Sonographers are healthcare professionals who are trained to use machines that can produce ultrasound images. These images are important when diagnosing the health condition of an individual. Training to become a sonographer is a difficult process and the occupation comes with its own hazards. Before you decide to become an ultrasound tech, you have to take into account the risks and benefits of being a sonographer.
Sonography in society
With sonography as one of the most popular diagnostic tools used today, there has been an increase in employment for sonographers in 2014. There are 211 schools in the US offering diagnostic medical sonography (DMS) training, taking 1 year to 4 years to complete. A complete list of CAAHEP accredited ultrasound technician schools can be found through the link. The employment level for sonographers in 2012 was 58,800, a number that is expected to increase by 46 percent in 10 years (until 2022).
Prevalence of injury in sonography
Approximately 80 percent of working sonographers experience muscular pain due to a musculoskeletal injury (MSI). Out of these numbers, 20 percent experience injuries that actually bring an end to their career. These statistics are from the Consensus Conference on Work-Related Musculoskeletal Disorders (WRMSD) held in 2003 in Texas. The results from the conference’s research is worrying, primarily because of the risk of permanent disability when you work as a sonographer and that almost all sonographers working in their trade experience some form of MSI.
The job of a sonographer entails that a person must be able to:
The job of a sonographer entails that a person must be able to:
- Lift more than 30 pounds (and push and pull that same amount of weight)
- Bend and stoop repeatedly
- Work standing, about 80% of the time
- Help patients on and off examination tables/gurneys
OHSA and addressing the risk of injury
According to the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OHSA), all employers are required to have working environments that are safe for all their employees, especially healthcare workers. Employers must also manage all identified safety risks, making sure to decrease their impact on their labor force. Because of this, inspectors have been making sure that hospitals, clinics, diagnostic laboratories, and other places where sonographers work are meeting the safety requirements of the OHSA.
The benefits in working as a sonographer
The risks are quite small, except for the odd-percentage of high-risk situations leading to permanent incapacitation or disability, when you choose to become an ultrasound tech. Because sonography is a non-radiologic diagnostic procedure, the sonographer is not in danger of being exposed to radiation. The workload is generally easier than other healthcare providers, since the occupation only deals with diagnosis, not with actual, day-to-day patient care.
Annual pay and employment is very good for sonographers as well. By May 2013, sonographers were earning an average of $67,170 annually. Hourly wage was $32.29, with a median of $31.93. The actual employment levels during 2013 were 58,250. These numbers are way better than the statistics nationwide, where annual mean wage was only $46,440. If ever you become an ultrasound tech, you can expect better pay and employment than other occupations.
Annual pay and employment is very good for sonographers as well. By May 2013, sonographers were earning an average of $67,170 annually. Hourly wage was $32.29, with a median of $31.93. The actual employment levels during 2013 were 58,250. These numbers are way better than the statistics nationwide, where annual mean wage was only $46,440. If ever you become an ultrasound tech, you can expect better pay and employment than other occupations.