Ultrasound Technician : Basic Facts

Ultrasound Technicians

Ultrasound Technician are graduates of Bachelor’s degree in radiologic technology who specialize in sonography. They are also called as sonographer or UTZ technologist and part of radiology team. Ultrasound machine is developed to produce and transmit a high frequency sound wave that bounces back when reaches to organs inside the body (an echo). Transducers collects the reflected echoes and converted to image by a high end computer. Diagnostic ultrasound technicians may also specialize in obstetrics and gynecology (which is commonly for pregnant women), ultrasound of the brain (neurosonography), abdominal ultrasound (to image the kidneys, gallbladder, liver, spleen and pancreas), breast sonography, vascular and cardiac sonography are also required to train and certified.

Compensation for Ultrasound Technologist (Salary)

Industry, Hospital Size, Location and Experience Duration is the main factors of how salary of technician is compensated. In United States the annual salaries given to sonographer is about 60, 350 US dollars or 29.02 $ per hour in the year 2012. The projected growth or increase of salary in the 10 years is 39%. Overtime pay ranges from 25.40 to 57.27$ per hour, according Bureau of Labor Statistics in the same year. Below is a list of salary per states.

• New York - $74,000
• Mississippi - $74,000
• Virgin Islands - $73,000
• Massachusetts - $72,000
• Washington - $72,000
• Georgia - $69,000
• California - $69,000
• Connecticut - $68,000
• American Samoa - $68,000
• New Jersey - $67,000
• Area of Specialization Average Salary
• Breast Sonogrpaher $70,000
• Obstetric and Gynecological Ultrasound Technicians $39,000
• Echocardiography Ultrasound Technician $54,000
• Nuero Ultrasound Technicians $114,000
• Vascular Ultrasound Technicians $63,000
• Therapeutic Ultrasound Technicians $86,000

Apply, Train and Take to get Certificate / Sonographer License

Certification of training and license is must to become a sonographer. Getting a certificate is easier to do than look for a regular job (as usual in some countries), that’s why ultrasound tech are eager to get this not just because it is required, but to also to join in the battle of job seeking. Another, having this, you will be able to be qualified to use the advanced equipment (ultrasound machine) in hospital particularly in radiology departments and small OB clinics.
American Registry for Diagnostic Medical Sonography (ARDMS) and Cardiovascular Credentialing International (CCI) necessitates to effectively comply the license for ultrasound technicians. Academic credentials and certificate of employment are of needed to take this examination. Successful examinees can now sit and relax then wait for your certificate to arrive.

Ultrasound Technician Requirments

Registered Diagnostic Medical Sonographer (RDMS)

To have a RDMS credential, applicants should qualify the required examination prerequisites and must successfully pass the Physics and the agreed specialty examination. Abdomen(AB), Breast(BR), Fetal Enchocardiography(FE), Obstetrics and Gynecology (OB/GYN), and Pediatric Sonography (PS), are the corresponding specialty examination next to the physics exam. Its availability varies upon demand or selected at any time.

Proceeding with Fetal Echocardiography specialty and extending its RDMS or RDCS credentials, otherwise it has been successfully obtained on either RDMS or RDCS credits, then switching of credentials may not be possible.