Ultrasound uses sound waves to produce an image.
Ultrasound Technicians, also known as ultrasonographers or diagnostic medical sonographers, use high tech sound wave equipment to generate images of parts of the body. Physicians use these images to assist in the diagnosis of illness and disease. Students interested in an ultrasound technology career can choose from several programs varying in length and scope, with coursework that can be completed online. Clinical training is completed at a local medical facility.
Uses of Ultrasound Technology
Ultrasound technology uses sound waves to generate images for the assessment of a medical condition. Ultrasounds are used to locate kidney stones, monitor the growth of a fetus during pregnancy and collect images of the intestinal tract, lungs and heart.
Program Courses
Students in an online ultrasound technology program will take a combination of medical, administrative and technological classes such as anatomy, physiology, obstetrics and gynecology, patient care, physics, abdominal sonography, vascular sonography, medical terminology, health and society, ultrasound administration and patient care.
Delivery of Courses and Clinical Study
Coursework for online Ultrasound Technology programs is delivered in an online classroom environment using message boards, web conferencing, videos and email. The clinical portion of the program is completed at medical facilities in the student's local area.
Program Length
Ultrasound Technology programs can be completed as a nine-month or one-year certificate program, a two-year associate's degree, and a four-year Bachelor's degree. Options for programs vary by school, and all three options are available through online programs.
Certifications
After graduation from an Ultrasound Technology program, students are eligible to apply for the American Registry for Diagnostic Medical Sonography examinations in physics, the abdomen, obstetrics and gynecology, cardiovascular principles, vascular technology and echocardiography. Technicians who pass the examination will be registered diagnostic medical sonographers (RDMS).
Tags: Ultrasound Technology, diagnostic medical, diagnostic medical sonographers, generate images, medical sonographers
