Ultrasound Career Guide
A career in ultrasound will most likely land you in an educational program that leads to certification as a Diagnostic Medical Sonographer. That’s the clinical term for people who operate ultrasound equipment that is used to conduct a large and growing collection of medical examinations. It’s an exciting career and right now, there are several educational routes to get you there.Types of Medical Imaging
Among the imaging options in diagnostic medicine, ultrasound is emerging as a favored technology when possible because it doesn’t utilize radiation, because it is easier on the patient in many cases than an MRI or a CT scan and because it has been developed to the point that sonographic exams produce quality imaging.
X-ray Machines and Computerized Tomography (CT scans) utilize ionized radiation for imaging purposes. A Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) machine uses sound waves that are manipulated by a magnetic field. While MRIs pose no radiation danger, they are expensive to operate and they require a patient to lie very still – inside a tube – for an extended period.
Medical sonography uses sound waves in a different fashion than an MRI machine. Ultrasound equipment acts like a sonar machine: it sends sound waves into your body and then records the sounds coming back. Different masses of tissue or bone cause different echoes, and a computer can translate that information into an accurate image.
Safe Imaging Tools New to Medicine
Sonography is safe, is easy on the patient, and can be manipulated by changing the dimensions of the sound waves to produce different types of images. MRIs technology has impressive potential but also many obstacles to becoming an everyday option for a physician attempting to make a diagnosis.
A career in medical ultrasound goes far beyond the picture of the in utero baby that everyone is familiar with. There are sonograms conducted on many parts of the body, producing clear results for some complicated examinations. The technology has become so popular and provides good results for so many exams that there are several areas of specialty in the field, which are explained in detail on the pages linked below.
Ultrasound Technology Growth Leads to Job Growth
Medical researchers and talented ultrasound technologists are continually stretching the field into new types of diagnostic procedures as well as expanded uses of sonography in medical treatment. An ultrasound technician is no longer limited to producing images of an in-utero infant for obstetric purposes. OB-GYN sonography is a specialty of its own, one of several that ultrasound technicians can choose today.
One of the most exciting additions to medical ultrasound uses is the use of pulsed Doppler technology that allows an ultrasound technician to obtain real-time images of blood flow within the body along with precise statistics on the speed and volume of blood movement. This concept has opened up the use of ultrasound technology to a large number of vascular medical purposes, enabling physicians to obtain distinct, detailed information on arterial blockage and blood circulation.
Many of the most common cardiovascular surgical procedures employ ultrasound technology today to provide images of the procedure in progress. Sonography has improved the ability to identify cardiovascular health issues and to treat them. The same has proven true for an assortment of ailments and medical procedures that impact the liver, kidneys, pancreas, gallbladder and other organs found in the abdominal cavity.
To a lesser degree ultrasound also contributes to diagnostic methods for neurological problems, especially physical malfunctions in the brain. For the first time physicians can capture images in sections of the brain and in the nervous systems of newborn infants without fear of radiological damage.
Ultrasound’s contribution to medical technology can be found in the diagnosis and treatment for two of the nation’s leading killers: heart disease and cancer. The career opportunities are only going to grow.
