If training for a new career is in your future, jobs for diagnostic medical sonographers are in high demand. Sonographers are trained to perform non-surgical medical imaging tests that can detect many fatal diseases such as stroke, heart disease and cancer. Sonographers make an above-average income and enjoy the benefits of a flexible schedule.
What is a Sonographer?
A licensed sonographer is a skilled medical professional, trained in the use of an ultrasound, which is a high frequency technology that uses sound waves. The device allows doctors a view into the patient's body without using traditional and painful exploratory surgery methods and without the harmful effects that traditional X-rays can emit. These images, called sonograms, aid physicians and other medical personnel in the diagnosis of many life-threatening diseases and disorders.
Specializations and Pre-requisites
Diagnostic medical sonographers may choose to work in a specialty area. Some of those medical areas where skilled sonographers are needed include obstetrics and gynecology, mammograms, neurosonology or medical imaging of the spinal cord and brain, blood flow and opthalmology. As a sonographer, you will have direct physical contact with most patients and good interpersonal skills are mandatory. In addition, you should be physically fit as you may have to occasionally lift 50 pounds or more, depending on the type of equipment being used. Sonographers are also required to stand for long periods of time.
Education Requirements
Training programs for sonographers are usually found at most community colleges and culminates in a two-year associate's degree. Some four-year universities may also offer a bachelor's degree program for sonographers. A few allied health schools and technical schools also offer the study of sonography as a non-degree program, which generally takes about nine months to complete and leads to certification.
Training for sonographers consists of classroom studies and on-the-job practicum work in a hospital or other medical facility.
Pay for Sonographers
According to a survey by Payscale.com conducted in July 2009, the median starting salary for a beginning medical sonographer ranges between $17.69 an hour and $24.91 an hour, depending on geographic location and the level of education you reach. Those sonographers with at least a year of experience can expect to earn up to a median of $28.13 an hour. With at least five years of job experience, qualified sonographers can increase those earnings and make up to $30.59 an hour. Medical sonographers who have been on the job for at least 10 years or more are averaging up to $34 an hour.
Job Outlook for Sonographers
With more physicians and other medical experts choosing to use medical imaging as a diagnostic tool, the field for professional sonographers is expected to be very good through the year 2016. As an aging Baby Boomer population heads into retirement, the need for diagnostic medical services will also grow. During this time, there will be both full-time and part-time opportunities available for qualified medical sonographers.
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