So you are thinking about becoming a Diagnostic Medical Sonographer. Maybe you’ve looked at other options in the medical field, and thought this career sounded pretty interesting. It’s definitely a nice combination of medical and technical knowledge and skills, and there are great job opportunities for properly trained Sonographers.
You would always have a secure career in the medical care system because Ultrasound is accurate, less expensive and less invasive than CT and MRI imaging.
A photographer of the inner workings of humans!
In a nutshell, as an Ultrasound Technologist (aka Sonographer) you would use a handheld probe, place it on the patient’s skin and take images of the internal organs and structures using sound wave technology. In a way, you are a photographer of the inner workings of humans, but it’s not that simple! You are not a technician that just pushes predetermined buttons. As an Ultrasound Technologist, the pictures you take will help determine the course of action for each patient under your care. The images must be absolutely accurate and it would be up to you to adjust the ultrasound machine’s controls to make this happen.
Your images would be interpreted by a radiologist who is dependent on your professional skills to accurately represent what is really going on inside the patient’s body.
You could envision that being a Medical Diagnostic Sonographer is similar to being a CSI detective, only instead of solving a crime, you would be searching for the cause of your patient’s symptoms.
If you are detail oriented, fascinated by the human body, and would like to work with patients but wish to avoid the messier side of patient care, then this career might be for you!