Why You Should Become a Medical Sonographer - CareerAlley

Why You Should Become a Medical Sonographer - CareerAlley We may receive compensation when you click on links to products from our partners. If youve looked for a job in the last few years you may have noticed a trend: healthcare career openings are abundant in almost every city across the country. The population is aging and the need for qualified medical professionals of all sorts is growing, from medical technicians to surgeons. Go where the jobs are One area of focus thats seeing tremendous growth is that of the diagnostic medical sonographer. The Bureau of Labor Statistics lists the job growth for this career at 44% over the next decade almost 3 times the nation wide average. That high demand means several things: There are tons of jobs available. Because of the lack of qualified medical sonographers in the job force, hospitals and medical facilities large and small have postings for this position. The pay is rising quickly. As goes the basic laws of supply and demand, there arent enough people filling this role. Companies are offering strong starting salaries for medical sonographers. The prerequisites are low. Most jobs that offer this level of pay require at least a Bachelors degree. Medical sonographers are only required to obtain an Associates degree, which means that you can land a role in this field without spending 4 years in school and without graduating with staggering student loan debt. The perks are great. As a result of the high demand for this role, many medical facilities are offering tuition reimbursement and even loan forgiveness. That means that you can likely find a high paying job without worrying about student loans for the next 10 years. So what do diagnostic medical sonographers do? Medical sonographers work in a clinical setting, and most work in hospitals. They use medical equipment like ultrasounds, EKGs, and sonograms to diagnose and investigate potential health issues in patients. Doctors typically order the procedures, sonographers perform the imaging, and results are forwarded to the referring physician. It can be an exciting career and unlike many other clinicians medical sonographers usually arent required to work overnight. Most work at an hourly rate and are even eligible for overtime as a result. What do medical sonographers earn? Lets talk dollars and cents: medical sonographers do pretty well. Average starting salaries for this position range from $24 to $28 per hour, depending on the area of the country and cost of living in the city youre working in. This equates to an average starting salary of about $52,000 per year. Median salaries with a few years of experience are even higher, at around $64,000 per year. Considering that only an Associates degree is required, that makes medical sonography one of the highest paying Associates degrees in America for 2013. Discover medical sonography If you think this position might be right for you, take some time to research this role on the web or meet with a student advisor at your local community college. Youll find that medical sonography is a great position with a strong career outlook for 2013 and beyond. Author CitationLisa Fox is a researcher for Degrees That Pay, a site that focuses on career and degree information for college students. This is a Guest post. If you would like to submit a guest post to CareerAlley, please follow these guest post guidelines. Good luck in your search. Visit me on Facebook