Do you want a fulfilling career in healthcare without going to medical school?
You could become an ultrasound technician in less than two years. Compare that number to medical school which takes four years to complete. Graduates also have to complete residency programs lasting three years or more, bringing your grand total to seven years at the very least.
Even better, ultrasound techs can make more than $75,000 annually, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. BLS stats also reveal this career growing at 10%, which is faster than the national job growth average.
The outlook looks bright for the sonography career path. Discover more tips for success below!
1. Start By Choosing an Ultrasound Technician Program
You can’t enter this field without certified training. Thus, your first step is to find an education program to help you reach your goals.
What’s great about this career path is that you can complete training while still holding a full-time job. When looking for programs, consider your own income and work schedule. You’ll find plenty of programs that offer night classes, weekend courses, and flexible online lectures; take a look at this vascular ultrasound course to learn more about online options.
Tuition is another point to consider. Fortunately, you can receive low-cost training at local community colleges and medical trade schools. Grants, loans, and financial aid are also available to students. Fortunately, you can become a trained ultrasound professional at a fraction of the cost of medical school; in fact, you could get your career up and running years before doctors and nurses graduate from their programs.
You can always start this program after receiving a 4-year bachelor’s degree in science. However, it’s not mandatory. Plus, you’ll have to take science courses as a part of your ultrasound training anyway.
2. Learn About Different Medical Careers for Ultrasound Technicians
When people think of ultrasounds they generally think of OBGYN-related jobs, like pregnancy ultrasounds. This is definitely an important career niche, but you can use your training for even more medical career paths.
For example, if you pursue sonography training, you can work in a specific field of your choice. These technicians are trained to view different types of body parts. This also includes brain sonography imaging to find tumors and cancers.
You could become a diagnostic medical sonographer. This job role helps doctors diagnose complex medical issues.
You could become trained in imaging a specific body part like the abdomen, making you an official abdominal sonographer. This career requires advanced knowledge of abdominal anatomy. That’s why it’s important to decide on a specific path before choosing an ultrasound program.
Breast sonographers are also instrumental in helping doctors diagnose breast cancer.
3. Get Professional Advice
Starting this career path is a major milestone. Make sure everything goes smoothly by seeking out professional advice in your chosen field.
Consider job shadowing an ultrasound technician, going to career counseling, or seeking mentoring. If you need to work full-time, consider switching your current job to one in a hospital environment. Even working at a medical office can help foster your knowledge of the medical field.
Kickstart Your Career Development
You could become a working ultrasound technician in no time. Think about the ideas expressed in this guide to help inform your career journey. Talk to any ultrasound techs in your life to learn more about the career.
The blog is also a great source of updated tips, advice, and ideas.
