How to Become an Ultrasound Technician: Your Complete Guide

August 6 2019 - Did you know that an ultrasound technician can earn around  $31.63 per hour? 

This is a relatively high salary, and it's generally higher than what most people tend to earn. You may, in fact, find that it's higher than your current salary.

If that's the case, you may be interested in how you can become an ultrasound technician (also known as a medical sonographer). But if you don't know much about the medical field, you might not know what you need to do to secure such a job.

Below you'll discover some tips that'll teach you how to become a medical sonographer. If you're looking for a way to boost your salary, you'll soon learn how a career as a sonographer can help you achieve your goal.

Let's begin!

Why Become a Medical Sonographer?

Before we take a look at how you can actually become a medical sonographer, let's quickly take a look at the benefits of pursuing this career path.

Perhaps one of the best things about this field of work is there are plenty of opportunities on offer. This means it will not take a long time for you to find a job, once you're qualified to work as a technician.

Another good thing about this role is that the work can be very fulfilling. This is because you have the chance to help people, as your work may uncover potential health issues.

This role also allows you to interact with a wide range of people on a daily basis, and so this can be good if you don't like the idea of a static desk job.

How to Become a Sonographer

To become a sonographer, you'll need to go through a training process that allows you to get a recognized certification.

It's worth noting that most institutions will ask that you have a high school diploma before you can begin the sonographer course. So, if you don't have one, you'll need to get it before you can begin training as a technician.

If you already have some experience working in a medical field, then you may just need to complete a one year course. However, if you don't have any medical experience, then you might need to complete a two-year associate degree.

Note that if you already have a degree of some sort, but no medical experience, then you might just need to complete a diploma. This can take around 18 months and tends to be the most popular path for those that want to  get training for an ultrasound role.

Getting Hired

While it's relatively easy to get a job as a technician, you'll want to take some steps to ensure you can  secure a high salary.

One such step is to take the exams provided by the American Registry for Diagnostic Medical Sonography (ARDMS).

This is an official body associated with medical sonographers. If you take, and then pass their exams, you can highlight your skills to future employers. This then improves your employability, thereby increasing the odds of your securing a high paying role.

Ready to Become an Ultrasound Technician?

This post should hopefully provide you with a decent guide on how you can become an ultrasound technician.

If you don't have much experience with the medical field, you'll probably need to go through a training period that can last a couple of years.

Yes, this training period can seem like a long time. But if you don't enroll, in a few years you'll likely be in the same position, wondering why you didn't get the ball rolling.

Do you have any tips on becoming an ultrasound technician? If you do, please share your thoughts in the comments section!

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