3 answers
nina
Student
Yuma, Arizona
1
Question
Updated
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What is the process to become an Ultrasound technician ? *Note: edited by admin
I’m in 7th grade and I go to crane middle school and have been wanting to be an ultrasound technician for a while and think about majoring in it. Give me tips and useful advice for the future. How is the process of going to college and getting your degree? Do u make a lot of money? Do you still work on holidays?
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3 answers
AZIZUR RAHMAN
Technical Representative in hp and Mathematics Teacher for 7th–10th grade students.
25
Answers
Bengaluru, Karnataka, India
Updated
AZIZUR’s Answer
Hey Nina,
That's awesome you're thinking about a career as an ultrasound technician so early! It's a really important job in healthcare. Here's a rundown to help you plan:
College Path: To become an ultrasound technician (also called a diagnostic medical sonographer), you'll typically need an associate's degree or a bachelor's degree in sonography. Some programs also offer a certificate if you already have a degree in a related health field. You'll learn about human anatomy, physiology, and how to operate ultrasound equipment. After graduating, you'll need to pass a certification exam, usually through organizations like the American Registry for Diagnostic Medical Sonography (ARDMS).
Earnings: Ultrasound technicians generally earn a pretty solid salary. The median annual wage for diagnostic medical sonographers was about $84,410 in May 2023. Of course, this can vary based on where you live, your experience, and the type of facility you work in.
Working on Holidays: Since hospitals and clinics often operate 24/7, ultrasound technicians might have to work evenings, weekends, or holidays, especially when they're first starting out or if they work in emergency settings. It depends on your specific job and where you're employed, but it's definitely a possibility in healthcare.
Keep up that curiosity and passion! It's a great field to explore.
That's awesome you're thinking about a career as an ultrasound technician so early! It's a really important job in healthcare. Here's a rundown to help you plan:
College Path: To become an ultrasound technician (also called a diagnostic medical sonographer), you'll typically need an associate's degree or a bachelor's degree in sonography. Some programs also offer a certificate if you already have a degree in a related health field. You'll learn about human anatomy, physiology, and how to operate ultrasound equipment. After graduating, you'll need to pass a certification exam, usually through organizations like the American Registry for Diagnostic Medical Sonography (ARDMS).
Earnings: Ultrasound technicians generally earn a pretty solid salary. The median annual wage for diagnostic medical sonographers was about $84,410 in May 2023. Of course, this can vary based on where you live, your experience, and the type of facility you work in.
Working on Holidays: Since hospitals and clinics often operate 24/7, ultrasound technicians might have to work evenings, weekends, or holidays, especially when they're first starting out or if they work in emergency settings. It depends on your specific job and where you're employed, but it's definitely a possibility in healthcare.
Keep up that curiosity and passion! It's a great field to explore.
Téa C.
Diagnostic Medical Sonographer
18
Answers
Salt Lake City, Utah
Updated
Téa’s Answer
Hi there!
First of all, I always recommend job shadowing, even if it's something you feel pretty set on. You'd need to reach out to hospitals near you about that & about any educational opportunities or programs they may have. For example, there's for Arizona there's Onvida Health. When job shadowing isn't an option (like if you're too young), then you can also try "informational interviews." Essentially, you'd need to prepare a list of questions to ask an ultrasound tech & talk with them for a bit. This is usually done in-person, virtually, or over the phone, though it could also be done over email. You can ask your middle school's career counselor (or someone like that) for help.
Education & Credentials (my personal experience) -
I graduated with an Associate of Applied Science (AAS) degree in Diagnostic Medical Sonography (DMS), which was a 2 year program. My program was accredited by the Commission on Accreditation of Allied Health Education Programs (CAAHEP), so we were able to take exams to get credentials during college & right after graduation. I first passed the American Registry for Diagnostic Medical Sonography's (ARDMS) exam for Sonography Principles and Instrumentation (SPI), which is the first step getting ARDMS credentials. Then, I passed the ARDMS Abdomen exam & got my Abdomen ultrasound credential. I plan on getting more ARDMS credentials this & next year (I'm just a procrastinator). Even though I just have the Abdomen credential, as a "general" ultrasound tech I do many types of ultrasounds - abdomen, OB/GYN (pregnant & not pregnant pelvises), veins, arteries, thyroid & other glands, miscellaneous lumps/bumps, etc.
Money -
Pay can be pretty good. For example according to Ziprecruiter, Arizona pay ranges from $16.58-70.79 per hour, with an average of around $41.22-51.08 per hour. However, like with any job it'll depend on city/state & exact workplace. Also, as an ultrasound tech/sonographer your pay will depend on # of years of experience, a specialty (like OB/GYN only or vascular) vs general US, and/or how many credentials you have.
Holidays -
Yes, many of us work holidays like Memorial Day, Thanksgiving, Christmas, New Years, etc. Whether or not you work holidays & how much depends on your workplace. For example, at my workplace we each work 1-3 holidays per year & only work them as on-call shifts. On-call shifts mean we're not on-site at the hospital (we could be at home, sleeping, grocery shopping, etc.), but we could get called in to scan patients if needed. So when on-call, you don't want to plan activities like eating out at a restaurant, going to the movies, etc. My hospital isn't too bad, so I could go a whole holiday without being called in. At my hospital we also rotate who works what holiday. For example, if you worked Christmas last year then you wouldn't work it this year (unless you really wanted to).
Advice -
1) To be a good ultrasound tech, you should know anatomy/physiology really well. So, I advise you to take any Health & Anatomy/Physiology classes very seriously.
2) We're not doctors, but we still have a lot of responsibility & directly influence patients' diagnoses. For example, if we miss something & don't take a picture of it in our imaging, the doctor won't see it either. So later on in high school, think about if you're okay with this.
3) Before college, take a physics class if it's available. College ultrasound/sonography programs will include physics & for ARDMS, you must pass the ultrasound physics exam, Sonography Principles and Instrumentation (SPI), before you can get credentials. I didn't take Physics before college, but I think it could have helped.
4) It could help if you take "AP" classes in high school. These classes are more difficult, but if you score high enough on AP tests then it could save you time & money in college.
5) For now, do at least 1 informational interview with an ultrasound tech. While in high school, job shadow some techs, too.
6) Later on if you're still set on sonography, think about if you want to specialize or be a general ultrasound tech. I like the variety of doing many different types of ultrasounds. I met someone who specialized in vascular ultrasound just because they found it really interesting, & someone else who specialized in OB/GYN ultrasounds because they liked scanning babies.
7) For anatomy/physiology & any ultrasound-related classes, you want to make sure you study to "understand" the information & don't just "memorize" things.
8) I was taught that ARDMS is the "gold standard" for ultrasound tech credentials, though you could get credentialed through the American Registry of Radiologic Technologists (ARRT) first. So, I recommend going to a college with a program that's CAAHEP-accredited (for ARDMS) and/or ARRT-approved.
I hope this all helps!
Example for Onvida Health: https://www.onvidahealth.org/southwest-health-education-collaborative/k-12-pathways/
About high school AP classes: https://apstudents.collegeboard.org/what-is-ap
About ARDMS: https://www.ardms.org/discover-ardms/about-ardms/
You can check CAAHEP-accredited programs: https://www.caahep.org/students/find-an-accredited-program
You can check ARRT-approved programs: https://www.arrt.org/pages/about-the-profession/learn-about-the-profession/recognized-educational-programs
First of all, I always recommend job shadowing, even if it's something you feel pretty set on. You'd need to reach out to hospitals near you about that & about any educational opportunities or programs they may have. For example, there's for Arizona there's Onvida Health. When job shadowing isn't an option (like if you're too young), then you can also try "informational interviews." Essentially, you'd need to prepare a list of questions to ask an ultrasound tech & talk with them for a bit. This is usually done in-person, virtually, or over the phone, though it could also be done over email. You can ask your middle school's career counselor (or someone like that) for help.
Education & Credentials (my personal experience) -
I graduated with an Associate of Applied Science (AAS) degree in Diagnostic Medical Sonography (DMS), which was a 2 year program. My program was accredited by the Commission on Accreditation of Allied Health Education Programs (CAAHEP), so we were able to take exams to get credentials during college & right after graduation. I first passed the American Registry for Diagnostic Medical Sonography's (ARDMS) exam for Sonography Principles and Instrumentation (SPI), which is the first step getting ARDMS credentials. Then, I passed the ARDMS Abdomen exam & got my Abdomen ultrasound credential. I plan on getting more ARDMS credentials this & next year (I'm just a procrastinator). Even though I just have the Abdomen credential, as a "general" ultrasound tech I do many types of ultrasounds - abdomen, OB/GYN (pregnant & not pregnant pelvises), veins, arteries, thyroid & other glands, miscellaneous lumps/bumps, etc.
Money -
Pay can be pretty good. For example according to Ziprecruiter, Arizona pay ranges from $16.58-70.79 per hour, with an average of around $41.22-51.08 per hour. However, like with any job it'll depend on city/state & exact workplace. Also, as an ultrasound tech/sonographer your pay will depend on # of years of experience, a specialty (like OB/GYN only or vascular) vs general US, and/or how many credentials you have.
Holidays -
Yes, many of us work holidays like Memorial Day, Thanksgiving, Christmas, New Years, etc. Whether or not you work holidays & how much depends on your workplace. For example, at my workplace we each work 1-3 holidays per year & only work them as on-call shifts. On-call shifts mean we're not on-site at the hospital (we could be at home, sleeping, grocery shopping, etc.), but we could get called in to scan patients if needed. So when on-call, you don't want to plan activities like eating out at a restaurant, going to the movies, etc. My hospital isn't too bad, so I could go a whole holiday without being called in. At my hospital we also rotate who works what holiday. For example, if you worked Christmas last year then you wouldn't work it this year (unless you really wanted to).
Advice -
1) To be a good ultrasound tech, you should know anatomy/physiology really well. So, I advise you to take any Health & Anatomy/Physiology classes very seriously.
2) We're not doctors, but we still have a lot of responsibility & directly influence patients' diagnoses. For example, if we miss something & don't take a picture of it in our imaging, the doctor won't see it either. So later on in high school, think about if you're okay with this.
3) Before college, take a physics class if it's available. College ultrasound/sonography programs will include physics & for ARDMS, you must pass the ultrasound physics exam, Sonography Principles and Instrumentation (SPI), before you can get credentials. I didn't take Physics before college, but I think it could have helped.
4) It could help if you take "AP" classes in high school. These classes are more difficult, but if you score high enough on AP tests then it could save you time & money in college.
5) For now, do at least 1 informational interview with an ultrasound tech. While in high school, job shadow some techs, too.
6) Later on if you're still set on sonography, think about if you want to specialize or be a general ultrasound tech. I like the variety of doing many different types of ultrasounds. I met someone who specialized in vascular ultrasound just because they found it really interesting, & someone else who specialized in OB/GYN ultrasounds because they liked scanning babies.
7) For anatomy/physiology & any ultrasound-related classes, you want to make sure you study to "understand" the information & don't just "memorize" things.
8) I was taught that ARDMS is the "gold standard" for ultrasound tech credentials, though you could get credentialed through the American Registry of Radiologic Technologists (ARRT) first. So, I recommend going to a college with a program that's CAAHEP-accredited (for ARDMS) and/or ARRT-approved.
I hope this all helps!
Téa recommends the following next steps:
Morgan Adams
Healthcare Administration
60
Answers
Winston-Salem, North Carolina
Updated
Morgan’s Answer
Becoming an ultrasound technician (also called a diagnostic medical sonographer) is a great healthcare career if you enjoy helping people and working with medical technology. After high school, you usually attend a 2–4 year college program where you learn anatomy, patient care, and how to use ultrasound equipment, along with hands-on clinical training in hospitals. Salaries are generally good, and many sonographers earn a comfortable income once certified. Schedules can vary—some hospitals may require occasional holidays or weekends, but many clinics offer more regular weekday hours. For now, focus on doing well in science and math classes, and explore healthcare clubs or volunteering to see if the field interests you.