Ultrasound technicians use technology to take images of patient's internal organs.
Sonographers use medical equipment to produce high frequency sound waves to view images of internal body organs, vessels and tissues. The waves become echoes, which are then converted into images. These images are called sonograms. Sonographers often produce sonograms of blood vessels, fetuses, organs and soft tissue. Universities in Savannah, Georgia, offer degree programs that lead to a career as an ultrasound technician or sonographer.
Armstrong Atlantic State University
Armstrong Atlantic State University offers a bachelor's degree in radiologic sciences with an option to specialize in ultrasound sonography. The two-year program is offered at six clinical locations and is open to a maximum of ten students per academic year. Curriculum includes core and professional courses that cover topics such as clinical education, cross sectional anatomy, introduction to radiologic science, imaging and radiation procedures and pathology, and introduction to research in health professions. Other courses are introduction to vascular sonography, leadership in health care, leadership practicum, patient care and interaction, medical communication skills, professional practice seminar, radiology management and leadership, speech communication, sonographic theory and physics, and a sonography synthesis seminar.
To fulfill admission requirements, students must have a GPA of 2.5 or higher, complete the Health Occupations Basic Entrance Test, or HOBET, by January 10th of the year program study begins and pass all sections of the Regents' Writing and Reading Skills test. The university lists additional academic requirements. Upon completion of the degree program, graduates are eligible to apply for a national certificate with the American Registry of Diagnostic Medical Sonographers.
South University
South University offers an online Associate of Science degree in allied health that can lead to a career as an ultrasound technician. The 90-credit degree includes the core courses of business foundation, computers and internet literacy, composition and literature, humanities, intermediate algebra, introduction to philosophy, mathematics and science, public speaking, psychology, strategies for success, statistics, social science and sociology. Major curriculum courses include anatomy and physiology, chemistry, course labs, human growth and development, medical terminology, microbiology, nutrition and pathophysiology. In order to be admitted to the program students must have completed a high school degree or GED and have an SAT I score of at least 900, an ACT score of at least 19, or meet scoring requirements on the admissions examination administered by the university.
Career Outlook
According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, career opportunities for individuals employed as diagnostic medical sonographers are favorable and expected to increase. Approximately 59 percent of sonographers are employed by health care facilities. As of May 2008, the average salary for an ultrasound technician or sonographer ranged from $52,570 to $73,680 per year. Ultrasound technicians may have job titles such as clinical laboratory technician, cardiologist, nuclear medicine technician, or radiologist technologist or technician.
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