Career
Path Forecast
According to the U.S. Department of Labor, Bureau of Labor Statistics,
employment
of diagnostic medical sonographers is expected to increase by about 18
percent from 2008 through 2018, faster than the average for all
occupations. As the population continues to age, there will be an
increasing demand for diagnostic imaging. Additional job growth is
expected as healthcare providers increasingly utilize ultrasound
imaging as a safer and more cost-effective alternative to radiological
procedures. Ultrasound imaging technology is expected to evolve rapidly
and spawn many new sonography procedures, enabling sonographers to scan
and image areas of the body where ultrasound has not traditionally been
used.
Hospitals
will remain the principal employer of diagnostic medical sonographers.
However, employment is expected to grow more rapidly in offices of
physicians and in medical and diagnostic laboratories. Health care
facilities such as these are expected to increase in number because of
the strong shift toward outpatient care, encouraged by third-party
payers and made possible by technological advances and less expensive
ultrasound equipment that permit more procedures to be performed outside
of hospitals.
Job opportunities should be favorable. In addition to job openings from
growth, some openings will arise from the need to replace sonographers
who retire or leave the occupation permanently. However, job
opportunities will vary by geographic area. Sonographers willing to
relocate will have the best job opportunities. Sonographers with
multiple specialties or multiple credentials also will have good
prospects.
Note: Some resources in this section are provided by the US Department
of Labor, Bureau of Labor Statistics.
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