The lowest educational requirement for sonographers is a certificate or diploma program in diagnostic medical sonography. However, these one-year programs--usually requiring no less than 30 credits--are usually attended by health care assistants to increase their marketability in the industry, not by people who seek full-fledged careers as sonographers. Moreover, certificates and diplomas in diagnostic medical sonography are not accredited by the Commission on Accreditation of Allied Health Education Programs (CAAHEP), which is a requirement for those who wish to gain credentials.
The associate's degree in diagnostic medical sonography is the most prevalent educational track for aspiring sonographers. Like certificate programs, associate's degrees can usually be obtained from community colleges or technical schools. Usually requiring twice as many credits as the certificate program--no less than 60 credits--the associate degree program usually comprises general education requirement courses in subject areas like mathematics, writing, and anatomy and physiology; and core courses in subject areas such as cardiovascular pathophysiology, physics, neurosonography, breast sonography, and cardiovascular sonography. There is also a clinical component to grant students hands-on experience in medical facilities.
The bachelor's degree is a more advanced educational level, and it is aimed at those who wish to enhance their skills in sonography and,s possibly, their earning potential. This degree takes twice as long to earn as the associate degree, offered at four-year colleges and universities. No less than 120 credits are required for completion.
Although the United States does not require licensure for ultrasound technicians/sonographers with degrees from CAAHEP-accredited programs, several professional organizations exist to provide certification, which usually denotes that the person has met certain standards in the profession or in certain specialty areas. The American Registry for Diagnostic Medical Sonography, perhaps the most popular of them all, certifies each person who passes its exam as a Registered Diagnostic Medical Sonographer, or RDMS.
As a sonographer, you can expect to be employed in places such as hospitals, physicians' offices, medical and diagnostic laboratories, outpatient care centers and educational institutions. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, there were about 52,000 of these professionals in the United States in 2009, making an average annual salary of $64,000. The BLS expects that number to increase by 18 percent between 2008 and 2018.