High School

If you are interested in a career in sonography, you should take high-school courses in mathematics, biology, physics, anatomy and physiology, and, especially, chemistry. Also, take English, speech, and foreign language classes to improve your communication skills. In this career you will work with both patients and other medical professionals, and it will be important for you to be able to follow directions as well as explain procedures. Finally, take computer courses to familiarize yourself with using technology.

Postsecondary Training

Instruction in diagnostic medical sonography is offered by hospitals, colleges, universities, technical schools, and the armed forces in the form of hospital certificates and two-year associates and four-year bachelors degree programs. Most sonographers enter the field after completing an associates degree.

Education consists of classroom and laboratory instruction, as well as hands-on experience in the form of internships in a hospital ultrasound department. Areas of study include patient care and medical ethics, general and cross-sectional anatomy, physiology and pathophysiology, applications and limitations of ultrasound, and image evaluation.

Certification

Some colleges and universities offer certificate programs in sonography or in sonographic specialties such as vascular sonography and cardiac sonography. These programs are typically geared toward those who already have an associates or bachelors degree and want to transition to a career as a sonographer. Those who complete such programs are then eligible to seek certification from the American Registry for Diagnostic Medical Sonography.

Other Education or Training

Students should also be aware of continuing education requirements that exist to keep sonographers at the forefront of current technology and diagnostic theory. They are required to maintain certification through continuing education (CE) classes, which vary from state to state. This continuing education, offered by hospitals and ultrasound equipment companies, is usually offered after regular work hours have ended. Professional associations also provide CE opportunities. For example, the Society of Diagnostic Medical Sonography offers webinars and in-person classes. Recent course offerings included Advanced Optimization of Your Echo Images and Doppler Evaluations, Transcranial Doppler Evaluation, and the Sonography of Inflammatory Conditions. The Society for Vascular Ultrasound, American Society of Echocardiography, other national organizations, and associations at the state and local levels also provide CE opportunities.

Certification or Licensing

After completing their degrees, sonographers may register with the American Registry for Diagnostic Medical Sonography (ARDMS). Registration allows qualified sonographers to take the national boards to obtain certification, which, although optional, is frequently required by employers. Four registration categories are available to sonographers: registered diagnostic medical sonographer, registered diagnostic cardiac sonographer, registered vascular technologist, and registered musculoskeletal sonographer. The ARDMS also offers a midwife sonography certificate.

Cardiovascular Credentialing International (CCI) offers the advanced cardiac sonographer credential to sonographers who practice at an advanced level in an echocardiography laboratory. Other certification credentials are available from CCI. The American Registry of Radiologic Technologists also offers certification programs.

Only Oregon, North Dakota, New Hampshire, and New Mexico require sonographers to be licensed. Other licensing requirements may exist at the local level.

Experience is gained via internships while in a training program to earn an associates or bachelors degree in this field.

Those wishing to pursue a career as a diagnostic medical sonographer should be technically adept, detail oriented, and precision minded. Sonographers need to enjoy helping others and working with a variety of professionals as part of a team. They must be able to follow physician instructions, while maintaining a creative approach to imaging as they complete each procedure. Sonographers need to cultivate a professional demeanor, while still expressing empathy, patience, and understanding in order to reassure patients. This professionalism is also necessary because, in some instances, tragedy such as cancer, untreatable disease, or fetal death is revealed during imaging procedures. As a result, sonographers must be able to skillfully deflect questions better left to the radiologist or the attending physician. Clear communication, both verbal and written, is a plus for those who are part of a health care team.