Work Related Injury Among Sonographers

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

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

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

If you are injured on the job, you may be eligible for workers' compensation. For a long term injury, you may be eligible for disability, but in either case, it usually ends with this type of payment. However, there are certain situations when you may be able to file a lawsuit because of your injury. The following are four of these possible situations.

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.

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.

Less means more in terms of health risks. Unlike some imaging methods, sonography doesn't involve radiation, harmful side effects, nor complications from repeated exposure for both patient and sonographer. Although, due to repetitive movements they are unfortunately prone to musculoskeletal pains. In a report, Murphy and Russo show “In Figure 1 an illustration of the anatomical sites of discomfort reported by sonographers, showing that higher numbers of respondents experienced discomfort in the shoulder, neck, low back, wrist and hand/fingers.” A sonographer must apply

The five interviews completed with relevant experts, including two radiologists, an anaesthetist, an ultrasound specialist and a patient with knee osteoarthritis, proved to be an invaluable research process which provided a significant amount of credible and relevant information. The interviewees were highly esteemed in their respective medical fields which provided credibility to their answers. For example, Mr Bird, a senior musculoskeletal ultrasound specialist with over 20 years’ experience, provided valuable and concise insight into the

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

According to NAEMT “EMS practitioners are seven times more likely than the average worker to miss work as result of injury” (2017). As the size of patients’ increases, more stress is put on the providers who have to lift and move them, and an increase in lower back injuries has been the result. EMS workers treated in the emergency department for a work related injury or illness, the majority were men. Among men and women, over half of the injured/ill EMS workers were less than 35 years old.

A nurse is susceptible to musculoskeletal injuries which can affect them physically and mentally. Musculoskeletal injuries are injuries affecting the body’s movement (Gropelli 297). An example is back injuries, happening in roughly 52% of nurses (Gropelli 297). Back injuries are one of the most important injuries to be careful of. Nurses are being restricted by injuries causing them to be pushed out of work. It affects them mentally, because they can easily become stressed out about not being able to work which leads to loss of money. Musculoskeletal injuries severely affect nurses and the hospitals. The hospital is affected, because they are losing their staff due to all of these injuries that could be prevented (Gropelli 301).

Acute external workloads of approximately 120-210 deliveries/wk lead to the lowest injury risk (4%) which affirms previous research that deduces 123-188 deliveries/wk produce the least number of injuries. The training stress balance did not provide significant difference in the week of measurement, however in subsequent weeks a negative external and internal training stress balance (acute >chronic) lead to a greater number of injuries (63% and 57% of all injuries respectively).

I completely agree with you, ergonomics is a major problem in Ultrasound now that I learned more. However, I think that we are aware of the consequences and know what effect has on our health and influence our profession. This way we will pay more attention of the whole process of holding a transducer, set up the chair, bed or scanning machine to our height and comfort. Remember we are just at the beginning and is not late to develop health habit and a healthy approach.