Ultrasound Technician in Clinical Practice
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Ultrasound technicians are health care professionals who have belonged to the diagnostics department for a long time. The sonography procedure has maintained its reputation for being one of the most popular diagnostic procedures, specifically for its lack of negative side effects on both the sonographer and the patient. Thousands of sonography procedures are performed each day in the United States.
However, an ultrasound technician no longer has to belong solely in a diagnostic laboratory. They are now entering fields of clinical management, a feat that has become possible thanks to sonographers in education and research in 2014 and 2015. Learn more about sonography education and research through this ultrasound technician website. |
The Typical Role of a Diagnostic Medical Sonographer
In a typical hospital set up, you will usually find an ultrasound technician in the diagnostic department, working in the laboratories or the examination rooms. The job of a sonographer involves performing the sonography procedure with a sonogram machine - minimal patient care is done, focused on assisting the patient in the examination room and giving health education. Analysis of the results of the procedure is the major function of a sonographer, and correlating these results with the patient’s primary physician.
On the technical side of things, sonographers are expected to troubleshoot the machine and perform necessary corrections and setting changes before, during, and after the procedure. There are many specialties a sonographer can have; however, there are four main ones – (1) general, (2) cardiac, (3) vascular, and (4) pediatric cardiac sonography.
General sonography includes abdominal, obstetric and gynecologic, and other similar areas or systems of the body. These four categories are allowed by the Commission on Accreditation of Allied Health to have their own separate training programs – training is the first step in how to become an ultrasound tech. You can find accredited sonography programs in most schools in the country, with some of the best accredited Ultrasound technician schools in CT.
Clinical Sonography
Over the years, medical research has been performed on the clinical value of a diagnostic procedure such as sonography. Sonography works by creating sound waves that are sent through the body. Because sound waves cannot penetrate tissue and bone, the different times at which the sound bounces creates an image in the sonogram machine. The sound waves are sent at a high enough frequency to perform medical imaging but not enough to create any damage in the tissue or internal structures.
Manipulating the transducer (the part of the sonogram machine that produces the sound waves) is the most common method used in research on the clinical value of sonography. In recent studies, increasing the frequency to very high levels can create high levels of heat in tissue. In cases that require cyst or tumor removal, high-frequency sonography has been documented to cauterize areas of the body affected with tumors.
As more avenues for an ultrasound technician are being opened, there are more and more jobs becoming available in the United States. Receiving a sonography degree is as easy as signing up for a class in the nearest campus to you offering accredited training. Online classes are likewise available for students who have no means to take on-campus sonography training. You can check out Washburn University in Kansas for additional information on online sonography classes.
In a typical hospital set up, you will usually find an ultrasound technician in the diagnostic department, working in the laboratories or the examination rooms. The job of a sonographer involves performing the sonography procedure with a sonogram machine - minimal patient care is done, focused on assisting the patient in the examination room and giving health education. Analysis of the results of the procedure is the major function of a sonographer, and correlating these results with the patient’s primary physician.
On the technical side of things, sonographers are expected to troubleshoot the machine and perform necessary corrections and setting changes before, during, and after the procedure. There are many specialties a sonographer can have; however, there are four main ones – (1) general, (2) cardiac, (3) vascular, and (4) pediatric cardiac sonography.
General sonography includes abdominal, obstetric and gynecologic, and other similar areas or systems of the body. These four categories are allowed by the Commission on Accreditation of Allied Health to have their own separate training programs – training is the first step in how to become an ultrasound tech. You can find accredited sonography programs in most schools in the country, with some of the best accredited Ultrasound technician schools in CT.
Clinical Sonography
Over the years, medical research has been performed on the clinical value of a diagnostic procedure such as sonography. Sonography works by creating sound waves that are sent through the body. Because sound waves cannot penetrate tissue and bone, the different times at which the sound bounces creates an image in the sonogram machine. The sound waves are sent at a high enough frequency to perform medical imaging but not enough to create any damage in the tissue or internal structures.
Manipulating the transducer (the part of the sonogram machine that produces the sound waves) is the most common method used in research on the clinical value of sonography. In recent studies, increasing the frequency to very high levels can create high levels of heat in tissue. In cases that require cyst or tumor removal, high-frequency sonography has been documented to cauterize areas of the body affected with tumors.
As more avenues for an ultrasound technician are being opened, there are more and more jobs becoming available in the United States. Receiving a sonography degree is as easy as signing up for a class in the nearest campus to you offering accredited training. Online classes are likewise available for students who have no means to take on-campus sonography training. You can check out Washburn University in Kansas for additional information on online sonography classes.