Archive for the ‘Work as an Ultrasound Technician’ Category

Being an ultrasound technician is truly an amazing job. I am really into my job and can honestly say I really enjoy my work. I assist doctors in diagnosing and treating medical sickness. I am usually a communicator between the doctors and the patients. We ultrasound technicians need to have very good communication skills as we will have to explain many technical terms and processes to the patients in a way they can easily understand. As an ultrasound technician it is necessary for us to be regularly updated as technology continually changes and updates. This is a rapidly growing field and I’m thrilled to know that many students are keen to make it their career. To assist them in their decision I am happy to provide my review on being an ultrasound technician. Hopefully this article will help you to learn something about being an ultrasound technician – otherwise known as a diagnostic medical sonographer.

I have worked with many health care technicians who were much older than I am and questioned them why didn’t they enhance their study and look for a better paying job. Some of them said they get self satisfaction helping the sick and elderly, while many said they couldn’t upgrade because of their family commitments and the upgrading courses – like nursing-  are lengthy and they could not afford the time.  They somehow made their point but I felt they did not browse or research the available options before deciding not to advance their career. They could have still found some time-flexible diplomas which would result in them being paid a better salary than they are on now.

Working as an ultrasound technician offers you a  better financial position than many other office or clerical jobs which will consequently help you to be more economically stable in life. The salary you’ll receive in this job usually varies in from state to state.  The ultrasound technician job is almost recession proof – despite government spending cuts, people who are sick have to be looked after. To be an ultrasound technician, first of all you need to spend a significant investment of money and time to get your qualification.  But after you are done with the course you will usually be paid a fairly handsome salary, which means it more or less levels out after a short while. Even if you can’t afford the tuition fees you can usually look for some scholarship opportunities in the school.

Although I’m mostly positive about my job, there are obviously some drawbacks –  just like any other job.  This job needs the person to be calm and cool, as you have to deal with different types of people all day long and some of them can be real grumpy and really unreasonable – probably due to stress and anxiety over their condition.  If you take it personally, one of those cranky people could really ruin your day, so you need to be really level headed and professional. Ultrasound technicians also need to deal with people of different blood groups and being around blood is not out of the question.  If you’re someone who faints at the sight of blood, you may want to reconsider your career choice. Being on your feet for a long time is a part of this job that is why an ultrasound technician needs to be quite strong and physically fit and healthy. Sometimes you may also be asked to sacrifice your holidays and might have to compromise family commitments since it may be necessary to work on call.  I know for sure this job has it’s own difficulties – but hey, doesn’t every job?

How Was I Inspired to Become an Ultrasound Technician?

There were many things that inspired me to be an ultrasound technician. But some factors – like a good salary and dealing with many different people regularly – really helped me to choose this field as my desired career. The fact that no two days are similar in this job also encouraged me to go down this path. Above all there is an incident that really made me strive to choose ultrasound technology as my career. This story goes like this.

My aunt was pregnant at the time and she wanted to know if her first baby was a girl or a boy. So she went to her regular doctor for a checkup and also so an ultrasound. The doctor had hired an ultrasound technician. The technician was not particularly friendly and she did all the ultrasound procedure in a hurry. That technician even debated with my aunt on the topic that she should not wish to find if the baby was a boy or a girl before it came to the world. My grandfather had been there in the clinic with her and he asked the technician if the baby was a boy or a girl and the technician replied in an off -hand way “… it looks as if it is a girl…” as she left the consulting room. My aunt and my grandfather were not sure whether to believe the ultrasound technician as she really hadn’t been very friendly or confidence building. They then showed the report to the doctor –  who said the baby could be a boy. By this time they were both really confused, annoyed and frustrated, not to mention disappointed since they still didn’t know whether the baby was a boy or a girl. They eagerly wanted to know what sex the baby was as my aunt was planning to start shopping accordingly. My  aunt was getting restless so my grandfather suggested she get another ultrasound and find out if the baby was a boy or a girl. This time my granny accompanied my aunt to the ultrasound. Not surprisingly, they went in a different place this time for the ultrasound. The ultrasound technician there was really calm and helpful. She took a lot of time and made sure that everything was checked out thoroughly. The ultrasound examination at this second location was highly detailed and even a video was recorded. The technician was sure the baby was a girl. She was even able to tell my  aunt and granny that the baby was in good health. So naturally, they were all happy and satisfied with the outcome. When I heard this story from my aunt, I was really inspired by that ultrasound technician and wanted to be one just like her. I am an ultrasound technician now and I am really satisfied with my job.

My work day usually starts at 8 AM and I start preparing for the first round of patients by getting the machine ready and preparing all of the necessary paperwork. After that I call in the patients and start working with their pregnancy one by one. Most of my patients want to know if their baby is a boy or a girl – it is just the way these days! After I have completed a thorough examination on a patient I make notes about the patient’s examination on the basis of the video and the report is documented so that the doctor can see it and interpret the results to report to the patient. After that I work with another patient and so my day goes on until I am done for the day.

In a nutshell, I really like my job and am satisfied with the benefits it offers. Yes of course this job comes with some difficulties, but if you take those as the challenges and try to solve them with dedication and hard work you will ultimately succeed. I get a real sense of satisfaction to examine and diagnose the condition of internal organs of the human body. I enjoy seeing the happiness in the eyes of pregnant mothers when I tell them they baby is healthy and looks so beautiful.