Ultrasound Technologist

An ultrasound technologist, or diagnostic medical sonographer, is a healthcare provider who uses ultrasound technology to create images of the inside of your body. Medical sonographers work closely with physicians to diagnose and monitor many medical conditions. They’re sometimes called ultrasound technicians.

What does an ultrasound technologist do?

Ultrasound technologists specialize in creating images called ultrasounds or sonograms. Sonography uses sound waves to produce images of your body’s organs and tissues. A sonographer scans parts of your body with a wand called a transducer. The transducer sends out pulses of sound that bounce back, causing echoes. The echoes form an image of the inside of your body on the sonographer’s computer screen.

Ultrasound technologists have many other responsibilities, like:

• Preparing the exam room and taking care of the imaging equipment
• Preparing you for your ultrasound by explaining what’s going to happen and answering any questions you have
• Getting you set up in the correct position for imaging
• Reviewing the images to make sure they’re clear and complete
• Looking at the imaging results and providing a summary to your radiologist

Types of diagnostic medical sonographers

Diagnostic medical sonographers can specialize in specific parts of your body. The different types of medical sonographers include:

• General/Abdominal sonographer: Takes images of your abdominal cavity and surrounding organs. These include your liver, kidney, pancreas and gallbladder. They may help during biopsies that need ultrasound guidance.
• Breast sonographer: Takes images of your breast tissue. They look for and confirm tumors or cysts that your healthcare provider may have found during a mammogram or breast MRI.
• Neurosonographer: Takes images of your brain, spinal cord and carotid arteries. They examine the area using an ultrasound transducer and a transcranial Doppler.
• Cardiac sonographer (echocardiographer): Takes images of your heart and its chambers, valves and vessels.
• Musculoskeletal sonographer: Takes images of muscles, joints and ligaments, tendons and nerves. They also help with ultrasound guidance during surgical treatments or for injections.
• Pediatric sonographer: Takes ultrasound images of infants, children and adolescents. They use ultrasound technology to image organs, blood vessels and soft tissues to help diagnose medical conditions.
• Obstetric and gynecologic sonographer: Takes images of the female reproductive system. They often take sonograms during pregnancy.
• Vascular technologist: Takes images of your blood vessels, including your veins and arteries. They also take images that help healthcare providers diagnose diseases that affect blood flow.