What Is The Pay And Job Market Like For A Diagnostic Medical Sonographer?

The Pay…
According to research, the pay for a Diagnostic Medical Sonographer averages $29 per hour or $55,000 per year. To find out what the pay scale would be for your area, check out Salary.com

The Job Market…
According to the U.S. Department of Labor, 42,000 Diagnositc Medical Sonographers held full-time jobs in 2004 with 6 out of 10 of those sonographers working in hospitals.

And according to the Florida Area Health Education Centers, 650 job openings for a Diagnostic Medical Sonographer will open in Florida alone, in 2008.

Finding Employment…
Or course, you wouldn’t start actively looking for work until you’ve received your certification, but it never hurts to find out what the job market is like before putting all that money into tuition and all that time into studying!

But once you receive that certification, the sky’s the limit.

Your first step towards locating the right job is to determine what type of environment you want to work in: hospital, clinic, doctor’s office, lab, or research facility.

Once you have a better understanding of your ideal environment, it’s time to start hunting for that ideal job. Start by calling the human resource center. If no jobs are open, ask if resumes will be held for future openings. If yes, submit. If no, look elsewhere. Once you’ve tackled HR, check out your local newspapers: online and in print. Finally, don’t hesitate to visit job boards, like:

The American Society of Echo Cardiology

Career Builder

Job Search

Monster

Come back on Monday as we discuss Radiographer: what it is, what it entails, and where you can find work.

What Is A Diagnostic Medical Sonographer?

A Diagnostic Medical Sonographer is a medical professional who uses ultrasonic sound waves to produce images of the human organs. This allows doctors to see what’s going on inside the human body without having to cut the person up to do so.

Still not sure what a Diagnostic Medical Sonographer does?

The best example we can give you would be to think about a mother expecting her very first baby. She arrives at the doctor’s office for what is known as an Ultrasound. The doctor hooks up a machine, rubs a little gel onto the mother’s abdomen, places a transducer on her abdomen, then gently and slowly runs the transducer across the abdomen. In a few minutes, the ultrasonic sound waves send an image to the machine’s monitor showing a healthy, beautiful baby with a strong heartbeat.

There are other uses for this wonderful piece of machinery, too. When used properly, it can examine several parts of the body to help determine what’s going on inside the body before doctors have to operate. Parts like: the heart, the lungs, the liver, the reproductive system, the brain, the spinal cord, blood vessels and so much more.

And as medical technology advances, the need for Diagnostic Medical Sonographers will continue to grow. Hospitals, doctor’s offices, research facilities, clinics, and labs all need sonographers.

Come back on Friday as we finish up our discussion on Diagnostic Medical Sonographers.

Is Medical School Right For You?

Whether you’re in high school thinking about the medical field, a recent high school graduate, a college student ready to change majors, or an adult wanting a career change, medical school may be the answer to your dreams.

Medical school, however, isn’t easy. There’s a lot of work involved. Late night study dates, hands on medical training, and tons of scientific facts to remember. And if you decide to become a doctor, surgeon, or specialist, you must be able to stomach blood, cutting open a live person, mending broken bones, and so much more.

But what about those of us who want to work in the medical field and not doctor? What about those of us who want to make a difference in the lives of a patient but don’t have the stomach for blood, knives, or other medical procedures?

Do we simply give up working in the medical field? Not at all.

There are many hands on careers in the medical field that don’t involve doctoring. In fact, The Institute of Allied Medical Professions can offer you a career as a Diagnostic Medical Sonographer, an entry-level Medical Assistant, an entry-level Radiographer, or a Radiation Therapist.

Come back on Wednesday. We’ll be talking a little bit more about being a Diagnostic Medical Sonographer: what it is, what it entails, and where you can find work.