Ultrasound technicians, also known as ultrasonographers or sonographers, work with high-frequency sound equipment to examine and image different organs and structures in the human body. These professionals are an important part of a healthcare team because they provide vital medical information that helps doctors diagnose patients’ conditions. Ultrasound technicians who have completed a formal training program are preferred by the majority of employers. Students taking ultrasound courses are usually pursuing a certificate, associate’s degree, or bachelor’s degree in ultrasound technology.
A certificate program’s ultrasound courses are designed to teach students various ultrasound techniques and imaging procedures. The principles of sonography, ultrasound physics, sonographic anatomy, and ultrasound instrumentation are some of the typical ultrasound courses offered through these training programs. The biological effects of ultrasound on the human body are also explained by the instructors. Some ultrasound courses cover procedures such as cardiac, obstetric, abdominal, and gynecologic sonography. Graduates who complete these ultrasound courses meet the educational requirements to sit for the American Registry of Diagnostic Medical Sonographers examination (ARDMS).
Ultrasound courses, labs, and clinical experiences are typically included in an associate’s degree program in ultrasound technology to provide students with the skills and knowledge needed to obtain, interpret, and analyze pathological and anatomical data using ultrasound technology. Ultrasound scanning techniques, interpreting ultrasound data, acoustics physics, and pathophysiology are all common course topics. These two-year ultrasound degree programs prepare students to take the ARDMS certification exam and find entry-level ultrasound technician jobs.
Health care systems, microbiology, and organic chemistry, as well as hands-on training in various ultrasound techniques and instrumentation, are typically required ultrasound courses in a bachelor’s degree program. Students can specialize in abdominal, gynecology, obstetric, breast, or cardiac sonography in most of these programs.
Students can specialize in dental or veterinary ultrasound studies in some of these bachelor’s degree programs. Students interested in working as ultrasound technicians in veterinary clinics must take classes in animal nutrition, anatomy and physiology, and animal parasitology. Those interested in working as dental sonographers should also take classes in dental anatomy, tooth morphology, and oral pathology.
Students must complete an internship at an imaging center, regardless of specialization, to gain real-world experience performing ultrasound procedures on patients. Graduates are eligible to sit for the ARDMS exams after successfully completing the ultrasound courses and internship. They’ll also be able to sit for the exams to become a registered diagnostic cardiac sonographer (RDCS) or a registered vascular technologist (RVT) (RVT).
Those with a formal education in ultrasound technologies should have a bright future. As the population ages, so does the demand for diagnostic testing. Ultrasound college graduates are commonly employed in hospitals, physicians’ offices, diagnostic labs, veterinary clinics, and dental clinics.