A Look Into Diagnostic Medical Sonography

The process of becoming an ultrasound technician can be one that is intimidating. However, it doesn’t have to be. With the help of an organization called American Registry for Diagnostic Medical Sonography (ARDMS), those seeking to be a sonographer can achieve their goals. Although there are many steps to take, it can be done. This paper will help instruct individuals who wish to go through the sonography principles and instrumentation (SPI) examination (Sonography Principles & Instrumentation [SPI], (2015).

Diagnostic Medical Sonography is a career that falls within the medical and health field. Diagnostic medical sonographers utilize machinery known as sonographic scanners. These scanners create images of the patient's internal organs. There are a few other names that this specific career may be referred to as, which are Ultrasound Tech and/or Medical Imaging. Although though there are advancement possibilities, there are pros and cons about the career. The work environment may be difficult, and differential diagnosis is found within sonography. There is a lot of time and dedication needed as well as important information to know and understand about the career before deciding whether or not this is the chosen path that will be taken. I have decided that DMS is the career I want to be successful in because I have always had the interest of becoming a prenatal sonographer. I love working with people and I also wouldn’t mind being the person that could potentially save someone else’s life by

Pursuing an education is important when it comes to being successful at a career. To become a Diagnostic Medical Sonographer, it is essential to graduate high school and college, taking all the required classes that are necessary. High school classes that are most beneficial to students wanting to become a Diagnostic Medical Sonographer are classes in anatomy, physiology, and physics (Kriegh, Chaylene). To become a Diagnostic Medical Sonographer, a college degree is needed. It usually takes four to six years to complete a bachelor’s or master’s degree in sonography (Hiltgen, Lisa). The first two years of college are focused on completing an associate’s degree in an ultrasound program to attain an Allied-Health Associates degree. The completion of

Being able to identify lumps, swelling, tissue damage, cysts, and the overwhelming news of the sex of a baby all have something in common, an ultrasound. Swelling of the spleen, kidney stones, blood clots, aneurysms, cancer and so much more can be identified through the works of an ultrasound’s imaging technique. Ultrasound involves many concepts, procedures, and careers. The amount of medical possibilities involved with ultrasounds is useful in major medical diagnostics. The field of ultrasounds and career opportunities are widely growing. As medical careers flourish, needs for technicians in many fields of medicine are increasing. Instead of a doctor choosing complex and risky surgery to find out problems within the body, they can now

Sonography is a non-invasive medical procedure that uses the echoes of high-frequency sound waves to construct an image of internal organs or body structures. The employment rate is is expected to grow 26 percent from 2014 to 2024. Since ultrasound is non-invasive, it is more encouraged than other methods so the career is always in demand. Diagnostic medical sonographers duties are to prepare and maintain diagnostic imaging equipment, taking a patients medical history, answering questions about the procedure, operating the equipment, review images and test results, know the difference between normal and abnormal images, analyze diagnostic information, record findings, and keep track of patient records. Hospitals, offices of physicians, medical

Dr. Fox is an emergency physician at UCI Medical Center, treating and diagnosing patients using an ultrasound. His scope of research involves looking at patients’ internal organs via ultrasound, which is much quicker and less harmful than using x-ray scans that are traditionally used in emergency departments. He is also a part of the American Institute of Ultrasound in Medicine (“Faculty and Staff”). Dr. Fox is also a director of instructional ultrasound and is the assistant dean at the UCI School of Medicine (“John Christian Fox”). He started an ultrasound rotation at the UCI School of Medicine, and with a grant given by SonoSite, Inc., the ultrasound curriculum is now embedded within the UCI School of Medicine curriculum (“Faculty and Staff”). He went to Tufts University School of Medicine, receiving his MD in 1997 (“John Christian Fox”). His main research focus is to try to incorporate ultrasound more into the emergency department, and tries to find revolutionary ways to utilize ultrasound, especially because it is very cost-efficient and images are seen real-time, unlike MRI scans or x-rays, which can emit harmful radiation or results take much longer to acquire. Eric Viquez is one of the Bio 199/EMRAP (Emergency Medicine Research Associates Program) students in Dr. Fox’s ultrasound lab. He is currently a 4th year undergraduate biological sciences major who is going to medical school in the fall; he shadows shifts with Dr. Fox and

I have always known since I was a little girl that I wanted to be something in the medical field. There was never a doubt about that. It took a lot of thinking to figure out what exactly it was that I wanted to be just because I didn’t want to go to school for too long; because as I have mentioned before I am not a fan of school at all. Just recently I had finally found the right career path. I had decided that I wanted to be a Traveling Sonographer. This is perfect for me because it won’t take me forever to accomplish and I will be able to travel like I’ve always wanted to do. But there is also a deeper reasoning to why I want to be a Sonographer, and I'm going to talk about that in this paper.

The required training and education for entry-level positions in diagnostic medical sonography is generally obtained through an associate’s degree, preferably with an accredited institute. Bachelor’s degrees are also available, as well as one-year certificate programs for professionals expanding their current healthcare degree. Most employers require education from an accredited program because of their allotment for clinical training and studies including medical terminology courses and detailed instruction on interpreting ultrasound images. As discussed previously, students choose a specialized field of sonography to study. Certification is then applied to whichever specialized field has been chosen, such as obstetric and gynecologic sonography, abdominal sonography, breast sonography, musculoskeletal sonography, neurosonography and cardiovascular sonography. Although the interviewee Wilma Barniak has many modalities, she mentions, “I have fortunately always been able to find employment in Rad/CT or a Cardiac Cath Lab. I would say these are my most useful certifications.” The job market for cardiovascular technologists and vascular technologists is rapidly growing. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, a projection of twenty-nine percent in employment between 2010 and 2020 is expected. The authors of Hot Health Care Careers noted, “This technology is increasingly being used to detect heart attacks and heart and

My interest in Sonography first stemmed from another career interest in computers. I gained my problem solving skills at a young age through using computers. I was able to decipher different codes and morph them into something new. When something went amiss with the computer I would know what procedure to use in order to fix the computer. I loved the feeling of taking something broken and making it full of potential again. However, I knew I wanted to do something more than working with technology. I also had an interest in the medical field. I loved visiting the doctor. I was fascinated how the doctors and nurses could use their problem solving skills as well as their compassion to change someone’s life. I wanted to make a difference in people’s

Sonography is a largely growing profession in the public health world. A sonographer will use ultrasound technology to construct sonograms of each body part in question. This is an important tool in helping physicians diagnose patients. Becoming a sonographer includes strenuous education like most health field professions.

“Scrub wearin’, gel squirtin’, patient scannin’, baby findin’, Diagnostic Medical Sonographer. Eat, Sleep, Scan.” Before I began my research on being a Medical Sonographer, I already had a pretty good idea at some of the things they do. They mainly do ultrasounds on babies, to see the growth and health of the baby. They also do ultrasounds on all different people, if they’re in pain and they need to determine the problem. Their job might seem easy; sometimes it is, but the other times when we discover something wrong with the patient you have to keep it in. You are not allowed to tell them what you just found out; only the doctor can do so. It’s very heartbreaking for them to do baby ultrasounds because sometimes, for some unknown reason something happens to that baby and it’s hard to keep that bottled up and act like nothing’s wrong in front of their parents. I wanted to find out what this job requires and what kind of education i need to obtain to get a job for this career. I also wanted to find out the employment outlook, the estimated salary, and jobs in Mississippi for this career. The first place I went to find my information was referred to by my teacher, where I found every answer I needed and more. The website I found my information on is called mschoices.com. It gave me my complete job outlook, requirements, and the salary of a Medical Sonographer. After I gathered all of my research I set up an interview with a medical sonographer at a clinic in Tupelo to ask a

One of the main reasons for choosing a healthcare career in todays society, aside from the basic need for a self sustaining income, is the opportunity to make differences in peoples lives. With the demand for healthcare professionals and alternative medicines on the rise, so is the need for adequately educated trained personnel. Diagnostic Medical Sonography is becoming an increasingly attractive alternative to radiologic procedures such as x-ray and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). Accounting for approximately 50,300 jobs in the United States in 2008, compared to the 214,000 jobs held by radiologic technicians, according to

The Ultrasound technician will facilitate the abdominal ultrasound to produce images of the organs for interpretation.

As per the Foothill Community College Diagnostic Medical Sonography Program Assessment Form, the skills obtained from the program only come after a lengthy list of prerequisites. This includes the completion of a two- year Allied Health Program in Radiologic Technology, Respiratory Therapy, Nuclear Medicine, Cardiovascular Technology, Registered Nursing, Veterinary Technology or a degree with significant direct patient care experience. In addition to this advanced experience the student also has to have completed college level Human Anatomy, Physiology

Medical sonographers’ scope of practice indicates that all professionals in this field must be educationally prepared and must have all the certifications and credentials from accredited schools. It also states that sonographers are entrust agents of doctors and they can’t practice independently. One of the responsibilities of a sonographer is to evaluate patients’ information, like confirming their identification and assure that the procedure that the patient will receive is the one that the physician indicated. Also they are accountable for the performing of a suitable examination, applying the correct protocol, evaluating and documenting the results of the ultrasound and deliver excellent quality of care to patients. Diagnostic medical sonographers must also maintain their license and certifications updated and collaborate with the