How Long Does It Take to Become an Ultrasound Tech?

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The length of your education depends on your career goals. To get started in a career as an ultrasound tech, you need a minimum of two years at an accredited allied health educational institution. There are schools available both online and offline that are able to provide you with this associate’s degree in sonography. Afterward, you’ll need to complete at least one year of full-time clinical experience, which means that you’ll be working, but under closer supervision of your superiors to ensure that you’re getting all the hands-on training you need for the job. You can then register with the American Registry for Diagnostic Medical Sonography.

Your Education Level Affects Your Employability

The job market, however, is getting more and more competitive. Therefore, many students are opting for a longer four-year program in sonography to get their bachelor’s degree in a field such as medical technology or medical imaging. In either case, there are no state or national licensing requirements for ultrasound techs, but many employers prefer to see registration, which requires you to take an exam after completing your training.

Advancement and Specialization

As you’re working in your field as an ultrasound tech, you can decide to advance even beyond a four-year bachelor’s degree education. There are currently no master’s degrees in sonography, but you may want to go on to get your Master of Health Administration, which will qualify you for more advanced management positions. In addition, there are a number of certificate programs available for ultrasound techs who want to specialize. For example, you could get advanced training to become a registered diagnostic cardiac sonographer, or cardiovascular technician, which would increase your marketability when job-hunting. Specializing means that you’re qualified for positions that pay higher salaries and are more prestigious, so this is a good route after you’ve worked in the field for a few years.

Although most ultrasound techs choose an educational route that lasts two years or four years, the great thing about online education is that you can work at your own pace. So, if you already have a two-year associate’s degree in sonography, for example, you can work on your bachelor’s degree in medical technology or health informatics over the course of three or four additional years as a part-time student, rather than trying to cram your education into two more years. This makes it possible for you to continue to work and even raise a family while going to school.

Is a Two or Four Year Degree Really Worth It?

In general, the education is worth the payoff. When your education is complete, you’ll most likely have student loans, but with a $50,000+ paycheck, it is easy to repay those loans on time or even ahead of schedule. Of course, even if your first job doesn’t come attached to such a high paycheck, this is a great career path simply because there are many jobs available across the country, and the medical field is continually expanding. Some employers will even pay for your schooling if you commit to working there for a certain number of time, so that they benefit from the new knowledge you gain.

How to Maximize Your Profit and Experience While Becoming an Ultrasound Tech

Getting the credentials to be an ultrasound tech doesn’t have to take long, but different educational paths yield different results, and there are ways to plan your program that will yield the best results at the lowest cost and time usage. A few ways you can diminish the financial burden and time cost of school, while still getting a great education are:

  • Take some of your courses online so that you can work while taking classes. This will diminish the debt you need to take on, and you’ll pay less interest in long term loans, for an overall lower cost.
  • Look for paid internships so you aren’t losing money while you get practical experience. If you’re going to spend a year working and learning the trade, you might as well earn some money for it. Areas with high demand for ultrasound technicians are more likely to offer paid internships to students.
  • Complete a full degree, such as an associate’s or bachelor’s, rather than doing the faster, but less comprehensive, one year certificate programs. A degree looks better to employers and will offer you more flexibility for both employment and further education down the road. It is worth taking the time initially, rather than having to make it up later, to get an associate’s or bachelor’s degree.

Scholarships, Tax Credits, and GI Benefits that Can Help You Get a Degree

Anyone looking into higher education, for sonography or any other field, should explore the financial aid options available to them. The U.S. government offers numerous scholarships, grants, and tax credits, as well as benefits for members of the armed forces, to help people get a degree and enter the skilled workforce. Some options you can look into include:

  • Hope and Lifetime Learning Tax Credits: These tax breaks can save you two grand or more on income tax while you’re in school. That should cover your textbooks and then some.
  • Perkins and Stafford Loans: These loans are available to most students, though students with the most financial need will get the largest sums. You have to pay the money back, but the interest rate and repayment plans are much better than anything you’ll find at a bank or from a credit card company.
  • Federal Pell Grants: This is money you won’t have to pay back, but you have to prove you need it. Students of online colleges and universities get millions of dollars in Pell grants each year, and students with serious need can get up to $5,550 per school year to offset their tuition and materials costs.

Careers, Earnings, and Other Ultrasound Technician Info

It helps to have a light at the end of your tunnel when you’re in school and it feels like it will be forever before you can get a job and start paying off those student loans. Here are some encouraging facts about the employment and salary scene for well-trained ultrasound technicians.

  • Employment numbers are high for diagnostic medical sonographers, and will keep going up for the next several years, according to The Bureau of Labor Statistics. An estimated 9,200 more jobs in the field should be created by 2018.
  • Salaries for ultrasound technicians are well above the national median, at $61,800 as of May 2008. Experienced techs in high demand areas can earn even more, though. The top 10% of ultrasound techs earn more than $83,000.
  • Advancement opportunities for ultrasound techs to move into supervisory, managerial, and administrative roles are strong. A dedicated tech can attain some higher level of responsibility and pay after a year or two of high quality work in the trenches.

If you’re looking at how long it takes to become a working, professional ultrasound technician, you have to include job search time in the equation.The graph below indicates how long most people search for a job before either finding one or dropping out of the workforce entirely. The trend depicted is general, and not specific to the relatively high growth field of sonography.

In the end, the benefits of getting a few years of education in sonography far outweigh the losses, and anyone who is serious about advancing in the career should not shortchange themselves by taking too little schooling or avoiding somewhat costly certification or registration fees. If you are ready to get started on your diagnostic medical sonography education now, use the widget below to find a school that can meet your needs.

Top Online Health Services Programs

There are multiple educational paths that can be taken to become an ultrasound technician or diagnostic medical sonographer. The schools below do not offer ultrasound-specific training, but they do offer medical assisting and other healthcare programs closely related to sonography. You can request information by clicking the college's logo.

Find Your Degree Select a degree subject, enter your ZIP code, and search 1,000+ accredited online and campus colleges in your area.
DeVry University
AS in Health IT
 		DeVry University — Although DeVry University's online associate's degree in health information technology program is not specifically an ultrasound training program, it does prepare students to be HIT leaders in contemporary hospitals, physician's offices, medical clinics, and more.
Virginia College Online
BS in Health Services Mgmt
 		Virginia College Online — If you want to complete a health-based interdisciplinary studies degree online that will prepare you for ultrasound technology as well as for management, then apply for Virginia College's bachelor's degree in Health Services Management or associate's degree in medical office administration. The tuition for each program includes the cost of every textbook for every course. After earning this degree, additional training may be required to become an ultrasound technician.
Herzing University
AS in Medical Assisting
 		Herzing University — The AS in medical assisting degree program from Herzing University is not an ultrasound training program, but it does present students with an introduction to a physician's office, and can help lead to careers in sonography. Students learn how to assist doctors and nurses in the exam room as well as perform routine medical laboratory procedures.
Hodges University
AS in Health Info Mgmt
AS in Health Admin
 		Hodges University — Hodges University's AS in Health Information Technology and AS in Health Administration programs, while not purely an ultrasound training program, do teach students how to use the latest information technology to meet the needs of the healthcare industry. Health information technology allows medical offices to collect and analyze data from patients and doctors, a vital part of the medical process. Students learn to manage patient health information, medical records, administer computer information systems, and code diagnoses and procedures.
Lincoln College
AAS in Health IT
 		Lincoln College — The AAS in Health IT degree program from Lincoln College Online teaches students the ins and outs of technological-related medical work such as data tracking, organizing, and recorded. This degree is useful for anyone wishing to advance in his/her career within a variety of healthcare settings, including hospitals, ultrasound clinics, physician offices, and more. Additional training is required before becoming an ultrasound technician.

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DeVry University is accredited by The Higher Learning Commission of the North Central Association, www.ncahlc.org. Keller Graduate School of Management is included in this accreditation. In New York, DeVry University operates as DeVry College of New York. DeVry University operates as DeVry Institute of Technology in Calgary, Alberta. DeVry is certified to operate by the State Council of Higher Education for Virginia. AC0060. DeVry University is authorized for operation by the THEC. www.state.tn.us/thec. Nashville Campus - 3343 Perimeter Hill Dr., Nashville, TN 37211. Program availability varies by location.

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