Reflection Paper: College For Diagnostic Medical Sonography

Sitting in the room waiting anxiously for the doctor. I whispered to my cousin. “Today is the day.” This was the day we were finally going to find out the sex of the baby. The doctor finally enters the room. He greets us kindly. “Today is the day!” He says with excitement. The doctor said, “Now I know you all have been waiting patiently, but it might take me a minuet to find it. Okay?” We both nodded happily. Finally, he says “We are having... a baby girl!” I jumped with joy and excitement. Thinking back, I was very happy in this moment. This would be the moment I would hope to remember for the rest of my life. This was also the moment that helped me decide what I would aspire to be in the future. In the Fall of 2017, I will be attending college for Diagnostic Medical Sonography.

Diagnostic Medical Sonography uses high-frequency sound waves to produce images of inside the body. The sonographer uses an instrument called an ultrasound transducer on the parts of the patient’s body that are being examined. Of course, as with any profession, there are educational requirements needed to be a sonographer.

First, you need a high school diploma. After high school you will a few years of college. You need your Associates degree in Diagnostic Medical Sonography. Also employers like people with professional certification. Employers expect people who have experience. Therefore, a clinical course would be recommended, but not required. To become a certified sonographer, they will need verification that the program completed was equivalent to 24 consecutive months or 60 semester credits. Completion of a clinical internship or externship. And 12 months paid scanning outside the scope of the program.
There are always advantages, and disadvantages to any situation. The benefits to being a professional sonographer is that they are among the highest pain professionals for whom a two-year degree is commonly accepted. After only two years of educational expenses, sonographers graduate to find that their services are in demand and that starting salaries are generous. Now the risk for the profession. Sonography is physically demanding and involves repetitive and sometimes awkward motions that result in a higher rate of pain and occupational injury than in other professions. In an interview with a professional sonographer she said, “Sometimes the paperwork gets a little involved. Every exam has its own paperwork, but overall there’s not a lot that I don’t like about ultrasound.”
This profession does have plenty of traveling opportunities. There is an option to stay in one clinic/hospital, or lab. There is another opportunity to be a traveling sonographer. They typical traveling sonographer is hired to fill vacant positions. They cover positions of staff on vacation. They could also be hired to deliver mobile ultrasound imaging services. There are multiple advantages for a traveling sonographer. One advantage is control over the work schedule. They have control, because you can accept or decline an assignment. You can also choose to work full-time or part-time. They have the ability to limit the amount of work. Another advantage is, they gain experience working in a variety of healthcare settings that includes hospitals, clinics, physician offices, etc. They can also perform and learn a wide variety of ultrasound imaging procedures. Last but not least, traveling sonographers have the opportunity to meet new people in the health care industry. They can ask questions, and make it a learning experience. As there are good and bad things in the world. There are disadvantages for a traveling sonographer. One of the disadvantages are that they need to learn new job requirements on a routine basis, such as medical departments, computer systems, and facility procedures. Also the locations of the job assignments are mixed. Traveling sonographers may need to travel to rural areas or areas far from home. There would be times for frequent travel, that means being away from family and friends on a regular basis. Another disadvantage is that work availability is not predictable. Work may not be always available. Also they could be asked to work less desirable shifts as a temporary staff member. There will always be benefits and risk for most situations. Traveling sonographer isn’t for everyone.
Now to talk about the topic people are more interested in; hourly and yearly wages. In Texas the average hourly wage is $35.89. The average annual wage for sonographers in Texas is $74,640. The employment per thousand is .40. The states with the highest employment level in this occupation is; California, Florida, New York, Texas, and Pennsylvania. The hourly wage in California is $46.10. The annual wage is $95,880. In Florida the hourly wage is $29.88. Annual wage for Florida is $62,980. For Pennsylvania the average hourly wage is $31.12. Last but not least, the annual wage for Pennsylvania is $64,730. These are the top five states w the highest employment level in medical sonography.
For becoming an ultrasound specialist there are different career options. One option is an abdominal sonographer. An abdominal ultrasound specialist performs ultrasounds on the abdominal pert of a patient in order to scan soft tissues, organs and blood vessels of this part of the body. The abdomen ultrasound helps in diagnosis and treatment of medical issues related to the urinary tract, and kidneys. It is used to look at the pancreas, gallbladder, liver, and spleen and other abdominal areas.
Another career is a breast sonographer. Breast sonographers specialize in screening, detection and monitoring of diseases of the breasts. Breast ultrasound is a frequent supplement to mammogram cancer screening, because it provides decent images of all areas of the breast including those that are hard to see on a mammogram. Ultrasound technicians specializing in this field perform additional imaging for women with dense breast tissue in which cancers may be harder to detect through mammography.
A neurosonographer specializes in imaging of the nervous system. Neurosonographers provide crucial information to help solve problems in the brain, spinal cord, and other related areas. Neurosongraphy is often used to study blood flow through the vessels in the nervous system, and to understand disorders such as stroke, brain trauma, brain tumors and aneurisms. Neurosonographers may also image patients with spinal and central nervous system disorders including paralysis, multiple sclerosis, herniated discs, compressed vertebrae and myelitis. They frequently scan patients with pain and limited mobility and may provide life-saving early detection for an aneurysm or stroke.
The career that I would personally like to pursue is, Obstetric and Gynecologic Sonographer. These sonography specialists focus on the health of the female reproductive system. A gynecological ultrasound provides images of the pelvic organs while an obstetric ultrasound is used in pregnant women to view and monitor the health of the developing fetus. Referred to as OB/GYN sonographers, these technicians provide confirmation of pregnancy, monitor fetal growth and development, take measurements to identify gestational age, determine fetal position, assess the placenta and look for any abnormalities. OB/GYN sonographers also identify cases of multiple pregnancies and provide parents their first visual contact with their unborn baby. They have the privilege of disclosing its gender to those parents who choose to be so informed before the birth. In non-pregnant women, OB/GYN sonographers use imaging to fix problems such as ovarian cysts, ectopic pregnancy and cancer.
Another career is vascular sonography. Vascular sonography uses ultrasound imaging to fix the circulatory system of the body. Also referred to as a vascular technologist, a vascular ultrasound specialist uses a many of ultrasound procedures and clinical examination methods to evaluate pulse and blood flow to tissues and organs including the brain, abdomen and extremities. The real-time images vascular sonographers produce are vital to understanding many disorders and provide a safe, non-invasive means of assisting physicians to diagnose problems of the vascular system excluding the heart. They see a range of both mobile and physically restricted patients some of who may need to be lifted or assisted due to ulcerations, amputated limbs or other challenges.
These are only five of many career options for the people who go to college for Diagnostic Medical Sonography.

I believe it was very beneficial for me to write this research paper, because it has enlightened me about my major and the career I wish to pursue. From this research paper I learned most of the risk and benefits of perusing this career. I learned that the state of Texas is a great place to become a medical sonographer, and there are many potential job offers. I learned that I would have an option to travel or to stay in one place. I believe this career is fit for me for many reasons. I especially like that my education requirements are limited. I also appreciate that I have many options to choose from when I major in Diagnostic Medical Sonography; just in case a certain scenario doesn’t work out. Once again I am glad that I was assigned this research

paper.