Diagnostic Medical Sonographers

Employers

Approximately 84,900 sonographers are employed in the United States. Sixty percent of all sonographers work at hospitals, and 21 percent work in the offices of private physicians. However, increasing employment opportunities exist in nursing homes, HMOs, medical and diagnostic laboratories, imaging centers, research laboratories, educational institutions, and in industry.

Starting Out

Those interested in becoming diagnostic medical sonographers must complete a sonographic educational program such as one offered by teaching hospitals, colleges and universities, technical schools, and the armed forces. You should be sure to enroll in an accredited educational program, as those who complete such a program stand the best chances for employment.

Voluntary registration with the American Registry for Diagnostic Medical Sonography (ARDMS) is key to gaining employment. Most employers require registration with ARDMS. Other methods of entering the field include responding to job listings in sonography publications, registering with employment agencies specializing in the health care field, contacting headhunters, or applying to the personnel offices of health care employers. The ARDMS offers a Web site, https://ultrasoundjobs.ardms.org, to help sonographers locate jobs in the field.