Like with any other education you are not guaranteed a job. Just because you get a degree or certificate does not automatically grant you employment. You are going to have to work to get a job just like you are going to have to work when you get a job. Once upon a time, not too long ago, hospitals and imaging centers would snap up a graduate Sonographer Ultrasound Techs, often before they even finished their externship and definitely before even one ARMDS exam was taken.
Getting the right info on what is necessary to become an ultrasound tech.
Ultrasound Techs are in very high demand, but you are going to have to to put in some effort to get employed. A couple years ago the demand for ultrasound techs were very high because there was a shortage of available qualified technicians. The business industry saw the need for more Sonographers, so a huge proliferation of new Ultrasound Technologist programs started cropping up, especially in major cities over the United States. The more programs, the less job positions and the job market becomes saturated with graduates in major cities.
The Recession has hit the health care industry very hard. Now the hospitals and clinics only want experienced, ARDMS certified Sonographers and even then, they are only hiring for part-time or temporary positions. Experienced Sonographers are out of work for the very first time, and new graduates are competing against these great odds.
Sonographers that were poised for retirement are now holding onto their jobs a little longer. Our nation’s high unemployment rate means less people have health insurance, less ultrasounds are being done, and the health industry must lay off its sonographers.
There IS good news though!
The Recession can’t last forever and it’s very possible that today’s new students in an accredited DMS program will enjoy the freedom of choice in jobs once they graduate a few years from now.
Older Sonographers will take their retirements; higher employment rate means more people with health insurance and more money for the health care industry. There might even be a surge of business once people get health insurance and health conditions long neglected can now be properly addressed. Bottom line is there is a good future for the Ultrasound Technologist!