You've probably seen television shows where an expectant mom is at the
hospital, viewing an image of her unborn baby on a monitor. The medical professional
using the ultrasound is a diagnostic medical sonographer.
Ultrasound consists of high-frequency sound waves. It's like radar or sonar
that bounces back images of internal organs. It's used to help diagnose a
variety of conditions.
Anibal Perez recalls the time he was called to perform an ultrasound on
a 103-year-old man who was scheduled for a cardiovascular treatment. The man
was to be given an anti-coagulant to thin the blood.
"I did a scan," says Perez. "I discovered that the man had a clot -- a
calcium deposit. If the anti-coagulant was used as planned, it would have
caused the clot to come loose. The man may not have survived the treatment.
Because of my scan, I possibly added another two or three years to the man's
life."
Perez graduated from the diagnostic medical sonography program at the National
School of Technology in Hileah, Florida. He's worked in a variety of settings,
including mobile clinics, hospitals and private medical offices. He now teaches
at the program from which he graduated. His job is full time, but he also
works part time as a sonographer for a mobile clinic.
"I love my work," he says. "The thing that I like about ultrasound is that
it's not invasive. There are no potentially harmful side-effects, like in
radiology. There are no needles to give -- no discomfort to the patient at
all. It's really an excellent technology. And I like working with people all
day. This is a job for a people person!"
Nadine Terziani enjoys the surprise and exploration of ultrasound. "You
never know what you are going to discover when you run a scan. We're almost
like peeping Toms. We never know what we might find when we put the probe
down. Sometimes we watch a baby as it tries to put its thumb in its mouth,
or if it's a twin pregnancy, we can watch them as they interact or bump one
another. Sometimes we're the first one to find a twin pregnancy, and that's
exciting."
After completing two years of training to become an X-ray technologist,
Terziani completed a one-year ultrasound training program. "I was always interested
in the human body and how it works. And I enjoy working with people.
"Ultrasound is in demand," she says. "We can be booked at 45-minute intervals
all day. Sometimes there are no-shows and we get a break. We need pictures
that will realistically be able to show the physician what is there. There
are lots of technical challenges to getting good pictures." Once taken, pictures
can be printed to various media -- film, paper, video or digital.
Janet Roe is a supervisor, so her typical day is a little different than
that of a staff sonographer. "Most [sonographers] don't have much control
over how their day goes," she says. "The client load controls the day. We
have to be flexible. Sometimes patients turn up unexpectedly and need a study
done right away.
"Each exam takes about 30 minutes. We talk to the patient while we're doing
the exam. Sometimes the patient will open up and tell us their concerns and
worries while we're doing the scan. We can give a little encouragement. It's
rewarding when that happens."
Roe is the clinical chief sonographer at the University of Iowa Hospital.
She got her start in radiologic technology, but then moved to ultrasound.
"You don't find the chance to do that much anymore. The field has advanced
too much technically!"
Sonography offers responsibility and lots of challenges. "Sonographers
play a greater role in diagnosing disease," says Roe. "Physicians place a
lot of confidence in sonography and in our opinions. I also thought it was
rewarding to interact with patients and to produce images of the inside of
their bodies."
Diagnostic medical sonography is a busy, demanding career.
For anyone considering a career as a sonographer, Perez offers this advice:
"Don't waste any time. It's a very good time to get into ultrasound. There
are many new, exciting things happening. But don't plan on stopping studying
anytime soon!"