How much training and effort does it take to become an Ultrasound Technician? And how much can you earn working as an Ultrasound Technician? These questions will be addressed in this article.
Assuming that you know what Ultrasound involves and all the varying regions of medicine that can be touched by it, we can go on to find out the answers to important questions which anyone who would like to make a living in this profession would want to know.
So what does it take to become an Ultrasound Technician? Well, first off it is good to know that licensure is not required in any state of the U.S. Therefore it might be possible under some circumstances to get on the job training. However it is generally recommended that you get formal education in the field of Sonography. Ultrasound Technicians or Sonographers can get 2 year associate’s degrees or 4 year bachelor’s degrees. Some hospital programs are also accredited. Some vocational or technical schools offer programs as well as the Armed Forces. Some of these programs prefer people who are previously experienced in healthcare professions while others will accept those who have high school diplomas. A few of these are only 1 year programs that will get you a vocational certificate. This might be an excellent and simple beginning to a promising career. And there are over 150 training programs that are actually accredited by the Commission on Accreditation of Allied Health Education Programs. Of these, you will usually find 2 year programs that will result in an associate’s degree.
Employers seem to prefer candidates who are registered sonographers. In order to become registered you would need to have the required education, training, or work experience. Registration will involve an exam which will include physics and instrumentation. Registration will include credentials for various specialized areas of practice such as cardiovascular or nervous system and others. You will need to pass the exam for each specialized area.
It would be beneficial to have good communication skills since an Ultrasound Technician will need to need to explain what they are doing and the results to their patients. Good hand-eye coordination is also important to get high quality images.
This occupation has a lot of growth expected… about 18 percent by the year 2018. That’s much better than average. It will likely become more popular because it is safer and more cost effective than radiology or x-rays. Also they will likely develop new sonography procedures as well as find new areas of the body which can be scanned. We can probably expect to see technological advances in ultrasound equipment which will also be likely to become more cost efficient as well. Job opportunities look good especially if you have credentials in multiple specialized areas of sonography.
How much is the average Ultrasound Technician salary annually? The middle 50 percent of Ultrasound Technicians can expect to earn approximately between $52,000 and $73,000 a year while the highest 10 percent will earn more than $83,000 a year. But plan on starting in the $43,000 range.