Being able to see what is going on inside a patient’s body is not easy to accomplish, and many doctors would prefer to get a look inside through remote imaging rather than performing unnecessary surgery. While X-Rays are a viable solution, for some patients, such as pregnant women, this may be more of a risk than for others. In cases like this, doctors will ask for a diagnostic medical sonography to be done, otherwise known as ultrasonography. This work is performed by an ultrasound technician.
What is Ultrasonography?
Similar to how a magnetic resonance imaging unit, or an MRI, uses magnets to resonate within the body and use the naturally resident iron to create images, ultrasonography uses sound waves sent into the body through a device known as a transducer. The ultrasonic waves will bounce off of tissues and muscles to create real-time images of what is going on within a particular portion of a patient’s body.
Using a resonating gel that is applied on the outside of a patient’s body, the transducer will emit pulses of ultrasonic sound through the gel and into the body. There are four modes of ultrasonography that can be used for examination. Mode A is the basic mode, and is often used to focus upon a small single point inside of a body. Viewing a baby in the womb is an example of using mode A. This mode is also used as a therapy for tumors and other impurities in the body.
Mode B will create a two dimensional image of internal tissues, showing the striations as differing depths beneath the skin as well as between muscles and connecting tissues. Mode M will create motion on the screen by sending out continuous waves of ultrasonic sound. Doppler imaging mode can produce three dimensional images similar to what is seen on weather radar, using the cascading effect of the Doppler waves to create the images.
What does an Ultrasound Technician Do?
An ultrasound technician is a medical imaging professional that works in a hospital or clinic. They perform diagnostic ultrasound imaging, as well as electrocardiography studies for doctors and radiologists. An ultrasound technician will often work alone, or in teams, and must possess a good attention for details. They must also be able to use their time effectively, making judgments during the procedure to gain the best imaging, and take whatever actions are necessary to get the most detail out of those images.
This may also include moving the patient into different positions and redoing the imaging until the desired effect is achieved, so an ultrasound technician will also need to interact well with their patients. Developing a good rapport and answering any questions or concerns in a caring and friendly manner is essential, because patients will often be upset or nervous during the imaging sessions, and will need to be assured that what is happening to them is safe and necessary for the doctor to diagnose their conditions.
Requiring a thorough knowledge of anatomy and physiology, as well as the technical knowledge behind ultrasonography, the ultrasound technician will use sonogram equipment to initiate and perform a variety of procedures, so that they may assist doctors in correctly diagnosing a patient’s condition. In addition to performing the imaging, an ultrasound technician will also create reports for medical records, labs and doctors who will include copies of the images and a written or oral summary of any diagnostic results found through examination of those images.
During the procedure, the ultrasound technician will apply a gel to the patient’s skin before moving a hand-held transducer over the area of the body to be examined and evaluated. The gel helps to transmit the sound waves throughout the body, which will produce the desired images through echo sonography. The technical training of the technician will help them to select the correct mode for the desired results, as well as positioning the patient to get the optimal viewing. This work can be very physically demanding, requiring the technicians to be on their feet for long hours, as well as assisting patient movement onto the examination table, and off, and in positioning.
Being able to pick up on visual clues through the imaging screen is also a big part of an ultrasound technician’s day, because they have to be able to discern subtle differences in shades of gray on a screen, and will have to be able to calculate the values of density and depth in areas of the body at will. Once the imaging is completed, the technician must then evaluate the captured images and report those evaluations back to the physician accurately and completely. Oral and written reports must be filed with the doctor, medical reports and any other concerned agency connected to the patient’s case.
What kind of training do I need to become an ultrasound tech?
Because the field of ultrasound technology is always expanding in its uses for medical diagnosis, the need for qualified ultrasound technicians is expanding as well. To get the best training possible to become an ultrasound tech, enrolling at one of many quality ultrasound technology schools is not just recommended, but necessary.
At minimum, especially if you are already a medical professional, you will need to complete at least one year of training in ultrasound technology to become certified. For those entering this field from outside the healthcare environment, it is recommended that you complete the two-year Associate’s Degree program at any accredited ultrasound technology school.
What will I learn in an ultrasound technician school?
During this course of study, you will become familiar with a lot of general medical knowledge, like anatomy and physiology, biology, physics, medical ethics and patient care. After the general courses have been completed, you will then move on to more specialized fields of study, like medical sonography, operation and maintenance of ultrasound equipment, obstetrics and prenatal sonography, vascular sonography, neurosonography, and cardiac sonography. Students will also be expected to complete a clinical internship with a local hospital prior to graduation.
Those wishing to specialize in one particular field of ultrasound technology can continue their studies and pursue their Bachelor’s Degree at any university that has an accredited school of ultrasound technology. Employers like hospitals and clinics often prefer graduates with any degree to be registered with the American Registry of Diagnostic Medical Sonographers, and that registry will require a written examination covering most subjects learned during training at school.
Where do ultrasound technicians work?
Most graduates of ultrasound technician schools will find work in both hospitals and clinics quite easily. A growing number of them are also going to work in private practices, because it is more economical for those partnerships to have an in-house technician, rather than continually send their patients to more expensive labs to have the imaging done.
Those who wish to specialize in a particular field of ultrasound technology will find employment in diagnostic labs as well as other labs and centers devoted to a particular field of medicine. These fields can include specializations in prenatal sonography, where doctors examine the unborn child for genetic abnormalities; breast sonography in centers dealing with breast cancer and mammograms; neurosonography centers that deal with disorders of the brain and neurology, like Alzheimer’s and autism; or cardiac sonographers employed by diagnostic centers for heart disease.
What is the job outlook for an ultrasound tech?
The job outlook for ultrasound techsasounds these days is quite good. Because the science of ultrasound technology is always expanding, the need for quality trained ultrasound techs is also expanding. The majority of the patients that would require ultrasound imaging can be split into two defined groups: the elderly and expectant mothers.
Obstetricians and prenatal centers require the use of ultrasound technology to monitor the growth and development of the unborn child. The baby boomers who are beginning to retire in greater numbers will require the services of ultrasound techs for a multitude of diagnostic reasons, including arthritis, Alzheimer’s, cardiac care and vascular imaging, for example.
According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the employment outlook for trained ultrasound technicians is expected to grow faster than average for any other career, even within the healthcare field. And that growth is expected to continue for the next eight years, and projections show that the field will be expanded by at least 18% by 2018, the year the first generations of baby boomers are expected to hit maximum retirement age.
