Sonography is also used to monitor the progress of infants in utero.
Sonography is the use of sound to create an image. In a medical setting, sonography - in which very high-frequency sound waves are projected at a body part and their echoes read and translated into an image by an ultrasound machine - is used to gather information about the shape and density of internal organs and structures, such as muscles. Physicians consult these images as they attempt to diagnose ailments or check the efficacy of treatments. A diagnostic medical sonographer is the professional who operates ultrasound machinery. Pay levels for the occupation depend on the sonographer's location and employer.
Average Pay
With wage information from over 50,000 individual diagnostic medical sonographers, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics calculated that the average annual salary for the occupation was $63,640 as of May 2009. This means a monthly pay rate averaging $5,303, and income of $30.60 per hour. The bureau's figures roughly align with those published by PayScale.com in April 2011, which put the average sonographer salary at between $46,535 and $67,251, dependent on bonuses and profit-sharing. Sonographers are also likely to receive additional benefits, like paid vacation and health insurance coverage.
Pay by Location
The geographical location in which a diagnostic medical sonographer practices her profession will affect the pay she receives. Wage analysis website SalaryExpert.com surveyed salaries in some major cities and found that Boston, New York and Dallas had the best rates, averaging $101,700, $86,111 and $81,217, respectively. Orlando was listed at just $60,076. The Bureau of Labor Statistics listed Massachusetts and Oregon as lucrative states for the profession, with average salaries across all industry sectors of $78,460 and $78,320, respectively. In contrast, Alabama was listed at $50,320.
Pay by Industry
The bureau found that the majority of diagnostic medical sonographers working in the United States were employed by general medical and surgical hospitals or the private offices of physicians. It listed the average salaries within these sectors of the health-care industry as $63,770 and $63,820, respectively. Outpatient care centers offered slightly more - $64,560 - while medical and diagnostic laboratories were listed at a lower average, at $61,820.
Prospects
The Bureau of Labor Statistics expects job opportunities for diagnostic medical sonographers to increase by around 18 percent through 2018. With projections across all occupations not expected to exceed growth of 13 percent, this signifies a bright future for practitioners, with salary levels remaining competitive. The primary motivations for the increase are likely to be a general expansion of the health-care sector to meet the demands of a growing, aging population, and the cost-effectiveness of sonography as a diagnostic tool.
Tags: diagnostic medical, Bureau Labor, Bureau Labor Statistics, diagnostic medical sonographers, Labor Statistics