take patient histories and keep records. During the actual sonography procedure, the sonographer usually places a gel on the area of the body that needs investigation. The sonographer then runs a transducer over the gelled area. The transducer sends sound waves through the body based on the settings the sonographer chooses. The songraphy machine translates the sound waves into images, which the sonographer reviews on a monitor. The sonographer picks images to keep for the doctor and conducts an initial analysis of the images. This requires the sonographer to take calculations and measurements.
Subspecialties
Sonographers have used sonography techniques to look at nearly every part of the human body. Sonography thus has at least seven subspecialties. Probably the most common subspecialty is obstetric/gynecologic sonography, which sonographers use to take images of female reproductive organs and fetuses. Other subspecialties include abdominal, neurologic, breast, vascular/cardiac, urologic and opthalmologic sonography.
Education
According to the BLS, most sonography jobs require a minimum of an associate or bachelor's degree in sonography. Employers prefer to hire sonographers who are certified, although licensure is not required by the state.
Job Outlook and Salary
The median annual wage of diagnostic medical sonographers was $61,980 in May 2008. Diagnostic medical sonography has a very favorable outlook, according to the BLS and SDMS. Positions have increased significantly over the past 20 years (as of 2010), and the BLS predicts that the field will increase by 18 percent by 2018. The best prospects will be for sonographers who enter a specialty.
Tags: sound waves, Diagnostic medical, Diagnostic Medical Sonography, medical sonography
