Savvy students considering a career as a Diagnostic Medical Sonographer will do research before selecting a CAAHEP accredited sonography program. They review program requirements and read sonography articles supplied by dedicated websites like UltrasoundTechnicianCenter.org. Many people also read online discussion forums to find out what questions other people are asking. The issue with forum postings is that readers have no background information and may get discouraged when job searchers say they cannot find employment. | See Job Openings
Not Enough Information
One of the first points to keep in mind is that forum postings through social media sites such as Facebook and Google+ offer limited information. People can post questions that approved forum members can answer. Some forums allow anyone to post questions and answers. The social media postings can be quite informative, and most comments are extremely positive about the sonography career. However, they can also be discouraging when people say they are unable to find employment as a sonographer. | See Job Openings
Postings only contain a minimum amount of information. A person may write, “I graduated six months ago but can’t find a job as a sonographer anywhere.” Without additional details, it would easy to assume there are few jobs available, but that is not true. Visit job sites like Indeed.com, Salary.com, and Monster.com and there are thousands of jobs available across the country. The large number of jobs available now support the Bureau of Labor Statistics excellent projected job outlook growth rate of 26.4 percent for the period 2014-2024. | See Job Openings
The Rest of the Story
Knowing these statistics, why are people writing forum comments indicating they cannot find a job as a Diagnostic Medical Sonographer? There are many reasons, and it is important to keep them in mind when reading negative posts. They include the following:
- Only searches for employment in the immediate area
- Unwilling to work part-time in local area even though that may be the only way to get initial real world experience
- Unwilling to move to accept high paying jobs available in other states
- Not willing to accept swing shift or night shift hours
- Not willing to accept the job requirement of being “on call”
- Did not complete one of the CAAHEP accredited programs, a requirement for sitting for ARDMS exams and to qualify for most sonography jobs today
- Unwilling to consider employment with a staffing agency specializing in filling temporary sonography positions because not able to travel
- Graduated student has not yet taken the ARDMS exams to earn registration
Sonography program graduates who are limited to finding employment in their local area often are willing to accept positions in the short-term in order to work their way into the desired position. This is a strategy that works in every profession. For example, a number of people on a Facebook page dedicated to ultrasound technology wrote posts indicating they accepted a local part-time job first in order to gain entrance into the profession, and the job eventually became full-time. | See Job Openings
Finding Entrance into the Sonography Profession
Other strategies used by those placing limitations on where they are willing to work include working two part-time jobs until a full-time position becomes available and applying for employment with a variety of medical facilities that include hospitals, clinics, physician offices and mobile healthcare units. Those willing to go where the high paying sonography jobs are, and where there are many available positions, will not have difficulty finding employment. | See Job Openings
In addition, students who completed a program that did not require clinical training are unlikely to qualify for any sonography position. Clinical training is required to sit for the ARDMS exams, so these forum writers have neither the clinical training nor ARDMS registration. | See Job Openings
When reading forums, keep in mind that each person has different circumstances. Some people place so many limitations on their job search that it is not surprising they are claiming they are unable to find employment. In addition, the Affordable Care Act is not fully implemented yet, meaning the many expected service delivery changes driven by the legislation are not yet implemented either.
As the healthcare industry continues its move towards delivering more outpatient and home care services, and as technology advances, Diagnostic Medical Sonographers will find enormous growth in employment opportunities. For now, they may need to do what is necessary to enter the profession in local areas, but over time the payoff will be excellent. | See Job Openings
Find the Best and Worst States to be a Sonographer in 2017
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