Are you curious about a career as an ultrasound technician or as a diagnostic medical sonographer? While the titles are different, there is little difference in the job skills or prerequisites for this career. Sonography, or ultrasonography, is a branch of diagnostic imaging that is used to diagnose medical conditions. While this technology often is associated with obstetrics, diagnostic imaging embraces several procedures that aid in diagnosing ailments.

Diagnostic medical sonographers use special equipment to direct nonionizing high frequency sound waves into areas of the patient’s body. Sonographers operate the equipment, which collects reflected echoes and forms an image that may be videotaped, transmitted, or photographed for interpretation and diagnosis by a physician. You must be able to explain the procedure to a patient and to record any medical history and subtle clues that contrast healthy areas with unhealthy ones in the patient’s body. You then decide whether the images are satisfactory for diagnostic purposes and select the ones to store and show to the physician. Sonographers take measurements, calculate values, and analyze the results in preliminary findings for the physicians.

You also may be asked to keep patient records and to adjust and maintain equipment. You also may prepare work schedules, evaluate equipment purchases, or manage a sonography or diagnostic imaging department. Sonographers also may specialize in various departments, such as obstetrics, abdominal sonography, neurosonography or vascular or cardiac sonography.

Sonographers work in various environments such as hospitals, clinics and may travel as contract employees to several health care facilities. You may be on your feet for long periods of time and may have to lift or turn disabled patients, not to mention the many other day-to-day tasks of an ultrasound technician. The nature of this work can put sonographers at risk for musculoskeletal disorders such as carpel tunnel syndrome, neck and back strain, and eye strain: however, greater use of ergonomic equipment and an increasing awareness can minimize these risks.

Most full-time sonographers work about forty hours per week, but you might expect to work rotation shifts or work at night or on some weekends. Sometimes, sonographers are on call, which means that you must be on hand to report to work on short notice. But, you may learn that the salaries are worth this effort.

Employment of diagnostic medical sonographers is expected to increase by about nineteen percent through 2016, or faster than average for all occupations. Increasing the demand for diagnostic imaging and therapeutic technology is expected as the population ages. Therefore, an increased demand also raises expectations for a higher salary.

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, median annual earnings of diagnostic medical sonographers were $57,160 in May 2006. The middle fifty percent earned between $48,890 and $67,670 a year. The lowest 10 percent earned less than $40,960, and the highest 10 percent earned more than $77,520. Median annual earnings of diagnostic medical sonographers in May 2006 were $56,970 in offices of physicians and $56,850 in general medical and surgical hospitals.