Ultrasound Technician Education: Our Guide

An ultrasound technician education is required if you want to work in this medical field. This job is one with many rewards and career opportunities, and it’s also one with strict requirements. Due to its sensitive nature, the person operating an ultrasound machine must be educated, well-trained, and proficient in both the medical and technology fields. This is a line of work with growing job prospects and a bright outlook.

An ultrasound technician education is available through many outlets. Your job is to find the one that best fits your schedule and desires and go for it. You can obtain an ultrasound technician education at your own pace, and you can begin work when you are done with school. It’s a great way to get a head start working in the medical industry. Since medical professionals are almost always in need in every state, there are many options when you’re ready to begin your career. Here is everything you ever needed to know about becoming an ultrasound tech and what it takes to acquire an ultrasound technician education.

What Is an Ultrasound Technician?

An ultrasound technician is a person who uses medical equipment designed to use sound waves to create images of the internal structures of the body. This machine allows the ultrasound tech to create a visual of what’s inside the body. You might commonly associate an ultrasound technician with pregnancy. 

This is the person who uses their wand to bring pictures of a baby inside the mother’s womb to reality on a machine. Ultrasound techs provide photos of unborn babies, they can determine the gender of an unborn baby, and they can also take ultrasound photos of any internal body part unrelated to pregnancy when it’s needed.

Why Do I Need Training?

An ultrasound technician education is required to work in this medical field because it requires special training to operate these machines. An ultrasound technician education teaches you how to locate and recognize internal organs and other body parts. It’s a specialized line of work that requires ample knowledge in more than one field of study, which is why it requires such strict educational programs.

Where Do Technicians Work?

An ultrasound technician can work in a private office, a hospital, and a variety of other health facilities. This job is one that can be a stationary job or one that requires ample travel. Medical facilities continue to use more and more ultrasound services to replace more invasive procedures that provide the same imaging results faster and more efficiently, and with fewer costs and invasive procedures for patients. It’s a growing industry in which the job satisfaction is positive, the outlook is increasing, and the salary is competitive.

Here’s what you should keep in mind when deciding whether an ultrasound technician education is worthwhile to you.

Benefits of the Job

Working as an ultrasound technician is a rewarding job with many benefits. When choosing your career path, it’s important you weigh the pros and cons of the job you choose by deciding what’s most important to you in a field of study. If you’re considering work as an ultrasound tech, you should know that this career choice offers numerous benefits.

​Ultrasound Technician Education Benefits

One of the biggest benefits of this line of work is the ultrasound technician education requirements. While you do need to have a specific education to work as an ultrasound tech, you are not required to get a four-year college degree. It’s favorable to have a four-year degree in addition to the necessary certificate, but it’s not required.

The ultrasound technician education can be acquired through an associate’s degree program and then the certification needed to work as an ultrasound technician. This program can be completed at any community college.

The other option is to acquire your ultrasound technician education through the military. You can join the military and take the courses necessary if you choose to work in the military’s medical field. Finally, you can obtain your certification through a one-year vocational course at a technical or vocational school.

Keep in mind, however, that many employers prefer that their ultrasound technician education requirements are met through an accredited program. It makes you a more appealing prospect for any employer, and it helps you land a job with a higher salary when your ultrasound technician education is from an accredited program.

Certification Requirements Aren’t Complex

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To acquire an ultrasound technician certification is not a requirement in most states, but it’s helpful to have. If you pass the American Registry for Diagnostic Medical Sonography (ARDMS) exam, you can obtain this certification in any state. Having it might make you a more desirable candidate, and it might allow you to ask for a higher salary when you’re hired as an ultrasound tech.

The Job Outlook Is Positive

According to the United States Bureau of Labor Statistics, ultrasound technician jobs are projected to increase by more than 25 percent prior to 2024. The ultrasound imaging equipment used by ultrasound techs is noninvasive and safer than other options, and many people count on ultrasound techs to provide them with the medical information they need to diagnose medical problems with their doctor and to locate problems in the body.

​The Job Is Rewarding

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Working as an ultrasound technician is a rewarding career. While every career has its cons, the pros of this job are numerous. One of the most satisfying parts of this job is the patients you get to help each day. For example, most people love their ultrasound technician for helping them see their baby, providing them sweet profile photos of their unborn baby, telling them the gender of their baby, and assuring them their baby is fine or alerting them early to a problem. This kind of satisfaction is unlike any other, and it’s a simple way for you to feel good about what you do. There is a lot of fulfillment in this career.

A Competitive Salary

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When discussing the benefits of an ultrasound technician education, it’s helpful to understand what the salary expectation is for this line of work. What you make versus the time and effort it takes to break into the field is one consideration many people make when choosing to work as an ultrasound technician.

​Salary Information

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The average annual salary for an ultrasound technician is $73,947. Considering it takes anywhere from one to three years to become an ultrasound technician, the salary expectations are impressive. The low end of the salary range is in the upper $67,189, and the high-end of the salary expectation is close to $81,382.

The precise amount you’ll earn depends on how much experience you have, where you work, for whom you work, and the education you received. Ultrasound technician education requirements vary substantially, and many employers offer more money and more jobs to those with the best ultrasound technician education.

​Determining Salary Factors

If you want to make as much as possible working as an ultrasound technician, you’ll want to obtain a four-year degree and clinical education, become certified and acquire additional skills in the medical industry. The longer you work in the field, the more you make. 

Where you live and work also determines how much you can earn as an ultrasound technician. People who work as ultrasound technicians in these five states earn more than people who work in other states in the same field. However, consider the cost of living as part of your research when determining where to go to make the most money.

• California
• Oregon
• Washington
• Massachusetts
• Arizona

On the other hand, these are the five states in which you will earn the lowest income as an ultrasound tech on average.

• Alabama
• West Virginia
• Louisiana
• Arkansas
• Tennessee

Finally, if you choose to find work as a traveling ultrasound technician, you can make even more money. This line of work allows you to travel the country living and working periodically in the hospitals where there is a serious need for ultrasound technicians. The locations change all the time, so you might work for a few weeks or months in one hospital in one state and then move to a completely different location in another state. This job is best for those who have no spouse or kids, and for those who want to travel the world for a while.

Conclusion

An ultrasound technician education is worth it if you want to invest in your future. The education compared to the salary and the job outlook is positive. It’s a rewarding line of work in which you can choose where and how you want to work, you can work full or part-time, and you can earn an impressive salary. Being part of the medical field is an important factor.

Your own health insurance and job benefits are impressive, there are bonuses offered in many ultrasound technician offices across the country, and you get to work as a medical professional without spending 12 years in college while still earning an impressive living wage as an ultrasound technician.