Ultrasound Technician Career and Salary

The healthcare and medical industry is abundant in fulfilling careers for everyone. If you are passionate about the medical field yet lack the requirements it takes to be a doctor, there are many other options out there. The constant population increase as well as the number of baby boomers requires more manpower in medical care. One of the medical jobs that have a high demand and good compensation is an ultrasound technician. An ultrasound technician salary is estimated between $62,000-$69,000 per year.

Just like with other industries, some factors may affect the ultrasound tech salary. Take into consideration an entry-level professional with just the basic background who earns significantly lower than one who has better educational attainment and more experience. Other considerations that can spell a higher or lower salary are location and the work environment.

The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics declared that as of May 2010, the average ultrasound tech pay is around $64,380. Those in the lower 10% of that average earn less than $44,900 although they can also earn as much as $88,490. These figures prove that the ultrasound tech salary is quite high given that most jobs only have an average salary of just over $33,000.

Work environments may impact the level of ultrasound technician salary. Research shows that those who work in larger medical institutions such as outpatient care centers receive an annual salary of $69,740. Other places of work with high salary also include doctor's clinics where they can earn as much as almost $65,000, while those who are employed in medical laboratories earn around $62,000 a year.

Remember that you can still negotiate your way to a higher salary over time, when you have been able to prove yourself at your job. Do more than expected and invest your time to become better qualified at your job by enrolling for an associate's degree or bachelor's degree.

To do their job, ultrasound technicians make use of special imaging equipment in order to diagnose a patient. Other tasks include compiling patients' medical histories, image analysis, recording findings, and helping analyze the difference of normal and abnormal images.

Formal education in sonography is required to become an ultrasound tech, which can be earned through associate's degree programs as well as bachelor's degrees offered in many schools around the country. One also needs to be certified to land a good job as an ultrasound tech, and those who are certified need to continue their education down the road since one certification is not permanent.

When deciding what career to embark on, we always look for security and stability down the road. It's good to note that ultrasound technician salary and demand is good and consistent. Your passion for what you do is what counts the most, because you can excel at what you do when you love it.

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Ultrasound Technician Requirements and Job Demands

Ultrasound technician requirements vary and are dependent on a variety of factors ranging from the location, experience, educational qualifications, the institute where one has graduated from and so on. The certification is common for most of them with minor changes depending on the change of State or region. When it comes to ultrasound technician requirements, every medical centre or hospital would want different set of experiences.

Basic educational qualifications and certificate

If you are going for a crash course, there are a number of medical institutes or private technical schools offering these. Those of you who want to do a full course may have to enroll in a college for four years to get the full degree. You not only study in the collect but also receive a stipend when you are studying. Ultrasound technician requirements may vary from one hospital to another. This medical field is also gaining a lot of popularity.

Within a few years of completing the course, you can now take up the job as an ultrasound technician and earn big money. You may have to choose an advanced course that makes you equipped for better career prospects if you want to earn good income or salary.

Unique to every place or location

The ultrasound technician requirements may vary from State to another and from one region to another. You can get more information from the State Medical board and also you may want to check online for further information. The online data that is available is easy to comprehend and the entire process does not take much time. It is worth investing in this career as you are sure to make it big with enough dedication and hard work. This specialty services is also quite a lucrative career, considering the experts can also work on their own or start their own medical practice. The salary of the experts is increasing day by day.

Ultrasound technician requirements

The individual should have completed two years of college and should also undergo a clinical internship to be equipped to take up the job as an ultrasound technician. High school students who are keen on taking this up as their profession should go in for subjects like Biology, Math's, English and science. Then, there are subjects on biology, human anatomy and also patient care. The medical expert should also have adequate clinical experience along with the certificates to take up the job as an expert.

Clarity and precision

The job of the technician also involves a lot of clarity of thoughts and precision when recording the sound waves and transmitting them in the form of a report. Based on this report, the doctor would then diagnose the situation and provide a line of treatment. They also involve skill and care in taking care and dealing with patients. Ultrasound technician requirements of the job involves long hours of standing which means the technician should be fit, fine and healthy even if they have to work for additional hours.

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Ultrasound Technician Career: 6 perks

One of the fastest growing fields in the medical industry, more ultrasound technicians are finding it appealing to work as technicians either in hospitals or in medical diagnostic centers. If before sonographers were looked down upon, these days, even the medical industry acknowledges the importance of technicians in diagnosing one's illness or disease.

What then are the things that ultrasound technicians like about their job?

Salary helps in providing for one's family. Because it is one of the highest paid careers in the medical industry, practitioners are able to provide better future for his or her kids properly. Typically, the minimum per hour rate for technicians is around $17 per hour, while for the more experienced (in terms of years and specializations), rates can go as high as $27 and above. On top of the basic pay, they are also entitled to overtime pay, which is also a normal scenario if you are working as a sonographer and in a hospital setting.

Medical benefits are extended to their families. Being in the field of sonography allows practitioners to extend their medical and health benefits to members of their family. This is beneficial for the whole family because not all medical institutions have the same employee benefits other than the State-declared benefits accorded to medical practitioners.

Security of tenure. Despite the recession, the need for additional ultrasound technicians is increasing unlike in other professions where employees are either let go due to redundancy of position or the company itself has ceased to operate.

But in the case of ultrasound technicians, and other professions in the medical field, the projection is even growing especially now there is heavy reliance on the results of ultrasound as one of the basis for coming up with a prognosis.

Ability to provide information on the nature of the illness as well as help in properly diagnosing patient illness. Because physicians themselves rely heavily on results of scans and MRIs, technicians' role in the medical team is also increasing because he or she conducts the actual the actual scans and actually discusses the results with the physician. Knowledge-wise, this helps you gain more information and understanding of various diseases, which you can still use as basis if you want to immerse yourself in the medical field more by becoming a doctor.

Dignity in labor. Ultrasound technicians like the fact that to become a practicing technician, one has to undergo rigorous training and pass certification exams to become registered members of accredited organizations such as Cardiovascular Credentialing International (CCI), the American Registry of Radiological Technologists (ARRT), or the American Registry for Diagnostic Medical Sonographers (ARDMS). In addition, one has to graduate from reputable and accredited schools in order to qualify for the certification exams, thus it further adds professionalism to the job as sonographers.

Emotional satisfaction of helping other people. Apart from taking visual images of patients' internal organs, ultrasound technicians find fulfillment in knowing that they were able to help in coming up with the diagnosis. As part of the medical team, technicians play a crucial role in providing the correct and most accurate scans of patients. Thus, proficiency and focus at work is very much expected from them.

If you share the same sentiments as ultrasound technician, then you might want to consider working in this field of healthcare. You not only help in providing answers to patients' illnesses, you will also be rewarded financially for all the hard work you put into the job.

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What Is An Obstetric Ultrasound Technician?

According to reports from the US Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), ultrasound technician careers are expected to increase from now until 2018 by at least 20% of its current ultrasound tech population. This is definitely good news for high schools students who want a career in the healthcare industry. Even career shifters who are already in the medical industry benefit from this because there are courses that will allow them to study for a shorter period of time as compared with high schools graduates or career shifters from a different field.

If you are one of them, one thing you should know is becoming a specialized ultrasound technologist is a far better option than a general sonorapher. For one, pay rate is higher and you can easily gain employment in well-known hospitals.

One such branch of sonography is obstetric ultrasound technician, also known as prenatal technician. A common misconception of those who intend to work as one is that they will be handling babies as well. In some respects, they are correct because prenatal techs monitor a fetus' growth and development. However, more than the baby, technicians work directly with expectant mothers.

How to Become an Obstetric Ultrasound Technician

Completion of an ultrasound technician course in an accredited school is your first step into this career choice. This means you have to complete at least two years of ultrasound training program, or, if you finished and received certification in any allied medical fields, you can opt for the one-year fast track program.

Working Atmosphere

After completing your training, you are now ready to join the workforce since this job does not require any certifications or licensures now. Most graduates choose to work for private obstetrician's clinics because of the regular clinic hours maintained by doctors. In addition, ultrasound schedules are pre-scheduled, thus, there are minimal chances of working late nights or experiencing emergency calls for patients.

Typically, you will be in close contact with women and expectant mothers who need medical aid when it comes to their female reproductive system. Most pregnant women you will encounter are excited about their pregnancies. However, there are those who might be suffering from ailments that could affect the health of the baby, thus, it is very important that you have great communication skills and compassion in order to make the patients feel at ease despite their medical condition.

The same thing is true for other women who go to obstetricians for treatment. They may be experiencing a tough time dealing with their condition; therefore, having the patience to explain the procedures to patients is one of the behaviors that you must possess if you want to be an ultrasound technician.

Truly, being in this field is a very rewarding experience considering the financial benefits it provides and the emotional return you get out of helping other people. If you think this is the career for you, then start scouting for a school that will lead you to the path of becoming an ultrasound technician.

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Qualities Of An Ultrasound Technician

A lot has already been said about an ultrasound technician - from job description, how to become one, where to find the best possible training, basic skills required, job outlook, and salary, among others. However, not so much is known about the behavioural qualities of an ultrasound technologist or sonographer, another term used to refer to ultrasound technicians.

Because of that, it is vital that you understand how to deal with people as well. Following are traits of a good ultrasound technologist.

Good communication skills. As already mentioned, a technician has direct interface with patients; therefore, you should be able to make people feel at ease in your presence. In addition, you are also constantly in touch with doctors, thus, having the ability to interpret and communicate results accurately will greatly aid doctors in coming up with their diagnosis.

Very patient. You must have a long string of patience tucked under your sleeves considering the various personalities you encounter while doing your job. There may be times when you have to work with difficult patients or broken apparatus - these are all parts and parcel of your job. Thus, having a positive attitude and patience will help you through with your job.

Compassionate. Because of this direct interaction with sick people, you must learn to be sympathetic to their situations no matter how many times you have heard about the same condition. Most often, these patients are scared to know what is wrong with their health, thus, having concern and empathy towards the patients can help these people deal positively with their ailments.

Good multi-tasker. Aside from trying to get a good image scan of whatever it is that ails people, you also need to address other factors while doing your job. This include adjusting machine settings while performing a procedure, properly positioning the patient to get accurate scans, and answering queries of patients and being objective in your answers, among other tasks. You must have the presence of mind to do all these simultaneously.

Great organizational skills. Aside from getting visual scans, you also have to organize information that is specific to a patient. You will be dealing and interacting with different patients and it is crucial that you are able to systematize their files so that you do not mix patient information with another patient. This will avoid any untoward incidents in the future.

Good time management skills. A typical day would consist of meeting with patients and taking their scans. In addition, you also need to keep track of appointments and schedules, filling out patient records, discussing with doctors and fellow sonographers, among other duties. As such, you must be able to deal with all these daily without experiencing any hitches.

Therefore, it is not enough that you are technically adept with operating the machines because this is a people-oriented career as well. You do not only use machines, but you interact with patients who need answers to their medical conditions. So try to work on these qualities when you are already working as an ultrasound technologist.

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