About
The Cardiac Sonographer, also called an Echocardiographer or Cardiac Ultrasound technologist, specializes in the anatomy and workings of the heart. These trained professionals use ultrasound equipment to assess the heart's anatomy and blood vessels.
Cardiac sonographer is a medical profession of sonographers that specializes in the anatomy and function of the heart aka cardiac.
Cardiac sonographers need considerable knowledge of human anatomy and physiology, advanced clinical training, excellent interpersonal and written communication skills, advanced analytical abilities, and significant understanding of cardiac sonography equipment.
References
Fast Facts
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EDUCATION
It is a technical job that has traditionally required an Associates degree in Echo and passing a National Registry exam, but often is requiring a Bachelors degree as the field advances. Much like how a general sonographer would use sonography (ultrasound) to view a fetus inside a pregnant woman, cardiac sonographers use the same technology to examine and evaluate the heart: chamber sizes, arrangement of the parts, muscle function, valve function and blood flow.
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SCOPE
Cardiac sonographers typically do not make diagnoses, but rather report all that they find to a cardiologist for further analysis. Salaries range from $20 to $50 an hour.
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CURRENT TREND
Ultrasound and Sonography Technicians Median wages (2005) $54,370 annually
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Job nature
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.
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Fact:
Look for a job in a variety of different locations including hospitals, outpatient medical clinics, doctors' offices, commercial corporations, and public health facilities, in addition to pursuing careers in education and training, administration and research.
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EDUCATION
Complete at minimum a two-year community college or technical school program in cardiovascular technology or diagnostic medical sonography. Students must successfully finish a program consisting of at least 12 months of full-time echocardiography education with competency-based academic and laboratory experience. Hands-on imaging time is a necessity. The curriculum must also offer a supervised clinical internship of at least six months.
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Fact:
Students looking to train for a career in cardiac sonography have a number of options available to them. Those who aren't sure where to go next should check with the guidance department at their current institutions or call one of the schools that currently offer cardiac sonography courses.
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OTHER INFO
Students looking to train for a career in cardiac sonography have a number of options available to them. Those who aren't sure where to go next should check with the guidance department at their current institutions or call one of the schools that currently offer cardiac sonography courses.
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Fact:
Cardiac sonographers and physicians work as a team during the echo procedure to accurately integrate data for optimal diagnoses.
