CAREER SPOTLIGHT: DIAGNOSTIC MEDICAL SONOGRAPHY

Do you enjoy physics? Do you think medicine and dentistry are interesting? Are you an active listener who enjoys working with people?

If any of these things describe you, then Diagnostic Medical Sonography may be the career field that would make you tick.

What do you need to be a Diagnostic Medical Sonographer?

Education:  Required: Associate’s Degree or Post-secondary Certificate

If you are a high school student, make sure you are focused on taking sciences including physics and biology.

Skills:

Diagnostic Medical Sonographers know how to:

• Think critically
• Communicate with others
• Analyze test data or images to inform diagnosis or treatment

Is the field growing?

State and National Trends

United States	Employment		Percent Change	Projected Annual Job Openings 1
	2012	2022
Diagnostic Medical Sonographers	58,800	85,900	+46%	3,530
Alabama	Employment		Percent Change	Projected Annual Job Openings 1
	2012	2022
Diagnostic Medical Sonographers	1,130	1,630	+45%	70

Source: O*NET

What’s the Holland Code* for a Diagnostic Medical Sonographer?

Interest code: ISR- Investigative, Social and Realistic

• Investigative — Investigative occupations frequently involve working with ideas, and require an extensive amount of thinking. These occupations can involve searching for facts and figuring out problems mentally.
• Social — Social occupations frequently involve working with, communicating with, and teaching people. These occupations often involve helping or providing service to others.
• Realistic — Realistic occupations frequently involve work activities that include practical, hands-on problems and solutions. They often deal with plants, animals, and real-world materials like wood, tools, and machinery. Many of the occupations require working outside, and do not involve a lot of paperwork or working closely with others

Source: http://www.onetonline.org/link/summary/29-2032.00

If you are interested in learning more about Diagnostic Medical Sonography, check out:

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Would you want to be a Diagnostic Medical Sonographer? Why or why not?

*Holland Codes are a way to classify a person based on their skills and interests as well as jobs based on the nature of the work.  If you have an interest in knowing what your Holland Code is in order to match yourself to careers to pursue, you can read more about our assessment process.