Nebraska Sonography Tech Careers and Degrees
Receiving your Sonogram Technician Training in Nebraska
A sonogram technician’s work requires creativity, anatomical expertise pertaining to the human body, technical savvy, and the ability to deal with people. A sonogram technician may perform general work, and receive a Science Degree in Radiation Science Technology, or study specialized forms of sonography. These include vascular, cardiac, and gynecological sonography. As this profession lies within the medical field, future technicians must not only attend schools that provide hands-on training, but ensure that these institutions are accredited by the Commission on Accreditation of Allied Health Education Programs.
Thankfully, for aspiring technicians in Nebraska, it is the home of three top rated sonogram technician programs, all accredited: the Bryan College of Health Sciences, the Nebraska Methodist College, and the University of Nebraska Medical Center. In these programs you can expect to spend an extended amount of time on campus learning through hands-on experiences in a laboratory or clinic as well as book reading. For example, if you are at the University of Nebraska Medical Center, you will be participating in thirty hours of clinical training broken up by ten hours of didactic training each week throughout their twelve-month Diagnostic Medical Sonography program.
The University of Nebraska Medical Center and the Bryan College of Health Sciences, begin offering degrees in at the Bachelor level to students. The Nebraska Methodist College however offers Associates degrees in Cardiovascular Sonography as well as Multispecialty Sonography.
Sonography Technician Licensing in Nebraska
In order to work as a sonogram technician in Nebraska a license is not needed. Obtaining one however greatly increases your prospects of finding employment. Before becoming licensed, you must obtain a degree and pass a competency exam. After this, registering to become part of the American Registry of Radiologic Technologists, also known as ARRT, is your best bet for obtaining a nationally recognized license. This body is recognized in thirty states, ensuring that member will be in a position to meet the varying requirements for Technicians enforced by each state. Another nationally recognized licensing body is the American Registry for Diagnostic Medical Sonography, ARDMS. Both these bodies work by not only only ensuring there exists a national standard of excellence for sonogram technicians, but also protects those within its body from the stress of keeping up with each state’s constantly changing licensing credentials. The University of Nebraska Medical Center’s Diagnostic Medical Sonography program is associated with ARRT, thus upon successfully graduating you will be a licensed member.
Career Outlook for Sonogram Technicians in Nebraska
Luckily for graduates studying this technology, the job opportunities for sonogram technicians are increasing rather than decreasing. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the field is expected to grow fifteen percent per year, with ten new positions opening up every year. This information was calculated based on the three hundred and seventy sonographers currently based in Nebraska, and the expected growth of the medical field in Nebraska due to the Affordable Care Act. Nationally, the job market for sonogram technicians is expected to increase by at least forty percent over the next ten years. Nebraska’s lower rate may be attributed to the fact most of the state is rural territory.
Work within this field may be found within hospitals, medical centers, physician offices, clinics, public health institutions, outpatient centers, and research facilities, reflecting the versatility of the field.
General and gynecological sonography favors women, as they may work on either gender with minimal problems while male sonogram technicians would need supervision while working with women in delicate positions. This not only inconveniences the technician, but the facility where they work, thus lowering the employment rate of male general sonogram technicians. There are male technicians; they simply choose to specialize in order to avoid the hassle of constantly asking for a chaperone.