A sonographer is an Allied Health professional who specialises in taking ultrasound images of the human body. They may also be called ultrasound technicians.

How does an ultrasound work?

The sonographer uses a device called a transducer. The transducer transmits sound waves into the body. This enables ultrasound images to be produced.

Sonographers have a lot of patient contact. They explain to a patient about the procedure and what is going to take place. They also take a patient history and use the ultrasound equipment. It is the responsibility of the sonographer to obtain the best images possible in order to avoid a misdiagnosis. Once they have taken the relevant image, they process it and analyse the findings. Their findings are then given to the radiologist.

The sonographer will liaise with a radiologist in order to arrive at a diagnosis, but it is up to the radiologist to prepare a written report regarding the findings.

Sonographers may also schedule patients, be involved in record keeping and archive the computerised images.

One of the most common ultrasound procedures is taking an image of a baby in the womb. From this image you can usually tell if the baby is a boy or a girl. A lot of parents want to know the sex of their baby before it is born, making this a standard procedure for a sonographer to perform.

Sonographers can specialise in obstetrics, vascular sonography, musculoskeletal sonography (the field of sports medicine), abdominal sonography and echocardiography.

Since technology is changing all the time, a sonographer needs to be comfortable using computers. Sonographers can specialise in the education field, research, or work in clinical leadership or corporate management roles. They can also work in hospitals or private clinics.

How do you become a sonographer?

If you are already a radiographer, you can specialise in sonography. It is possible to undertake a postgraduate degree (such as Master of Sonography) after you have qualified as a radiographer.

To qualify as a radiographer, you need to undertake a full time degree in medical imaging. Once you have graduated, you can then go on to complete your master’s degree in sonography.

Otherwise, you will need to complete a full time, four year degree course at university. The Bachelor of Medical Sonography and Graduate Diploma of Medical Sonography is available at the CQ University in Queensland, starting from 2011. The undergraduate degree takes three years to complete, and the graduate diploma one year. Once you have completed both courses, you will be a fully qualified sonographer.

Once you have graduated, you will be able to apply to the Australasian Sonographer Accreditation Registry Ltd (ASAR) for membership.

If you have a keen interest in science and like to help people, then a career as a sonographer may be a rewarding one for you. If you enjoy working as part of a team, have an eye for detail and like to keep up to date with advances in modern technology, you may find the sonographic field to be a very exciting one to work in.