Ultrasonographers use ultrasound technology to diagnose conditions and work with physicians to identify problems. They perform scheduled ultrasounds for pregnant patients and administer diagnostic images of patients with OB/GYN as well as patients who are not pregnant. Becoming an ultrasound technician requires specialized schooling and clinical training. Job opportunities are likely to increase in the 21st century.
An ultrasonographer is a medical professional trained to use and interpret diagnostic imaging or ultrasound results. Imaging technology is often part of tracking pregnancy and the prenatal health of babies, but it is also a tool in diagnosing abnormalities or disease. Ultrasonographers, also called diagnostic medical sonographers or ultrasound technicians, use ultrasound technology along with the fundamentals of medical training to diagnose conditions. While most ultrasound professionals are not physicians, they do work with them to identify problems so treatment can begin.
Many obstetrics and gynecology (OB/GYN) offices have a sonographer on staff to perform scheduled ultrasounds for pregnant patients. This usually involves applying a clear gel over the patient’s abdomen, which helps capture the sound waves. A flat, handheld device called a transducer is used to glide over the surface of the stomach, usually targeting specific areas on the top, bottom, or side. While the sonographer is using the transducer, images are formed when sound waves from the machine bounce off organs and grow in the body. These images are streamed to a monitor for live viewing and can be printed as photographs or captured as video for playback.
Hospitals employ sonographers to administer diagnostic images of patients with OB/GYN as well as patients who are not pregnant. Ultrasounds can capture images of all major internal organs and even some blood vessels, and a sonographer can “read” and interpret the results to help diagnose problems in and around the abdomen. Some abnormalities they look for are growths, bleeding, and swelling, as well as kidney or gallbladder stones and hernias.
To an untrained eye, the diagnostic image may look like nothing more than static black and gray and white spots, but sonographers are trained to identify and interpret the results of this ultrasound. Becoming an ultrasound technician requires specialized schooling and clinical training through an associate or degree program, averaging two to four years of study. Two organizations in the United States, the American Registry for Diagnostic Medical Sonography and the Society of Diagnostic Medical Sonography, provide information on degree programs and accreditation. According to the US Bureau of Labor Statistics and other employment forecasts, job opportunities as a sonographer are likely to increase in the 21st century.
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