It’s hard to imagine the healthcare industry without powerful diagnostic tools like ultrasound technology. In fact, advances in ultrasound technology or sonography, have helped doctors transform the world of medicine by allowing them to gather valuable patient information from the inside out. Medical Sonography is projected to grow at a faster than average rate, with more than 19,000 jobs expected to be added by 2030*. If you’ve been considering a career in ultrasound technology, it is important to understand the differences between Cardiac Sonography and General Sonography.
What is Sonography?
Before we explore the differences between Cardiac Sonography and General Sonography, let’s talk about how it works. Simply put, sonography uses high-frequency sound waves to see through tissues and generate images. In medicine, sonography is a non-invasive tool used to create real-time images of internal organs, blood flow, bones, and fetuses. It’s an essential tool for assisting physicians with diagnosing or evaluating a wide range of medical conditions. There are specific differences between Cardiac and General Sonography.
Cardiac Sonography
The specialty outside of General Sonography is Cardiac Sonography or Echocardiography. Cardiac Sonographers receive specialized training in the anatomy and physiology of the heart, including the chambers, walls, valves, and blood vessels of the heart. The real-time images produced by Echocardiography are used to assist doctors with identifying signs of cardiovascular disease, evaluating cardiac abnormalities such as leaking valves, and a variety of other cardiac related conditions.
General Sonography
General Sonography is typically focused on areas of the body other than the heart including abdominal, small parts, and obstetrics and gynecology. The ultrasound images generated are used to monitor fetal development and to diagnose a wide range of medical abnormalities or diseases throughout the body.
What Kind of Training do I Need?
The requirements can vary from state to state, but many insurance providers and Medicare will only pay for procedures performed by a certified sonographer, technologist, or technician. That may be why many employers require a formal education and prefer to hire sonographers with a professional certification. At Caris College, the sonography programs include courses in anatomy, medical terminology, physiology, applied sciences and a clinical externship component.
Qualified sonographers are currently in demand and it’s a great time to get started on the path to a career where you can truly make a difference in people’s lives. If you’d like to learn more about a career in sonography, check out the Associate Degree programs in general sonography and cardiac sonography at Caris College. With hands-on training from experienced instructors and lifetime career services and job placement assistance, Caris is helping students launch careers in the healthcare discipline of ultrasound technology. Contact us today for more information or complete the online form and one of our admissions representatives will contact you.
*https://www.bls.gov/ooh/healthcare/diagnostic-medical-sonographers.htm
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