general sonography vs echo

JHS1089 · Joined: 19 Nov 2007 Posts: 3

I've recently decided to pursue a career in sonography (thanks in part to this forum) and have the option of either a degree in General Gonography or Cardiac Sonography. I'd really like to choose the one that will give me the most options in the future and the ability to perform different procedures. I'll be speaking with the program director (BunkerHill MA) soon but wanted to get answers from those already in the field with real experience first. My questions are.......

Will I be limited to just echocardiograms and sonography concentrated only on the heart if I choose the cardiac sonography degree? Abdominal sonography and neurological sonography seem fascinating.

Is general sonography focused on obstetrics and gynecology most of the time or are there other modalities that GS performs regularly? I'm a male and would have to consider if I felt comfortable doing obgyn related sonography 90% of the time. Not to be lewd, but is there direct to contact with the vaginal area with performing ultrasound? Are males known to be discriminated against in the field?

My sincere thanks, John

hjhogle · Posted: Tue Nov 27, 2007 11:26 am Post subject:

NOt being a sonographer, I'm not your best responder, but here goes.

I went to the ARDMS website - they're one of the certifying bodies for medical sonography.

They list multiple credentials, RDMS (medical sonographer) and RDCS (cardiac medical sonographer) among them.

Unfortunately, the links on their site were not working for me, stalled out mutliple times. I tried to use their contact form to report the difficulty - that crashed my computer.

However, you might have better luck there, and you may also find a phone # to call.

My suspicion is that, like most things, if you want the greatest variety of work? YOu'll need to be more of a generalist. And that if I'm not mistaken, if you certify as RDCS, you will be limited to cardiac studies.

Good luck

hjhogle · Posted: Tue Nov 27, 2007 1:57 pm Post subject:

I received a response from a woman at ARDMS, which I have included below. She's addressing the educational end of things, rather than the work opportunities following, but you get the gist. (I have also included her contact information)

*****

To be eligible for an RDMS credential, you must first meet specific
educational and professional experience requirements. Specialty areas
within the RDMS credential include the examinations listed below:

Ultrasound Physics and Instrumentation (required to earn credential)

And your choice of one of the following specialties:
Abdomen

Breast

Fetal Echocardiography

Neurosonology

Obstetrics & Gynecology.

To be eligible for an RDCS credential, you must first meet specific
educational and professional experience requirements. Specialty areas
within the RDCS credential include the examinations listed below:

Cardiovascular Principles & Instrumentation Physics (required to earn
credential)

And your choice of one of the following specialties:
Adult Echocardiography

Fetal Echocardiography

Pediatric Echocardiography.

Please contact me directly should you require further assistance.

Sincerely,
Hilary K. Wilson
Registrant Services Coordinator
800-541-9754, ext. 233 (Office)
301-738-0312 (Fax)