If you are considering a career in Sonography, you must be one who is interested in operating high technology equipment as well as interacting with people. The ultrasound medical equipment uses the ultrasound frequency and Doppler principles to form images of abdomen, breast, fetus in the womb, heart, blood vessels and other organs of the body.
These images will enable the physicians to examine the fetus for birth defects, detect abnormality in liver or the heart, and examination of other medical conditions of the body. This helps the physicians to make a good decision based on the real time condition of the patient.
It is fast replacing other traditional radiology methods of scanning as it is safer to the human body. It is non invasive, no surgical procedure needed and hence there is no bleeding to the body.
Sonographers are non physician professionals who work in hospitals and private clinics where the demand for ultrasonic scanning is high enough to justify the purchase of the equipments. As the standard of living continues to increase and the population demands for better healthcare services, the job opportunity as a Sonographer is bright.
Career in Sonography Nature of Job
The sonographer operates the electronic ultrasound imaging equipment to create images that can be stored and process to enable the physicians to make good decision on the conditions of the patient. It is done by placing a transducer and spreading a special gel on the skin of the body area to be scanned.
This device is able to transmit and receive the reflected ultrasonic sound wave from the parts of the body. The images are formed as different structures of the body will return a different strength of the wave. These data is reconstructed electronically and displayed on a monitor screen.
Sonographers must be able to interact effectively with people of all ages and health conditions as well as being sensitive to their needs.
Areas of Specialization
Here are some of the areas of specialization that you can pursue.
Adapted from the Bureau of Labor Statistics’ Occupational Outlook Handbook, 2006-07 Edition.