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Ultrasound Technician Career Opportunities
If you are considering a career in health care there is a great job market for qualified diagnostic imaging professionals. Hospitals, physician’s offices and other medical treatment facilities are increasingly using ultrasound technologies creating a demand for ultrasound techs that have graduated from an accredited ultrasound tech school and received their certification. If you have an ultrasound tech degree and are certified you can expect to make around $48,000 to $50,000 annually and experienced and specialty certified technicians are earning more than $66,000 according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.
The aging population and their increased demands on the health care system, the increased uses for diagnostic imaging, and the use of ultrasound technologies as an alternative to radiological treatments contributes to the forecast for even more jobs for ultrasound techs in the next ten years.
Hospitals are expected to continue to be the primary employers of ultrasound technicians, although an increasing number are expected to be employed by physician’s offices and diagnostic centers.
Where to Earn Ultrasound Technician Degrees
You can find good ultrasound tech degree and training programs at most vocational and technical institutions, community colleges, through the armed forces, at some hospitals and many four year colleges and universities. Make sure the ultrasound tech college or program you select is accredited. The Commission on Accreditation for Allied Health Education Programs accredits ultrasound technician training programs. You can find a list of accredited ultrasound tech college degree and certificate programs at www.caahep.org.
Most ultrasound tech college degree and certificate programs require a high school diploma or GED for admission. The four year ultrasound technician college degree programs are more competitive and admit students based on their high school grades, references and test scores.
There are also online ultrasound tech training programs. Before enrolling be sure your online ultrasound tech degree program is accredited and that its coursework meets the requirements for ultrasound technician certification exams.
Classroom coursework for all ultrasound technician degrees generally includes anatomy, physiology, physics, medical ethics, and patient care. Accredited ultrasound tech degree programs should also offer students clinical experience in a hospital setting sufficient to qualify graduates of the program to take the certification exam. The American Radiological and Diagnostic Medical Sonography (ARDMS) Association, which certifies many ultrasound technicians, lists the current prerequisites for taking an ultrasound technician certification exam at www.ardms.org.
To become certified the ultrasound tech must pass a general examination. To keep their registration active, ultrasound technicians must complete on-going continuing education courses designed to provide the technician with information about current advances in the field.
ARMDS also certifies technicians in ultrasound specializations for example abdominal ultrasound, neurosonology, obstetric and gynecologic sonography, and cardiac sonography. A specialty certification improves an ultrasound tech’s competitiveness in the job market and enhances their earning power.
If you are good with people, enjoy working with complex equipment, and have an interest in science and health care, becoming an ultrasound tech may be a good career choice for you to pursue.
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