High School
If you are interested in a career in sonography, you should take high-school courses in mathematics, biology, physics, anatomy and physiology, and, especially, chemistry. Also, take English, speech, and foreign language classes to improve your communication skills. In this career you will work with both patients and other medical professionals, and it will be important for you to be able to follow directions as well as explain procedures. Finally, take computer courses to familiarize yourself with using technology.
Postsecondary Training
Instruction in diagnostic medical sonography is offered by hospitals, colleges, universities, technical schools, and the armed forces in the form of hospital certificates and two-year associate's and four-year bachelor's degree programs. Most sonographers enter the field after completing an associate's degree.
Education consists of classroom and laboratory instruction, as well as hands-on experience in the form of internships in a hospital ultrasound department. Areas of study include patient care and medical ethics, general and cross-sectional anatomy, physiology and pathophysiology, applications and limitations of ultrasound, and image evaluation.
Certification
Some colleges and universities offer certificate programs in sonography or in sonographic specialties such as vascular sonography and cardiac sonography. These programs are typically geared toward those who already have an associate's or bachelor's degree and want to transition to a career as a sonographer. Those who complete such programs are then eligible to seek certification from the American Registry for Diagnostic Medical Sonography.
Other Education or Training
Students should also be aware of continuing education requirements that exist to keep sonographers at the forefront of current technology and diagnostic theory. They are required to maintain certification through continuing education (CE) classes, which vary from state to state. This continuing education, offered by hospitals and ultrasound equipment companies, is usually offered after regular work hours have ended. Professional associations also provide CE opportunities. For example, the Society of Diagnostic Medical Sonography offers webinars and in-person classes. Recent course offerings included Advanced Optimization of Your Echo Images and Doppler Evaluations, Transcranial Doppler Evaluation, and the Sonography of Inflammatory Conditions. The Society for Vascular Ultrasound, American Society of Echocardiography, other national organizations, and associations at the state and local levels also provide CE opportunities.
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