Career profile Sonographer

Table of Contents

• What does a Sonographer do?
• What is a typical salary for a Sonographer?
• What personality traits are common among Sonographers?
  • Career Interests
  • Values
  • Psychological Demands
• What education and training do Sonographers need?
  • Typical educational degrees
  • Required knowledge and expertise
  • Important abilities
  • Critical skills

What does a Sonographer do?

Sonographers produce ultrasonic recordings of internal organs for use by physicians.

In addition, Sonographers includes vascular technologists.

What kind of tasks does a Sonographer perform regularly?

Sonographers are often responsible for overseeing or executing some or all of the following tasks:

• Observe screen during scan to ensure that image produced is satisfactory for diagnostic purposes, making adjustments to equipment as required.
• Observe and care for patients throughout examinations to ensure their safety and comfort.
• Provide sonogram and oral or written summary of technical findings to physician for use in medical diagnosis.
• Select appropriate equipment settings and adjust patient positions to obtain the best sites and angles.
• Operate ultrasound equipment to produce and record images of the motion, shape, and composition of blood, organs, tissues, or bodily masses, such as fluid accumulations.
• Decide which images to include, looking for differences between healthy and pathological areas.
• Prepare patient for exam by explaining procedure, transferring patient to ultrasound table, scrubbing skin and applying gel, and positioning patient properly.
• Determine whether scope of exam should be extended, based on findings.
• Obtain and record accurate patient history, including prior test results or information from physical examinations.
• Maintain records that include patient information, sonographs and interpretations, files of correspondence, publications and regulations, or quality assurance records, such as pathology, biopsy, or post-operative reports.
• Record and store suitable images, using camera unit connected to the ultrasound equipment.
• Coordinate work with physicians or other healthcare team members, including providing assistance during invasive procedures.
• Clean, check, and maintain sonographic equipment, submitting maintenance requests or performing minor repairs as necessary.
• Perform clerical duties, such as scheduling exams or special procedures, keeping records, or archiving computerized images.
• Perform legal and ethical duties, including preparing safety or accident reports, obtaining written consent from patient to perform invasive procedures, or reporting symptoms of abuse or neglect.
• Supervise or train students or other medical sonographers.
• Maintain stock and supplies, preparing supplies for special examinations and ordering supplies when necessary.
• Perform medical procedures, such as administering oxygen, inserting and removing airways, taking vital signs, or giving emergency treatment, such as first aid or cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR).

The above responsibilities are specific to Sonographers. More generally, Sonographers are involved in several broader types of activities:

What is a Sonographer salary?

What personality traits are common among Sonographers?

Interests

Career interests describe a person's preferences for different types of working environments and activities. When a person's interest match the demands of an occupation, people are usually more engaged and satisfied in that role.

Compared to most occupations, those who work as a Sonographer are usually higher in their Investigative, Social, and Realistic interests.

Sonographers typically have very strong Investigative interests. Investigative occupations frequently involve working with ideas, and require an extensive amount of thinking. These occupations can involve searching for facts and figuring out problems mentally.

Also, Sonographers typically have strong Social interests. Social occupations frequently involve working with, communicating with, and teaching people. These occupations often involve helping or providing service to others.

Lastly, Sonographers typically have strong Realistic interests. Realistic occupations frequently involve work activities that include practical, hands-on problems and solutions. They often deal with plants, animals, and real-world materials like wood, tools, and machinery. Many of the occupations require working outside, and do not involve a lot of paperwork or working closely with others.

Values

People differ in their values, or what is most important to them for building job satisfaction and fulfillment.

Compared to most people, those working as a Sonographer tend to value Relationships, Support, and Achievement.

Most importantly, Sonographers strongly value Relationships. Occupations that satisfy this work value allow employees to provide service to others and work with co-workers in a friendly non-competitive environment.

Second, Sonographers strongly value Support. Occupations that satisfy this work value offer supportive management that stands behind employees.

Lastly, Sonographers strongly value Achievement. Occupations that satisfy this work value are results oriented and allow employees to use their strongest abilities, giving them a feeling of accomplishment.

Psychological Demands

Each occupation brings its own set of psychological demands, which describe the characteristics necessary to perform the job well.

In order to perform their job successfully, people who work as Sonographers must consistently demonstrate qualities such as dependability, attention to detail, and integrity.

Below, you'll find a list of qualities typically required of Sonographers, ranked by importance:

What education and training do Sonographers need?

Sonographers often have training in vocational schools, related on-the-job experience, or an associate's degree.

Sonographers usually need one or two years of training involving both on-the-job experience and informal training with experienced workers. A recognized apprenticeship program may be associated with this occupation.

Educational degrees among Sonographers

• 1.2% did not complete high school or secondary school
• 4.3% completed high school or secondary school
• 12.6% completed some college coursework
• 35.7% earned a Associate's degree
• 36.1% earned a Bachelor's degree
• 7.1% earned a Master's degree
• 3.0% earned a doctorate or professional degree

Knowledge and expertise required by Sonographers

Important Abilities needed by Sonographers

Sonographers must develop a particular set of abilities to perform their job well. Abilities are individual capacities that influence a person's information processing, sensory perception, motor coordination, and physical strength or endurance. Individuals may naturally have certain abilities without explicit training, but most abilities can be sharpened somewhat through practice.

For example, Sonographers need abilities such as oral comprehension, written comprehension, and oral expression in order to perform their job at a high level. The list below shows several important abilities for Sonographers, ranked by their relative importance.

Critical Skills needed by Sonographers

Skills are developed capacities that enable people to function effectively in real-world settings. Unlike abilities, skills are typically easier to build through practice and experience. Skills influence effectiveness in areas such as learning, working with others, design, troubleshooting, and more.

Sonographers frequently use skills like active listening, reading comprehension, and speaking to perform their job effectively. The list below shows several critical skills for Sonographers, ranked by their relative importance.

What is the source of this information?

The information provided on this page is adapted from data and descriptions published by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration under the CC BY 4.0 license. TraitLab has modified some information for ease of use and reading, and the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment, and Training Administration has not approved, endorsed, or tested these modifications.

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