South Carolina
offers two accredited diagnostic sonography training programs.
Two colleges in South Carolina offer training programs in medical diagnostic sonography accredited by the Commission of Allied Health Education Programs. Ultrasound sonography represents a form of medical imaging that observes organs, blood vessels and bones inside the body from the skin surface. Ultrasound energy waves propagate through the layers of a body, and the equipment records the echoes when the waves bounce on internal surfaces. From the echoes, the equipment reconstructs internal images. For instance, obstetrics sonography projects images of a fetus during pregnancy.
Greenville Technical College
Greenville Technical College, located in Greenville, S.C., offers a two-year associate degree in medical diagnostic sonography accredited by CAAHEP. The program provides a general training covering aspects of abdomen, obstetrical and gynecological imaging. The curriculum adds classes in soft skills, such as patient care, medical ethics and communications. Technical courses teach about ultrasound energy and medical equipment. High school students with good grades in biology, chemistry, mathematics and physics will perform best in this program. The school recommends having good computer skills.
Horry-Georgetown Technical College
Horry-Georgetown Technical College in Myrtle Beach, S.C., offers a certificate in sonography accredited by CAAHEP that prepares individuals for entry-level positions. The program focuses on critical thinking and problem-solving and forms proficiency in the art of diagnostic sonography. Students learn position the probes for optimal imaging and operate according to safety standards. Teaching about medical ethics is weaved into the curriculum.
Certification
Certification is not required to practice the job of a medical diagnostic sonographer. These two colleges ensure that their students can apply for certification, however, because employers tend to hire individuals who registered by taking the American Registry for Diagnostic Medical Sonography exam. This test evaluates knowledge with physics and instrumentation and is open to individuals who have an associate's or bachelor's degree in sonography or have gained equivalent work experience. Upon successfully passing the exam, sonographers receive the denomination of Registered Diagnostic Medical Sonographer. Continuing education hours are required to maintain this registration.
Employment
The Bureau of Labor Statistics reports that 50,300 ultrasound sonographers worked in the United States in 2008. More than half (59 percent) find jobs in hospitals and balance support activities in physicians' offices. BLS estimates a growth of 18 percent in this profession between 2008 and 2018 because of a shift in outpatient care driven by third-party payers and the drop in ultrasound equipment prices.
Salaries
BLS estimates that a medical diagnostic sonographer earned a median wage of $61,980 in 2008. Some of the highest incomes for this profession were above $83,950. Jobs in physicians' offices seem to pay slightly more.
Tags: diagnostic sonography, medical diagnostic, Technical College, sonography accredited, South Carolina
