In the recent years, there is a great demand for ultrasound technicians who have a myriad of duties and responsibilities to be done. The ultrasound technicians are also called as Sonographers and they make use of advanced equipment and technology for producing the image of internal organs of the human body. These images are used for diagnosis of diseases or when it comes to obstetrics, the images are used to analyze the health conditions of a developing embryo inside the womb. The job outlooks for an ultrasound tech is keep on prospering due to their duties and responsibilities associated with the medicinal field.
An ultrasound technician has an ethical obligation towards his/her patients and has duties more than handling and analyzing the imaging equipment. This job requires nimble skill set which enable the technician to handle and strike the balance between patient interaction and technical performance.
Ultrasound Technician Job Description:
1. Interaction With Patients: An ultrasound technician is compelled to interact with the patients to a certain amount more than a doctor does. It is the duty of the sonographer to address the qualms of the patients and briefly enunciate the procedure involved in ultrasound technology to them. The technicians should be in the position of handling and answering the questions put out by the patients in an understandable manner.
2. Update The Knowledge About The Medicine: As the ultrasound technicians deal with diagnostic medicine, they require thorough and deep knowledge pertinent to anatomy, pathology and physiology. It is very imperative for the ultrasound technologists to get updated on all the subjects by having consistent interaction with the doctors and other members of health care industry. They must also enrich their knowledge by reading the recent medical journals. They should also have knowledge about various diseases before taking up the responsibilities of the lab.
3. Maintaining Hygiene And Sterility: Sonogram technicians should also practice typical sterility procedures in the lab including disinfectant use, antiseptics and fumigation along with maintaining personal hygiene by wearing gloves, suits and masks whenever necessary.
4. Prepare The Patients For Sonography Procedure: for preparing the patients for the procedure, an ultrasound tech should get accustomed with the medical history of the patient and should find the exact reason for the scan being done. After making them to lie on the bed, the ultrasound technician should apply the gel on the external surface of the area that has to be imaged.
5. Evaluation And Assessment Of Images: Once the required images are captured with the help of ultrasound equipment, it is necessary to evaluate the images for ensuring quality and they have to be interpreted accurately. The images and prelude findings are forwarded to doctors and other health care members.
6. Administrative And Management Tasks: Apart from interactive and technical skills, it is also mandatory for medical sonographer to possess administrative skills for performing administrative tasks such as maintaining the patient file, reviewing the medical history of the patients and recording all the significant findings.
The above mentioned features confine to the responsibilities and duties of ultrasound technician in USA.