If you’ve ever had any questions concerning the field of sonography and ultrasounds, you aren’t alone. While most people are at least somewhat familiar with sonography most don’t completely understand the various aspects of ultrasounds, including how they work and what they can do. Here’s a look at some of the different facts concerning an ultrasound and sonography in general.
- An ultrasound uses sound waves to create a visual image of the body. Sound waves are sent into the body, then the echoes made when they bounce off of muscles and tissues are used to create the images.
- It is the most commonly used diagnostic tool in medicine today.
- An ultrasound is also one of the safest and cheapest tests that can be performed.
- In some cases a probe may need to be inserted to an orifice such as the anus to complete a quality scan. Ultrasounds that look at the prostate gland are a fine example of this.
- Sonography was first utilized for medicine in the fifties.
- Ultrasounds are used in almost every branch of medicine including obstetrics, neurology, cardiology, urology, gastroenterology, ophthalmology, physical therapy, and anesthesiology.
- A sonography technician will spend about two years in school earning their Associate’s Degree in sonography.
- Additional time in ultrasound schools can lead to specialized certification in various types of sonography such as vascular sonography or obstetrics sonography.
- The American Registry for Diagnostic Medical Sonography is the group that certifies ultrasound technicians for employment.
- There are multiple types of sonography, known as ‘modes’. These modes range from ultrasounds that create two dimensional images to those that utilize the Doppler Effect to track blood flow within different parts of the body.
- In 2008 there were over fifty thousand ultrasound technicians employed in the United States.
- By 2018 the number of ultrasound jobs is expected to increase by eighteen percent or more.
- The average ultrasound technician makes around thirty two dollars per hour or more.
- An ultrasound technician can’t make a diagnosis based on your images. Their job is to perform the ultrasound and capture several images. They then send those images to your physician so that they can make a diagnosis of your condition.
- An ultrasound technician may have to complete other tasks in addition to the actual scan. Patient histories may need to be gathered, technical info may need to be analyzed, and communication with physicians and other professionals may need to be undertaken.
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