Finding out about the diagnostic medical sonographer salary and other perks attached to it may be the final push you need to propel yourself into this lucrative career.
Also, as one who is coming across this job for the first time but has been looking to switch to a nice career in the medical field, the diagnostic medical sonographer and their take-home salary may be all you need to hear just to make that informed career decision.
Though the salary may differ according to the duration one has been in the business. For example, a diagnostic medical sonographer newbie with only classroom experience can never receive equal pay with a colleague with many years of experience under their belt. It is just unethical if we must say.
Similarly, salaries for this medical profession differ according to state and workplace. It may have an average threshold but will not be the same, meaning that your state of residence will play a role in your earnings. For curious minds and clarity, what exactly is diagnostic medical sonography?
Overview of diagnostic medical sonography
Diagnostic medical sonography, DMS for short, is a branch of the medical discipline focused on medical imaging. In layperson’s terms, medical imaging involves using technology to capture the insides of the human body through medical ultrasound.
This is done to view, locate, capture, and analyze the internal environment and check out the organs and tissues and their level of function.
It further helps the professional who already knows when there is normalcy to identify the ailing areas and abnormalities that can not be viewed physically. This mechanism also checks the bones and tendons to determine the extent of the problems.
So, diagnostic medical sonography is done by a professional called a diagnostic medical sonographer who is trained to diagnose and offer solutions in line with a doctor.
Types of diagnostic medical sonographers and their salaries?
Speaking generally, in the United States of America, sonographers’ wages are calculated in a percentile according to the United States Bureau of Labour Statistics. Annually, a sonographer in the 10th percentile earns an average pay of $61,430, while those in the 90th percentile take home about $107,730 at the end of the year.
Furthermore, like many other medical professions, diagnostic medical sonographers can pick a specialty and build their career there. Since there are many areas of the human body, a DMS can be a professional in any part of the body.
However, their salaries differ from specialty to specialty and can also be determined by their workplaces and state, as we already mentioned above. Below, we did a little compilation on the types of specialties in this profession and how much they go home with as their salaries.
Breast sonographers
These are specialists in taking internal images of the human breasts and their surrounding tissues. When a patient arrives for a test or has worries or symptoms regarding the breast, the breast sonographer must confirm a doctor’s report by examining the patient through imaging.
They look for tumors, lumps, cysts, or rogue cells. A breast sonographer in the United States of America earns about $92,000 on average yearly.
Cardiac sonographers
The specialists in this area take a detailed image of the heart, its chambers, vessels, and the surroundings.
They are trained to identify abnormalities with special equipment and work alongside doctors during diagnosis and treatments. These specialists make an average of $66,000 to 104,000 per annum.
Pediatrics sonographers
Pediatric sonographers are trained professionals in the imaging of babies and young kids. They work alongside children’s doctors to diagnose and treat them. A pediatric sonographer earns an average of $111,000 yearly.
Abdominal sonographers
The abdomen is another body part where a sonographer can specialize. Those specializing in this area are responsible for taking images of the organs housing within the abdominal cavity, like the stomach, liver, etc.
Vascular sonographers
Diagnostic medical sonographers specializing in vascular imaging take an internal image of the blood vessels like the arteries and veins, both the big and the small ones. They check for plagues that may have built up to obstruct the normal blood flow in these vessels around the body.
More so, through imaging, these specialists can decipher where there is a blood clot inside the body and, in all, become part of the treatment process. Vascular sonographers take home an average of $84,000 in a year.
Neuro sonographers
The human brain and the entire nervous system is the area of specialty for this set of sonographers. They check for the electrical and neuronal activities in the brain, including the brain cells and the connection that makes up the nervous system.
These specialists work closely with neurosurgeons to offer diagnoses and treatments. Neuro sonographers make an average of $100,000 per annum.
Gynecology sonographers
Gyne sonographers are also known as obstetric sonographers. They specialize in taking images of the internals of a pregnant mother and her developing fetus and checking for abnormal fetal development or malformation.
They help to find out if a fetus is growing with a deformity or not. The obstetrics sonographer makes an average of $91,000 yearly.
Diagnostic medical sonographer salary in Texas
Studies showed that Texas is among the top states in employment levels for diagnostic medical sonography.
As a matter of fact, Texas comes second after California, and the yearly mean salary for DMSs in Texas is an average of $78,440, while they can earn an hourly payment of $37.71.
Conclusion
As a qualified and licensed diagnostic medical sonographer, you must understand that you are in an in-demand profession, especially if you are in the United States of America.
Again, you deserve to know that your job services are required in various outlets, which means you can choose where to work or whom to work for.
Diagnostic medical sonographers work in hospitals with different settings like the Children’s and other specialist hospitals. As a DMS, you can work in schools like the university or colleges, care centers, with the government, or in companies.
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