Ultrasound Technician Career

Employment Settings

An ultrasound technician can certainly be employed at an obstetrics/gynecology office, which is what most people associate ultrasound techs with. But a sonography career is not limited to just OB/GYN offices. Ultrasound techs also work in hospitals and health clinics, such as a vascular imaging department. Those working in hospital settings typically work with inpatients and emergency patients in addition to the normally scheduled patients.

Some seasoned sonographers are of the opinion that newbies should start their sonography career in a hospital setting for a few years before moving to a clinical or office setting. This is because in a hospital a radiologist is nearby in case the sonographer has any questions regarding the images; whereas they are responsible entirely for their own work in an office setting which can be intimidating to those new to the field.

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Demand for Ultrasound Techs

One of the best things about ultrasound tech careers is that you should have no problems finding a job, regardless of where you live. This field is in high demand, which is one of the reasons it pays well. Oftentimes people are able to work part time or full time to meet their individual needs.

Skills for Success

Another important trait to be successful in a sonography career is to have the ability to work well with people. These professionals are working in a pretty intimate nature with patients so need to make them feel as comfortable and relaxed as possible.

Effective communication skills are also a “must” in this profession. Sonographers must be able to communicate well with their patients, explaining technical procedures and results in laments terms. Communication skills are also important for working with doctors. With such a mix of personalities these professionals come in contact with, it is necessary to modify the communication to fit the situation.

Retention in the Field

It seems that most people who pursue careers in sonography stay there forever. The pay and benefits are great selling points in maintaining people in this line of work. Sometimes sonographers shift to a career in nursing or become a radiologist. This of course would require years of medical school. But the majority of individuals who enter this field stay in it for the course of their career.

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Other Medical Professionals in this Field

In addition to working with other sonographers, these professionals work frequently with radiologists. A radiologist (commonly referred to as a RAD) is a doctor who interprets images (ultrasounds, MRI, CT Scan, X-Rays). Radiologists are required to have an additional 4-10 years of medical schools/residency depending on their specialty. Typically a RAD is not seen by the patient. There are some exceptions to this such as when the RAD does the more invasive procedures, such as biopsies or HSGs, where water is injected to the uterus through the cervix, while the sonographer is imaging. Sometimes RADs need to speak with a patient directly in more emergent situations, such as if a pregnant woman has an early ultrasound where a healthy embryo is not seen.

A radiologist is always part of the equation with reviewing and interpreting ultrasounds except in the case of many obstetrician offices. Many obstetricians now order and interpret their own images. In all other cases outside of OB, a radiologist reviews and interprets the images prior to them being sent to the ordering physician.