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The Career

Mission Statement

The Career

Career Opportunities for Sonographers

Employment opportunities are varied, with Diagnostic Medical Sonographers being employed in hospitals, clinics, private offices, and industry. There is also a need for suitably qualified educators, researchers and administrators. Sonographers employed in most medical centers should expect to take rotational call during evenings and on weekends and may be scheduled for work on either of those shifts, as well; many sonographers enjoy the compensation associated with these responsibilities.

In addition, the World Health Organization is recognizing that Diagnostic Medical Sonography may be the diagnostic tool of choice for many second and third world countries. The rationale behind this is that ultrasound technology is more portable and affordable that many other diagnostic techniques and may be made more available to small rural clinics.

The demand for registered sonographers continues to exceed the supply, and sonography has become a beneficial skill in the multi-modality health care environment. According to published statistics, accredited sonography labs are presently operating with a 42% shortage of sonographers and approximately 25% of present sonographers will be exiting the field in the next few years. Supply and demand ratios affect salaries, depending upon experience, job description and geographic location. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics 2005-2006 report, employment of sonography professionals is expected to grow faster than the average for all occupations through the year 2012. In the Southeastern region, non-traveling, entry-level diagnostic sonographers earn approximately $41-52,000 annually, with additional call pay and shift differentials added to that amount.

We receive weekly calls from facilities looking for sonographers and many of our students have been able to arrange contracts with sites to pay for their education in exchange for future guaranteed employment at a particular facility. In addition, there are often other professional organizations and manufacturers offering scholarships to sonography students.