An ultrasound technician operates equipment that directs sound waves into a patient’s body. The reflected sound waves are used to create an image that enables a doctor to assess and Medical cable diagnose medical conditions.
Ultrasound technician training is offered in hospitals, vocational-technical schools, colleges, universities, or in the military. Colleges offer 2-year and 4-year programs, where the candidate can obtain either an associate’s or a bachelor’s degree. Most schools have a 2-year program. No state license is required, however many ultrasound technicians obtain credentials through a professional organization.
Sonographers take exams to become credentialed in different areas, with advancement opportunities for those credentialed in more than one specialty.
Often obstetric and gynecological ultrasound technicians are employed in the same environment; however, they perform different types of ultrasound scans for Medical cable each of the different specialties. A gynecology ultrasound technician is a sonographer who performs pelvic ultrasounds, using a vaginal transducer in order to obtain a clearer image of the internal organs of the female reproductive system.
An obstetric ultrasound technician, also known as a prenatal ultrasound technician, may also use a vaginal transducer, but usually uses an abdominal ultrasound scanner to create images of an unborn fetus and its mother’s reproductive organs during pregnancy. The images are used to monitor the mother and baby’s health and to track the baby’s growth and development.
According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the need for ultrasound technicians will increase through the year 2018, at a faster rate than other occupations. Recta temperature probe A gynecology ultrasound technician salary is comparable to an obstetric sonographer salary. Salaries vary, depending on experience, education, certification, and location. The average salary in 2009 was approximately $63,000. Salaries ranged from less than $43,600 to more than $83,950. Massachusetts sonographers are the highest paid, averaging $80,000 per year, followed by Oregon, Colorado, California and Washington.Tweet