Diagnostic medical sonography is interesting if nothing else. Sonographers are self-directed and are able to quickly solve problems. They work closely with other diagnostic medical imaging staff to provide excellent patient care. Like any other job, diagnostic medical sonography has its good points and bad. It is generally a demanding career.
Patient Interactions
The typical ultrasound schedule includes patients of many different backgrounds and personalities. Some people are quiet and do whatever they are told, while others are dominating, loud, and demanding. Patients are more likely to spend more time with a sonographer than any other imaging technologist. This puts patients in a situation where they are more likely to share their life stories with the sonographer, and the sonographer must maintain confidentiality with those patients.
Most sonographers have heard tales of marriage, children, death, career change, and other major life-changing events. Some people provide a detailed autobiography during a 30-minute exam. Some sonographers have heard about personal experiences in the war – not Iraq, the Gulf War, or Vietnam, but World War II.
While sonographers cannot give advice, they sometimes double as a therapist. They are a listening ear for many people, especially those who live alone without much social interaction. They are master empathizers. Some patients will greatly upset or anger the sonographer, while others will leave the sonographer with a renewed faith in humanity. In either case, the sonographer maintains a professional demeanor with patients.
Medical Imaging Using Ultrasound
Sonographers are responsible for finding pathology and adequately demonstrating its physical properties using ultrasound. If the sonographer finds something wrong, he or she takes the appropriate images and presents them to the radiologist, the doctor who reads diagnostic imaging exams.
Professional diagnostic medical sonography organizations shun the term ultrasound technologist in favor of the term sonographer because of their different role in imaging. A sonographer may tailor an exam according to what is seen. Other diagnostic imaging technologists follow a specific protocol and take pictures of a general area. Those technologists usually do not have to identify a mass and change protocol to obtain adequate images, at least not in the same manner as a sonographer.
Ultrasound is most commonly used for the following studies:
- Abdominal
- Pelvic
- Obstetric
- Renal
- Small parts: breast, scrotum, and thyroid
- Vascular, peripheral and carotid
Sonographers may choose to specialize in a specific type of ultrasound such as obstetrics and gynecology, breast, or echocardiography.
Ultrasound is mostly known for obstetric care. Many people comment that it must a great job looking at babies all day. Unfortunately, it is not just "looking at babies." Obstetric ultrasound can be tedious work. While fetuses are truly amazing and quite cute, they do not always cooperate, and neither do their mothers. Oftentimes, families do not understand that ultrasound is an important diagnostic exam. The sonographer doubles as an entertainer for patient families, and a healthcare professional with a long checklist of images to acquire for fetal health.
Surgical Procedures
Sonographers are valuable for surgical procedures. They provide the radiologist or surgeon with an image of where a catheter or needle is going. They may assist with biopsies, paracentesis or thoracentesis to remove excess fluid from the abdomen or chest, laser surgeries for vein closure, and other procedures.
Overuse Injuries
Sonographers are educated about proper scanning technique and ergonomically correct positioning. Hospitals provide equipment that is designed to prevent injury to the sonographer. Injuries and pain may still result, however. Some sonographers develop a muscle imbalance with the right arm and shoulder being much stronger than the left. This is because ultrasound often requires the sonographer to press hard on the patient to displace fat or bowel in an effort to acquire a clearer image. Some sonographers seek chiropractic care or physical therapy.
Carpal tunnel is a condition that is associated with sonography. It occurs when the median nerve is compressed in the wrist. It can lead to pain, numbness and other symptoms. Some sonographers wear wrist braces to support the wrist while scanning.
Work Schedule
Sonographers may work eight hours per day, five days per week; 10 hours per day, four days per week; or 12 hours per day, 3 days per week. Many sonographers take call. They carry a pager when there is no other sonographer at the hospital, and they may be called in at any hour of the night to do an ultrasound. This usually becomes an undesirable part of the job.
Generally, ultrasound is a rewarding career. Ultrasound technologist schools prepare students for this demanding career. A sonographer salary is often between $45,000 to $60,000 per year. This range can vary depending on location and experience. Many patients are good people, and it feels good to provide them with care and comfort. Working in a diagnostic imaging department with other imaging technologists and radiologists can be quite fascinating.
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