Thanks to sonography, many parents have been able to view images of their baby while it is still in the mother’s womb. However, there is more to this field than photos of fetuses or scanning for pregnancy complications. The images taken by sonographers can also play a vital role in the diagnosis of people suffering from life threatening illnesses or diseases. It is a career path where your actions can not only make it easier for other health care professionals to do their jobs, but can also save the lives of patients.
Sonography Degree Information
Associate of Applied Science in Diagnostic Medical Sonography
The Associate of Applied Science in Diagnostic Medical Sonography is a degree that is aimed at students who already have an associate
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Since people’s lives can actually depend on the findings you make with sonography, it really is a career path where it pays off to be very meticulous. It is also something that will appeal to people who enjoy constantly solving problems and being faced with new challenges every day. In addition, sonography is something that will appeal to anyone who enjoys working with people and have a genuine desire to help others. Being a good communicator is definitely a must in this field and you must also enjoy challenges. Being fit is also an advantage as you may have to spend large portions of your day standing on your feet when employed as a sonographer. In addition, it will be beneficial if you had courses in math, physics, anatomy and physiology during high school. Finally, having good technical skills is vital as you’ll be operating complex machinery as part of your …show more content…
The primary duty of a sonographer is to create images of organs or tissues in the patient’s body to determine the presence of illness or disease. The primary tool used by sonographers is a device called an ultrusound transducer, which is used to emit pulses of sound that are then converted to images by the ultrasound machine. The images that you create as a sonographer can then by used for diagnosis by physicians. If employed as a vascular sonographer, your primary duties will revolve around the creation of images of blood vessels as well as collecting the type of data needed by physicians for diagnosing disorders related to blood flow. On the other hand, cardiac sonographers make use of ultrasound equipment to create echocardiagrams to examine the heart’s chambers. No matter which area of sonography you choose to specialize in, your general duties might include preparing patients for the procedure, preparing your equipment, operating specialized equipment, analyzing your findings before presenting a summary to physicians and keeping tracking of patient’s
Diagnostic medical sonography is a profession where sonographers direct high-frequency sound waves into a patient’s body through the use of specific equipment to diagnose or monitor a patient’s medical condition. As described by the Bureau of Labor Statistics, this examination is referred to as an ultrasound, sonogram, or echocardiogram. The high-frequency sound waves emitted from the handheld device, called a transducer, bounce back creating an echo and therefore produce an image that can be viewed on the sonographers computer screen. This image provides the sonographer and physician with an internal image of the patient’s body that will be used in the diagnosis. The most familiar use of ultrasound is used in monitoring pregnancies and is provided by obstetric and gynecologic sonographers, who also provide imaging of the female reproductive system. Other types of sonography include; abdominal sonography, breast sonography, musculoskeletal sonography, neurosonography and cardiovascular sonography. Due to the vast nature of uses in sonography, most professionals study one field that they choose to specialize in. Diagnostic medical sonography is a rapidly growing field because of the increase in medical advances. The area of Cleveland, Ohio has continued to rise in the medical field with great strides, providing better career prospects with the availability of numerous employment positions.
As an ultrasound technician/sonographer I will have the ability to see dangerous defects within the human anatomy and begin a lifelong profession with many benefits. The Ultrasound was first invented in the early 1900’s and was surprisingly not used to produce photos of a fetus. In 1917 Paul Langen a marine life scientist used a form of ultrasound equipment in his attempt to detect submarines. After many failed attempts at using high frequency sound waves Dr. Ian Donald and his team in Glasgow, Scotland invented the first ultrasound machine in 1957. Dr. Donald even tested his machine on patients within a year of completing the invention, by the late 1950’s ultrasounds became routine in Glasgow hospitals.
Those without formal schooling or certification can be hired in the medical field to be ultrasound technicians, but you will likely need to have immense medical experience and a good history in the medical field to have a chance against other candidates who are certified. In addition, having proper certification or a degree in the field of sonography will greatly help your chances in advancing your career in the future.
A career is a long time employment role which centers around the passion of ongoing goals that one wants to achieve.For my career, I will choose to become an Obstetric sonographer.Obstetric sonographers are people who perform ultrasounds on the pelvic region of female patients and fetuses.medical sonographers typically need to obtain an associate or bachelor's degree in sonography from a college or university. Basic skills that are required are to have solid technical skills for being able to function the equipment and getting practicable images, the physical skills of good hand-eye coordination to move appliances on the patient’s body in correlation to what appears on the screen, endurance to stand for long periods of time and the capacity
I’m very interested in going to school and studying to be an ultrasound technician. This position varies depending on what location you work at. In a hospital setting it can vary anywhere from looking at the stomach,heart,liver,joints,muscles,tendons and blood vessels. How the ultrasound machine (sonogram) works is it’s high rate sound waves to detect what’s going on in the body, not only on humans but a lot of different living organisms depending on the situations.
According to society of Diagnostic Medical Sonography website; sonographers are responsible for, “ a certification on Medical field, and be specialized in any part like abdomen or vascular”. The program provides educational and clinical experience that result inextensive knowledge. “...sonographer certification/credential in each of speciality areas in which the sonographer practices”. Associate and bachelor’s degree are available to any medical sonographer in the medical field. (South Texas College website) “ Throughout the clinical and practicum aspects of the program, students will train in various medical facilities”. ( South Texas College
This is substantial because employers would rather hire registered sonographers. Slone Career Cornerstone Center states that although no state requires licensure in diagnostic medical sonography, organizations such as the American Registry for Diagnostic Medical Sonography (ARDMS) certify the skills and knowledge of sonographers through credentialing, including registration. Because registration provides an independent, objective measure of an individual 's professional standing, many employers prefer to hire registered sonographers. Sonographers registered by the ARDMS are Registered Diagnostic Medical Sonographers (RDMS). Registration with ARDMS requires passing a general physical principles and instrumentation examination. Sonographers must complete a required number of continuing education hours to maintain registration with the ARDMS. Registered medical sonographers are more likely to get the job and pay they desire and
The article shows the job entail which says “to be involved with the interventional procedures” (Baltimore sun). This means to scan almost every part of the body except for the vascular system, health and or limited pediatrics. Depending on what the patient would be coming in for determines what kind of procedures the patient would need. According to the article “sonographers operate special imaging equipment to create images or to conduct tests” (Baltimore Sun). Meaning the images and test results help physicians assess and diagnose medical conditions. In also helping assist physicians and surgeons during surgical procedures. As a result, the job responsibilities for this career must be taken seriously. Technique is another key factor that will be needed in order to help others. Not many problems can occur with the patient’s appointment or health, if the technician knows how to do the job correctly. This would conclude all the necessities in order to be very successful and main points of view for a Diagnostic Medical
Scientifically-oriented courses, such as physics, biology and math. After high school, it requires an Associate’s or Bachelor’s degree. While gaining your degree, you need certain coursework, some classes taken could be: Abdominal and obstetrical sonography, Human anatomy, Medical terminology, Microbiology, Professional ethics, Ultrasound physics, and vascular technology. Tasks performed by an ultrasound technician include: Preparing patients for the ultrasound exam and explaining the procedure, gathering patient histories, using ultrasound equipment to scan the area of the body, analyzing ultrasound data, save ultrasound images on a computer, and provide an oral or written summary of the findings to the physician. Ultrasound procedures can examine various structures of the body, including the abdomen, heart, and female reproductive system. Different parts of the body require different techniques, so there are several major specializations that a sonographer can choose: Abdomen & Breast, Fetal, Neurosonology, Vascular Technology,
Ultrasound Technicians are very valuable in the world of health care. Also known as Diagnostic Medical Sonographer, an Ultrasound Technician uses special machines and equipment that operates on sound waves to determine or diagnose medical problems for patients. There are specializations within this field in which some individuals explore. For instance, areas of specialization includes but not limited to; pregnancy, heart health, gynecology, and abdominal sonography. Although each specializing branch has its own distinctive function, they all involve probing the body to facilitate doctors with diagnoses.
Although being academically smart is an important factor for this program, there are also other qualities that are just as important if not more. Some of those qualities that can make you an exceptional sonographer are being compassionate, caring, and being able to work well with others. The reason why I said this is because I believe “people don’t care how much you know until they know how much you care” (John C. Maxwell). Also it’s critical that you understand the concept of teamwork and that you can work well with others. In this field you need to work with doctors and other caregivers to deliver the best care for the patient. I can assure you that if you give me this opportunity to study in this great program, you will not be disappointed, but in fact be pleased, because I will do whatever it takes to complete this program successfully and become a great diagnostic medical sonographer. I thank you very much for taking the time to read
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 choose a safer path; the ultrasound path. Patient’s history and physical evaluation are building blocks to diagnostics but ultrasounds are much greater. They are powerful tools used to see beyond the skin into the depths of a person’s body. What ultrasounds are, what types there are, and what they are used for, and the education and careers available are the major themes found in research on the subject. Knowledge of ultrasound and its background may help one decide what career is best for them. Understanding the wide array of diagnostic tests and their uses are essential to figuring out what a career as a sonographer entails and the type of education that is needed. Because there are plenty of possibilities for specializing with different technologies, there is a wide variety of job opportunities in the medical imaging career. The call for ultrasound’s assistance opens new paths in future high-quality careers.
These heart tests are known as echocardiograms. For example, these evaluate different aspects of the heart, such as chamber size, valve function, and blood flow. One may even do tests such as Holter monitoring and stress testing. This job requires you to be responsible for recording medical history, preparing the patients, maintaining the equipment, and performing the procedures. After you perform the procedure on the patient, you must then discuss the results with the doctor. Strong communication skills are a key characteristic that a physician should always possess in this field of duty.
Some might view the job of an obstetrical (OB) sonographer to be easy and unimportant, but that would be far from the truth. An obstetrical sonographer is an essential part of female and fetus healthcare, which started in the 1950s and has been used ever since. (Diagnostic) This semi-new avenue of medical service has been used to improve and save lives, even unborn lives. “The overall goal of OB/GYN sonography is to ensure that the patient or fetus is healthy and there are no abnormalities.”
In general, ultrasound waves produced by an instrument called transducer are sent into a patient. Some of the waves are absorbed, but the other portion of these waves are reflected when tissue and organ boundaries are encountered. The echoes produced by the reflected waves are then picked up by the transducer and translated in a visible picture often referred to as ultrasound. In the paragraphs that follow, the physics of how the transducer functions, what the ultrasound waves do, and how the image is formed will be explained.