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Jennifer
Student
Apex, North Carolina
2
Questions
Updated
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What does the career growth for a Sonographer/Ultrasound Tech look like?
I am curious to know what the career pathway looks like for a Sonographer especially those who got their AAS in Sonography before getting a bachelor's. Was it hard to find jobs in your field? Would you say that the pay did not meet the workload expectations? Are there any advantages to getting a bachelor's like pay increase or job roles opening up? What made you choose sonography?
Thank you in advance to those who took the time to read and answer my questions! I really appreciate it as I explore different career options.
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1 answer
Téa C.
Diagnostic Medical Sonographer
19
Answers
Salt Lake City, Utah
Updated
Téa’s Answer
Hi Jennifer! I've worked as a general ultrasound (US) tech for a little over 3.5yrs now & have an AAS in Diagnostic Medical Sonography (DMS). An Associate's is the minimum needed.
~ Was it hard to find jobs in your field?
It was easy for me & took maybe 1-2 months to get my job. I wasn't applying aggressively at the time & maybe only applied to 3-4 places. However, this can depend on where you're applying.
~ Would you say that the pay did not meet the workload expectations?
I'm probably not the best for this question- my pay might be slightly lower than avg for my area & my hospital is on the smaller side. For ultrasound, it tends to be slower than most places. Even my hospital's on-call shifts are (usually) not bad, but I have heard about US techs constantly being called in at other hospitals. Also for my workplace, we're paid a little just for being on-call (even if we're just at home), but if we're called in we get paid x1.5 our regular hourly pay for a guaranteed x2 hours (even if we clock out only 30min later or less). Overall, since I really enjoy everyone in my Radiology department & with the smaller workload, I stay for the people & not for the pay.
~ Are there any advantages to getting a bachelor's like pay increase or job roles opening up?
Personally, I don't think a Bachelor's in DMS gives much of an advantage & (so far) I've never seen a DMS job requirement that said you needed a BS over an AAS degree. Job qualifications will typically say you need to be registered with the American Registry for Diagnostic Medical Sonographers (ARDMS) or American Registry of Radiologic Technologists (ARRT) for sonography - aka you need at least 1 credential. For example, my "Registered Diagnostic Medical Sonographer" (RDMS) credential is with the Abdomen specialty. Most US techs' first credential is Abdomen or OB/GYN, unless they plan on specializing in vascular US. So, I think the important thing for a DMS program is if it'll let you be eligible to sit for ARDMS or ARRT registry exams (I was taught ARDMS = the gold standard). Also, other than depending on the usual (state/city/workplace), pay will mainly depend on # of years of experience, a specialty vs general US, and/or credentials/how many.
Off the top of my head, a BS might matter more later on for leadership/management positions in/outside of DMS or if you want to get a healthcare-related Master's. For leadership positions, though, whether or not a BS will help will depend on the workplace (I'm my site's lead tech now with just the AAS). If where you're applying is very competitive, maybe it could also give you a slight edge if other applicants have very similar resumes (but they have AAS degrees while you have the BS).
~ What made you choose sonography?
First, out of all my high school classes I had the most interest in Anatomy/Physiology & least interest in Chemistry. Next, I liked the thought of being able to help people in my own way & had wanted to get into health care. From there, I crossed out anything I knew I didn't want- aka anything that dealt with chemistry or personally sticking needles in patients. Physical Therapy was one of the jobs I looked at, but I was advised against that. Then, I started looking at different types of imaging jobs & a family member of mine said I could shadow an ultrasound tech at his workplace (a worker's comp clinic). I was super fascinated by how DMS worked - you're using sound waves to look inside the body & can see movement in real-time. I still love when patients are interested enough to ask me how it works (I simplify things). I'm not supposed to tell patients if things look normal vs abnormal, but if they want I can still explain the basics of what I'm seeing, such as pointing out organs or a cute little baby's face.
To see how many DMS jobs are available and/or if you want to look at expected job qualifications, look up anything like "ultrasound tech jobs near me" or sonographer/sonography jobs.
These are great questions to ask ultrasound techs/sonographers in your area! You can also ask them if there are any programs they recommend/recommend against & things they wish they knew beforehand.
For sonography, I recommend programs accredited by "CAAHEP" - https://www.caahep.org/students/find-an-accredited-program . If a program you're interested in isn't there, check the school's website to see if it says you'd be eligible to sit for ARDMS and/or ARRT registry exams after graduating from their program.
~ Was it hard to find jobs in your field?
It was easy for me & took maybe 1-2 months to get my job. I wasn't applying aggressively at the time & maybe only applied to 3-4 places. However, this can depend on where you're applying.
~ Would you say that the pay did not meet the workload expectations?
I'm probably not the best for this question- my pay might be slightly lower than avg for my area & my hospital is on the smaller side. For ultrasound, it tends to be slower than most places. Even my hospital's on-call shifts are (usually) not bad, but I have heard about US techs constantly being called in at other hospitals. Also for my workplace, we're paid a little just for being on-call (even if we're just at home), but if we're called in we get paid x1.5 our regular hourly pay for a guaranteed x2 hours (even if we clock out only 30min later or less). Overall, since I really enjoy everyone in my Radiology department & with the smaller workload, I stay for the people & not for the pay.
~ Are there any advantages to getting a bachelor's like pay increase or job roles opening up?
Personally, I don't think a Bachelor's in DMS gives much of an advantage & (so far) I've never seen a DMS job requirement that said you needed a BS over an AAS degree. Job qualifications will typically say you need to be registered with the American Registry for Diagnostic Medical Sonographers (ARDMS) or American Registry of Radiologic Technologists (ARRT) for sonography - aka you need at least 1 credential. For example, my "Registered Diagnostic Medical Sonographer" (RDMS) credential is with the Abdomen specialty. Most US techs' first credential is Abdomen or OB/GYN, unless they plan on specializing in vascular US. So, I think the important thing for a DMS program is if it'll let you be eligible to sit for ARDMS or ARRT registry exams (I was taught ARDMS = the gold standard). Also, other than depending on the usual (state/city/workplace), pay will mainly depend on # of years of experience, a specialty vs general US, and/or credentials/how many.
Off the top of my head, a BS might matter more later on for leadership/management positions in/outside of DMS or if you want to get a healthcare-related Master's. For leadership positions, though, whether or not a BS will help will depend on the workplace (I'm my site's lead tech now with just the AAS). If where you're applying is very competitive, maybe it could also give you a slight edge if other applicants have very similar resumes (but they have AAS degrees while you have the BS).
~ What made you choose sonography?
First, out of all my high school classes I had the most interest in Anatomy/Physiology & least interest in Chemistry. Next, I liked the thought of being able to help people in my own way & had wanted to get into health care. From there, I crossed out anything I knew I didn't want- aka anything that dealt with chemistry or personally sticking needles in patients. Physical Therapy was one of the jobs I looked at, but I was advised against that. Then, I started looking at different types of imaging jobs & a family member of mine said I could shadow an ultrasound tech at his workplace (a worker's comp clinic). I was super fascinated by how DMS worked - you're using sound waves to look inside the body & can see movement in real-time. I still love when patients are interested enough to ask me how it works (I simplify things). I'm not supposed to tell patients if things look normal vs abnormal, but if they want I can still explain the basics of what I'm seeing, such as pointing out organs or a cute little baby's face.
Téa recommends the following next steps: