Ultrasound Technician Education Requirements

Ultrasound medical imaging is a field for which there are still several academic options, any of which will get you hired somewhere. There are currently no licensure requirements for medical sonographers. In the not-too-distant past, radiologic technicians simply learned how to use the equipment and did the exams themselves.

All of that is rapidly changing, with the possible exception of licensure although it is probably inevitable. Today you can train in medical sonography at a vocational school, a community college or a university.

Certificate Programs

There are certificate programs for ultrasound technicians that can be completed in two years or less, depending on the school. Some of these programs require applicants to have completed courses in biology, medical terminology and in some cases physics. In community colleges that offer ultrasound degrees, their certificate program often includes the same medical classes as the degree program.

Associate’s Degree

You can attain an Associate’s Degree in Medical Sonography after two years of study; this is the level of education that most ultrasound students are pursuing at the moment. There may be accelerated associate’s programs that include summer programs, but it takes two full years of study to really prepare for a medical sonography career, especially when you are completing the core courses for an associate’s program as well.

Bachelor’s Degree

More and more schools are also offering a Bachelor’s Degree in Medical Sonography. When considering this option, you should take a look at what is happening in the nursing industry right now.

Tens of thousands of nurses who became RNs with an associate’s degree are going back to school to get a bachelor’s: RN to BSN is the degree description. Nurses with valuable skills and experience are finding that advancement to management ranks or specializations in some fields require additional educational credentials. That could easily become the case in sonography as the field expands along with the technology.

A Bachelor’s Degree in Medical Sonography is also going to give you a head start on specialization in the field should you choose to pursue it. There is also the option of obtaining an associate’s degree and completing the bachelor’s after you’re working.

Certification

There is no requirement for certification in medical ultrasound, but it is becoming more and more important to employers. The American Registry for Diagnostic Medical Sonography (ARDMS) has a certification examination program which, when successfully completed, will provide you with status as a Registered Diagnostic Medical Sonographer.

The examination consists of two parts. The first part, which every applicant must take, is the Sonography Principles and Instrumentation (SPI) exam. This test is mostly physics.

The second part of the exam is one of the following specialty options:

• Abdomen
• Breast
• Fetal Echocardiography
• Neurosonology
• Obstetrics & Gynecology

Certification remains an option today, but it is going to become increasingly important as will continuing status an RDMS, which requires renewal and continuing education. This is a great time to break into the medical sonography field, because it’s expanding rapidly but it is also going to stratify, so you should make the effort to obtain this voluntary credential.