Thinking of becoming an Ultrasound Technician. Any advice?

paperspray · Joined: 18 Apr 2009 Posts: 1

Hi all. I have had a wide variety of jobs and after hearing about sonography and the possibilities of money, traveling, and the opportunity to work anywhere, I am starting to start the process of school. I don't want to sit at a desk all day and see the same people everyday. I love the idea of doing a skilled craft. I'm just very particular about my environment at work. Case in point: I worked as a paralegal for a while and it was pretty rough. I could not stand the people, especially the egomaniac lawyers. I felt like I was sort of trapped and honestly felt like a slave to them when I know that my smarts were not being used or commended.

I have a B.A. in Psychology and know that I will not have a problem getting into a community college in my area. I am aware of the cost and that I need to be in an accredited program. Got all of that.

I just have some basic questions that I am hoping to get answered from those who already work in this position.

What is the typical day like?

What is the schedule? Can you work a full 40 in 3 or 4 days? What about overtime/on-call?

What specialty makes the most money? I think that I would like to go into cardiac as that seems to interest me the most. But are the job prospects slim for that? What specialty has the most opportunity?

Can I specialize in more than 1 area? Or is that something I can conquer down the road?

Because I have a B.A., can I just go for the accredited certificate or will I need to do the 1.5 year Associates?

Is an accredited online degree a bad decision?

What level of patient interaction do you have?

Do you need to interpret the results or does the doctor do that?

What is working with the doctors like? Is it like any other job/personalities?

What is the stress level like?

What are the positive/negatives of working in a private practice as opposed to a hospital?

What is working in a hospital like? What type of person is best for that environment?

Any and all help would be great. I appreciate anyone's input