All About Sonography Career, Salary, Jobs in New York
Sonographer is short for "Diagnostic Medical Sonographer". A sonographer's job is use imagining equipment that directs high frequency sound waves into the patient's body to render visual images of organs, tissues and blood flow. This is known as Sonography or Ultrasonography. Other job tasks include analyzing the images to check for quality and adequacy, recognize the difference between normal and abnormal images, record findings, and being able to lift a 150 pounds from onto an examine table.
Salary and Education
The median pay for a sonographer is $75,660 per year (source: https://sonographersalarydata.com). It has an expected growth rate of 34% between the years 2015 and 2020. If you want to become a ultrasonographer, please carefully read over the requirements:
Colleges and Universities offer an associate's and bachelor's degree in sonography. There is also a ultrasonography program available for students who have already obtained a bachelor's or associate's degree. The common prerequisites for ultrasonography education are the following: two semesters of Anatomy and Physiology, College Algebra or a higher math level, two semester of a science such as physics, chemistry or biology, and one semester of English Composition. Most programs require students to have a 2.5 GPA. Now that you have decided to pursue a career as a sonographer, you will have to pick a program. Most major cites such as Chicago and NY have a sonography program.
Chicago
The Chicago region employs about 1,160 medical ultrasonographers. The median annual salary for Chicago sonographer is $91,220. There are a few local institutions that offer a program. One of them is Triton College. This college offers a Diagnostic Medical Sonography Certificate for people already certified by American Registry of Radiologic Technologists. The program lasts three semesters and costs $3,100 a year for in-district residents, $7,600 a year with in-state residents, $9,400 per year for non-Illinois residents. The courses included areultrasound physics, diagnostic sonography and ultrasound film evaluation. Triton College also has a Medical Ultrasonography Associate Degree Program. Some of the courses include medical terminology, ultrasound imagery, cross-sectional anatomy and allied health ethics. You will also practice using ultrasound techniques and equipment. The tuition is the same as the certificate program.
New York
The New York metropolitan area employs 2,380 sonographers. The average annual income for ultrasonographer in NY City is $73,440. Sanford Brown in city of NY offers a Certificate Program in Diagnostic Medical Sonography. The curriculum includes an on-campus lecture component, on-campus imagining laboratory and an off-campus clinical component. Students will study anatomy, physiology and pathophysiology of scanned organ systems, be able to recognize the sonographic patterns of the organs, learn the protocols for a logical and thorough survey of organs, and be able provide accurate and technical impressions to the interpreting physician. The tuition and fees are $19,000 a year.
What is the best city for sonography specialists?
In conclusion, when deciding whether to choose a program in NY and Chicago, you have to decide which city fits your needs. Both cities offer a distinct culture. The Empire State has the first run Broadway shows, the first pick at the newest fashion and trends. Chicago is not that far behind. When it comes to employment opportunities NY has .46 employment per thousand jobs ratio and Chicago has a .34 ratio. However, there is more competition in NY. The cost of living is more and the pay is less. It is 36% cheaper to live in Chicago.