Sonographic technology is best known as a non-invasive way to chart the development of a fetus in the womb. Other applications use high-frequency cyclic sound pressure, and D.C.-based sonographers can specialize in one of several diagnostic disciplines. Abdominal sonographers examine the abdominal category and its organs, while neurosonographers focus on the brain and the nervous system. Ultrasound techniques also help facilitate plastic surgery, such as liposuction. Animal research uses sonographic equipment to detect movements of animals that can hear high frequencies, such as bats and porpoises.
Sonographers receive training through hospitals, the U.S. military, vocational-technical schools and universities that offer two- and four-year programs, as well as certification. At universities, classes usually make up part a health sciences degree, with coursework that includes physiology, physics, patient care, anatomy, instrumentation and medical ethics.
George Washington University offers a bachelor's degree in sonography, as well as a two-year certificate program, with a March 1 admissions deadline. The Sanford Brown and Everest Institutes, both in Maryland, offer associate degrees in sonography. Mountain State University allows students to take courses online from any location. Formal degree programs allow students to apply for national certification by the American Registry for Diagnostic Medical Sonography; some employers only accept certified candidates, according to the labor bureau.
The labor bureau reports that about 50,000 ultrasound technicians or diagnostic medical sonographers jobs existed in 2008, and predicts that the employment rate will increase "by about 18 percent through 2018." Slightly more than half of sonographers work in hospitals; the rest have jobs in diagnostic labs, medical offices and outpatient care centers. Sonographers typically work 40 hours per week, with good insurance plans, and earned a median annual wage of about $61,000 in 2008.