Biomedical Engineering Students Add Sonography Training

Sonography training uses a practical, hands-on approach to education. The programs consist of a mix of classes, laboratory work and clinical training. Adding a certificate or degree in sonography to current credentials is a good option for people who have already earned a degree in a healthcare discipline or science field. People trained in disciplines like radiology are seen as benefiting the most from adding sonography training, but biomedical engineering is also a good pairing.

What is Biomedical Engineering?

Biomedical engineering is a discipline which engineering principles are applied to health care and biology for diagnostic and therapeutic purposes. The purpose is to design and develop devices, equipment and systems to benefit patients in many ways.

The devices include prosthetics, robotics for surgery, kidney dialysis equipment, physical therapy devices and many others. However, biomedical engineers also developed state-of-the-art radiation therapy and medical imaging equipment. The imaging equipment category includes ultrasound equipment used by sonographers on a daily basis. It is biomedical engineering that produced devices like the portable ultrasound equipment.

Biomedical engineers, also called bioengineers, are expected to have a blend of knowledge encompassing equipment engineering and end applications. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, students earn a Bachelor’s Degree in Biomedical Engineering, or they get a bachelor’s degree in another engineering field and then earn one or more graduate degrees in biomedical engineering. Biomedical engineering students complete programs accredited by ABET, the acronym for Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology.

Bringing Biomedical Engineering and Sonography Training Together

Many of the biomedical programs include internships in order to give the biomedical engineering students experience with practical applications in a real world setting. It makes sense for biomedical engineers, interested in working on developing new ultrasound technology or adapting current technology to new applications, to also earn a certificate or degree in Diagnostic Medical Sonography.

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Biomedical engineering students in graduate programs focus on combining engineering principles and knowledge of medical diagnostics and therapeutics to produce new technologies. Sonography is similar in that it combines the use of sophisticated ultrasound technology with patient care principles to produce quality images for diagnostic and medical purposes.

However, sonography students attending CAAHEP accredited sonography programs will complete months of clinical training with real patients. The sonography training is intended to train students to successfully apply what they learn in school in the medical setting.

Biomedical engineers concentrating on developing ultrasound equipment would benefit from ultrasonography training because direct patient care is required. The biomedical engineering student would:

• Work real patients
• Experience a variety of patient circumstances
• Work with the ultrasound equipment in a medical setting
• Work with real images used for diagnosing a variety of medical conditions
• Gain a better understanding of the challenges sonographers must deal with on a daily basis as they use ultrasound technology

The biomedical engineers who also earn a certificate or degree in sonography can gain invaluable insight into the real applications of the medical equipment they design and test in laboratories and controlled settings. Training in ultrasound technology can also provide new insights in patient care and spark innovative ideas for new technologies.

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Schools for Ultrasound

Biomedical engineers who are interested in attending a sonographer training program will find many options. There are CAAHEP accredited Diagnostic Medical Sonography programs in every state, including online ultrasound training programs. Since biomedical engineering students already have a bachelor’s degree or graduate degree, they can complete sonography training in as little as 18 months.