Healthcare practitioners
Diagnostic medical sonographer
Produce ultrasonic recordings of internal organs for use by physicians. Includes vascular technologists.
Median pay
$96,590
Growth to 2035
+14%
faster than average
Openings a year
6,000
Time to qualify*
17 months
* From a bachelor's degree in an unrelated field.
Pay
Diagnostic medical sonographer
Getting in
- Typical entry education
- Associate's degree
- On-the-job training
- None
- Prior experience
- None
- Required
- ARDMS or CCI credential (most employers)
What the work is like
Dealing with the public
Unpleasant or angry people
Time pressure
Cost of a mistake
Freedom to make decisions
Repeating the same tasks
Time sitting
Time standing
Hazardous conditions
Exposure to disease
Diagnostic medical sonographer: 3% usually work over 40 hours a week
Core tasks
- Observe screen during scan to ensure that image produced is satisfactory for diagnostic purposes, making adjustments to equipment as required.
- Decide which images to include, looking for differences between healthy and pathological areas.
- Operate ultrasound equipment to produce and record images of the motion, shape, and composition of blood, organs, tissues, or bodily masses, such as fluid accumulations.
- Observe and care for patients throughout examinations to ensure their safety and comfort.
- Provide sonogram and oral or written summary of technical findings to physician for use in medical diagnosis.
- Select appropriate equipment settings and adjust patient positions to obtain the best sites and angles.
- Determine whether scope of exam should be extended, based on findings.
- Obtain and record accurate patient history, including prior test results or information from physical examinations.
Also called: Cardiovascular Sonographer · Echo Tech (Echocardiographic Technician) · Echosonographer Technologist (Echo Technologist) · Medical Sonographer · RDMS (Registered Diagnostic Medical Sonographer) · Registered Diagnostic Cardiac Sonographer · RVT (Registered Vascular Technologist) · Staff Sonographer
Outlook and AI
Diagnostic medical sonographers held 92,200 jobs in 2025. BLS projects 105,100 by 2035 (+14%, faster than average; all jobs: +3.5%).
Demand change - share increases as ultrasound technology is increasingly used in patient care across a broad range of clinical specialties, resulting in increased demand for sonographers.
Compare with
- Diagnostic medical sonographer vs. Radiologic technologist
- Diagnostic medical sonographer vs. Cardiovascular technologists and technicians
- Diagnostic medical sonographer vs. Health technologists and technicians, all other
- Diagnostic medical sonographer vs. Radiation therapist
- Diagnostic medical sonographer vs. Magnetic resonance imaging technologist
- Diagnostic medical sonographer vs. Healthcare support workers, all other
- Diagnostic medical sonographer vs. Surgical technologist
- Diagnostic medical sonographer vs. Nuclear medicine technologist
- Diagnostic medical sonographer vs. Surgical assistant