Are you daunted by the college education required with becoming an ultrasound technician or a medical sonographer? Depending upon your career desires, you may discover that your degree requirements are no heavier than any other degree required by a specialty program. While most ultrasound clinical programs require the completion of an associate or bachelor degree before acceptance, you may learn that you do not need a four-year degree to open the door to a career in your chosen profession.

Your investment in a college education may have a strong impact on your salary upon graduation. While high school graduates with no college education collect an average weekly salary of $583, that figure jumps nearly fifteen percent to $670 for associate degree holders. Many students enroll at two-year colleges for an associate degree, and this choice often is based upon friendly tuition rates and the ability to further an education down the road. Current average public two-year college tuition comes to a little over $2,000, or roughly equal to the average individual tax refund, according to the IRS.

In comparison, a public four-year college asks for nearly $5,500 annual tuition and private four-year university annual tuition can top $21,000. Fortunately, your choice of becoming an ultrasound technician or diagnostic medical sonographer (DMS) can help. Many community colleges offer associate degrees in diagnostic medical sonography, and some employers prefer candidates registered through the American Registry for Diagnostic Medical Sonography (ARDMS).

Through ARDMS, you can learn more about the credentials you need for your career and the examinations you’ll need to take to achieve that goal. You can learn that the least demanding prerequisite is a single two-year allied health education program that is patient-care related. Allied health occupations include, but are not limited to, diagnostic medical sonographer, technologist, respiratory, occupational or physical therapist and registered nurse. In addition, the ARDMS asks for twelve months of full-time clinical ultrasound/vascular experience. If you use your DMS program for the educational requirement, you still have to document an additional twelve months of clinical ultrasound/vascular experience earned outside the two-year program.

On the other hand, you can graduate from a program accredited by an agency recognized by the Council for Higher Education Accreditation (CHEA), United States Department of Education (USDOE) or Canadian Medical Association (CMA), that specifically conducts programmatic accreditation for diagnostic medical sonography/ diagnostic cardiac sonography/vascular technology. In this case, no additional experience is required.

Once you begin your career with these minimum prerequisites, you always can go on to obtain a higher degree later. The most that the ARDMS requires from their candidates is a bachelor’s degree (any major) or foreign degree equivalent to a bachelor’s degree in the U.S. or Canada, along with twelve months of full-time clinical ultrasound/vascular experience.

So, what are you waiting for? The sooner you begin your educational career, the sooner you can gain employment as an ultrasound technician. It’s up to you to blaze your path to a high-paying job in this field.