How Much Does an Ultrasound Tech Expert Get Paid

Do you want to become an Ultrasound Technician and you want to know how much they get paid? Right here, you will get all the details regarding this information. How much does an Ultrasound Tech Expert Get Paid? Who are ultrasound tech experts? What are their major roles in the medical world? Read further to get full information regarding these.

How Much Does an Ultrasound Tech Expert Get Paid

How Much Does an Ultrasound Tech Expert Get Paid

Ultrasound Technicians are also called diagnostic medical sonographers. With sound wave technology, these professionals capture images of the Human anatomy using sound waves.

Sound wave technology is a better option for pregnant women as well as people suffering from heart conditions and other ailments.

Want to get into this field? It is very important to know what your salary expectation should be. For that reason, we have come up with accurate information on the salaries of these experts in their various specialties.

Ultrasound Tech Jobs

According to the bureau of labor statistics, a 14% growth rate is expected for diagnostic medical sonographers between 2018 and 2028. This is pretty outrageous compared to the percentage growth of all jobs put together.

As the population begins to increase, the techniques for doing diagnoses become very important. This is one of the reasons why the percentage growth is very high.

What Does an Ultrasound Technician Do?

An Ultrasound Technician uses some special equipment to examine the parts of the human body including the abdomen, reproductive system, prostate, heart, and blood vessels.

These professionals help doctors and other medical practitioners detect heart disease, vascular diseases, pregnancy, and so on.

What Is the Starting Salary for An Ultrasound Tech?

The best way to start up this discussion is to start from their starting salary. The average starting salary for a sonographer can be up to $59,000 or $25.86 per hour.  This can differ according to different factors.

These factors include whether the tech personnel has obtained an associate’s or a bachelor’s degree in medical sonography.

Ultrasound Technician Salary

As stated by Indeed, the average annual salary of an ultrasound technician is $1,517 per week or $78,884 per year. On the other hand, these technicians can make about $400 per week and even $20,000 per year.

However, some of the highest-paid technicians in the world make about $3,200 per week and about $166,400 per year.

Some of the factors affecting the salary of Ultrasound Technicians are;

  • Experience
  • Certification
  • Education and training
  • Type of facilities such as a hospital or diagnostic center
  • Location

With these factors in your favor, you will surely earn more than the majority of Ultrasound technicians in the world.

How Much Do Ultrasound Techs Make an Hour

According to statements made by various statistics, Ultrasound Techs make between $25 – $38 per hour. As stated before, the salary of these experts varies according to various factors which have already been listed above.

How Does Experience Affect Your Pay?

The more experience you have in the field, the higher your income you should expect or get. Your salary as a technician depends on your location, your facility, and your certifications. It also depends on the areas you specialize in.

Here are some of the highest paying specialties for an ultrasound technician, listed in no particular order.

  • Vascular sonography
  • Cardiac sonography
  • Pediatric cardiac sonography
  • Neuro sonography
  • OB/GYN sonography

How Does Location Affect Your Pay?

If you are working in a diagnostic center, you are most probably having one of the highest wages as an Ultrasound technician. This factor also depends on other factors like the standard of living and the type of business.

Here are some of the highest paying states for Ultrasound technicians in the United States of America;

  • Hawaii: $94,620
  • Alaska: $88,972
  • Washington, D.C.: $83,265
  • Washington state: $79,404
  • California: $77,064

What Other Factors Affect Ultrasound Tech Salary?

The salaries of Ultrasound Technicians are not the same all over the world. The factors affecting the income of these professionals are numerous but we have listed a few of them below;

  • Work experience
  • State of employment
  • Your city of employment
  • Qualifications
  • Country of employment and currency.

With all these factors considered, it makes sense, the reason why different Ultrasound Technician with the same qualifications earns different amounts of money.

Travel Ultrasound Tech Salary

Just as stated before, there are different aspects and specifications to this particular career. One of them is the Travel Ultrasound Tech. these experts work in different health care facilities using sonographic techniques to aid in testing patients.

At the time of writing this article, the average annual salary of a Travel Ultrasound Technician in the United States of America is about $104,298 in a year.

Requirements To Become an Ultrasound Technician

There are various requirements needed or required to be a master in this field. The notes below explain them all;

Education

To get into entry-level positions for ultrasound technicians, you will require at least an associate’s degree. All diagnostic medical sonographers possess an associate’s or at least a bachelor’s degree from a certified institution.

The certifying body for these technicians is the Commission on Accreditation of Allied Health Education Programs. If you want to change careers or gain some extra skills, there are one-year certificate programs available. Some students take courses in physical and biological science, patient care, medical imaging, and so on.

Clinical work

Another aspect of training is required to get a license in this field. Clinical hours are a major requirement of sonography programs. As a student, you are required to complete 960 hours of training or the equivalent of holding a full-time job for at least six months.

These hours are an essential part of the educational process that allows students to gain experience and use the skills that they have learned in the classroom. These clinical can come in the form of internships and externships with clinical affiliates.

Certification exam

This is becoming more compulsory as the days go by. This is because many employers prefer and even require it. To be certified, candidates must meet the minimum educational and training requirements before taking the certification examination.

There are three major certifying bodies;

  • American Registry for Diagnostic Medical Sonography
  • American Registry of Radiologic Technologists
  • Cardiovascular Credentialing International

These are the major requirements needed to become a certified and professional Ultrasound Technician.

Helpful Skills for Ultrasound Techs

Certification is not the only requirement. To become a successful, and skillful Ultrasound technician, you must possess the following skills;

  • Active listening
  • Continual learning
  • Communication and interpersonal skills
  • Critical thinking
  • Patience and empathy
  • Confidence

These are some of the major skills required to become an Ultrasound Technician.

How To Become an Ultrasound Technician

Although, this is not the major focus of this discussion and we have taken about it in the requirements section. We deem it important to let you know the various steps to take to become an Ultrasound Technician. These steps below summarize the whole process;

  • Get a high school or GED diploma.
  • Get an associate degree in sonography from a program that is accredited by the Commission on Accreditation of Allied Health Education Programs.
  • Get licensed if it is mandated by your state
  • Take an ultrasound technician certification examination

These are the major steps to take if you want to become a professional Ultrasound Technician.

Frequently Asked Questions

Which Facilities Pay Their Sonographers the Most?

The top facilities that pay Sonographers are;

  • Outpatient Care Centers: $109,670.
  • Management of Companies and Enterprises: $99,640.
  • Colleges and Universities: $84,330.
  • Offices of Health Practitioners: $91,260.
  • Specialty Hospitals: $85,980.

What Are Top 5 Highest Paying Cities for Ultrasound Jobs

The top five highest paying cities for Ultrasound Technicians are;

  • Salinas, California – $126,850 a year
  • Sacramento, California – $118,880 a year
  • San Francisco, California – $115,280 a year
  • Vallejo, California – $115,190 a year
  • Santa Cruz, California – $110,530 a year

What Are Top 5 Best Paying Related Ultrasound Jobs in the U.S?

The top five highest paying specialties for Ultrasound Tech are;

  • Neuro (brain) sonography: $112,000
  • Pediatric cardiac sonography: $80,000
  • Cardiac sonography: $79,000
  • Vascular sonography: $68,000
  • Ob/GYN sonography: $68,000

How Long Does It Take to Become an Ultrasound Tech

The minimum amount of time required to become an Ultrasound Tech Expert is 2 years. If you want to become more certified in the field, you could spend some more time. 

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