Cardiac Sonography Careers in Michigan – MI

By Susan Maphis, allied health world contributing writer
Published: August, 2 2010

According to the Michigan Department of Labor & Economic Growth, with the current rate of growth in demand for diagnostic medical sonographers, there will be a shortage in Michigan by 2010.  There is concern that this may be as large a gap as 44% fewer cardiac sonogrphers than are needed to meet demand. It can thus be implied that there will be a vast number of cardiac sonographer jobs in Michigan in the near future. But what exactly does a cardiac sonographer do? Also called echocardiographers, cardiac sonographers conduct ultrasounds on a patient’s heart, examining the performance of the blood vessels, heart chambers, and valves.

Some of the job duties common to cardiac sonographers include performing patient assessments, acquiring and analyzing data using ultrasound and other diagnostic technologies, providing a summary of their findings for physicians, and using judgment and problem solving as needed.

While national certification is not necessary to become a cardiac sonographer in the state of Michigan, organizations such as the American Society of Echocardiography (ASE) and the Michigan Society of Echocardiography support the credentialing of sonographers. For those who choose to do so following training to become a cardiac sonographer, credentialing can give you an advantage over un-credentialed sonographers, opening up more job possibilities. The major credentialing bodies of echocardiographers are the American Registry of Diagnostic Medical Sonographers (ARDMS) and Cardiovascular Credentialing International (CCI).