Many people that are interested in a career as an ultrasound technician have questions when it comes to what kind of ultrasound technician salary they should expect. Knowing how much you will make in your future career can be a determining factor as to whether or not it might be worth pursuing. Thankfully, the salaries of these trained professionals is high compared to others in the medical field. This in turn has increased the interest of students in becoming ultrasound techs. This has made this field of medical studies one of the best choices for those looking for career full of opportunities and great financial rewards.
The main advantages of becoming an ultrasound technician is that you will earn a generous hourly wage without having to spend many years in school like other medical professions such as nurses and doctors. In fact, you can be out in the workforce with only two years of education under your belt. But many ultrasound technicians go to school for four years to get their bachelor’s degree in medical technology or medical imaging to improve their value as an employee.
Duties of an Ultrasound Technician
Before choosing a career as an ultrasound technician, you might want to know what the tasks and duties that you will be required to perform on a daily basis.
As an ultrasound technician, your role will be to use diagnostic procedures using sound waves at high frequencies. These sound waves are used to create visual images of bodily tissues, organs and blood flow. In order to get the images, a technician must first prepare the patients before the sonography tests are performed on them. They must be familiar with the functions and controls of the ultrasound machine to get the required images and information from each patient. They also need to be familiar with the human body in such a way to be able to interpret the results provided by the sonograms to identify problems and concerns that should be raised with the patient’s doctor. It is also important to ensure than any images that the technician supplies to doctors or other medical professionals are clear and easy to review. Good record keeping skills are also important to provide complete and accurate test results to doctors.
How Much Does an Ultrasound Technician Earn?
When you consider the value that a sonographer provides to the health care industry, you can really see that they are a valuable addition to the health care team. That is why the going rates for an ultrasound technician salary are very competitive. In fact, the wages paid to sonographers are some of the highest found in the health care industry. You should expect to earn more than an X-ray technician, surgical technician and even more than a pharmacy technician. In terms of comparison, typically, the ultrasound technician salary is comparable to the wages that a registered nurse earns.
According the the US Bureau of Labor Statistics, the average annual ultrasound technician salary in 2009 was approximately $63,000 per year, or $30.60 per hour. In terms of the minimum and maximum wages, on the low end of the spectrum, the bottom 10% of wage earner s earned $43,990 per year, and the top 10% of earners made nearly $85,950 per year. Most of the employed ultrasound technicians are employed in surgical and medical hospitals. Recent wage reports suggest that the average ultrasound technician salary falls in between $52,000 and $84,000 per year.
How Do you Become and Ultrasound Technician?
Since the ultrasound technician salary is so high, there are many people looking to enter the healthcare field as an ultrasound technologist. This requires that you meet some educational requirements as well as take training at an accredited ultrasound technician school.
In terms of the ultrasound technician education requirements, you need to be a high school graduate that studied courses in physics and biology, and if you have taken courses in medical terminology, that is a bonus. You then need to complete an ultrasound technician program such as associate certification of a degree in medical sonography. Ensure that you earn your education from an accredited ultrasound tech school, university or college. It is recommended that you take a two year course from a reputed ultrasound technician school, or you can take a one year ultrasound tech certificate program provided you are already employed as a health care professional.
There are also a number of hospitals that provide two year certificate programs for the ultrasound technology sector. Many students go on to study for two more years to get their bachelor’s degree to increase their salary and appeal as an employable ultrasound tech. This can also be pursued later on after getting some work experience, and many ultrasound techs do so.
A recent count of ultrasound tech programs that were counted as accredited by the Commission on Accreditation of Allied Health Education Programs (CAAHEP) came up with over 150 accredited programs being offered across the country. The studies that you would pursue in becoming an accredited ultrasound tech consist of both theoretical knowledge and hands on training as well. You are not required to hold any kind of licenses to work in the sonography fields, but many employers request that you register with the American Registry for Medical Sonography. This requires that you take an exam to prove that you have the necessary trainings and competence. In many cases, this certification can result in a higher ultrasound technician salary.