Running Head: SONOGRAPHY BACHELOR DEGREE ADVANTAGES
Advantages to Obtaining a Bachelor Degree in Sonography
Vickie Delaney
October 23, 2012
GRS 602: Introduction to Research
Dr. Patricia Nordstrom
Siena Heights University
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SONOGRAPHY BACHELOR DEGREE ADVANTAGES
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Abstract
In today’s competitive business world having a higher educational degree is important. The
sonographer career ladder, until recently, has not been established. A review of the salary and
benefits of sonographers shows a wide variance depending on level of education, training and
experience. The advantages for obtaining and the means to complete a baccalaureate degree in
Diagnostic Medical Sonography are limited.
Keywords: sonographer, career, education
SONOGRAPHY BACHELOR DEGREE ADVANTAGES
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Advantages to Obtaining a Bachelor Degree in Sonography
Diagnostic Medical Sonography has been in existence since the mid 1950’s. With the
advent of real time, two dimensional imaging the use of ultrasound became widespread for
diagnosing pathological states. Over the years training in ultrasound technology has also gone
through changes. Today, professional societies, such as the Society for Diagnostic Medical
Sonography have introduced criteria for standards of training. These societies have partnered
with college accrediting organizations to outline standards and guidelines for entry-level
sonographer education and training. The majority of schools offer a certificate or associate
degree (CAAHEP, 2012). What is the career path for sonographers beyond entry-level? Are
there benefits to obtaining an advanced degree?
A Brief History of Sonography
Looking at the history of ultrasound, one sees that it was used for detecting enemy
submarines during World War I when Paul Langevin was put in charge of developing a
technique that came to be called “sonar”. The idea of high velocity sound was further developed
by Floyd Firestone. He used it to detect flaws in metal and this technique was adopted for use in
medicine (Feigenbaum, 2005). The 1950’s brought with it many new technologies and many
advancements in technology. In 1957 the first “pan-scanner” was developed (fig. 1). It
employed a tub of fluid and a transducer that moved around the patient. Ultrasound use in
medicine continued to move forward until finally in the late 1960’s instruments were created that
allowed a recording of the anatomy (Woo, 2002). Initially, images were generated on x-ray type
film or photosensitive paper that would develop when exposed to a light source. Only the well
trained could decipher those early images (Fig. 2). With new technology, it has become much
easier to see many features (Fig. 3).
SONOGRAPHY BACHELOR DEGREE ADVANTAGES
Fig. 1 Original pan-scanner ultrasound machine, 1957. From www.ob-ultrasound.net.
Fig. 2 Very early cardiac ultrasound image. From www.jultrasoundmed.org .
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SONOGRAPHY BACHELOR DEGREE ADVANTAGES
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Fig. 3 Fetal ultrasound image . From www.medicexchange.com.
Education and Credentialing of Sonographers
While the American Medical Association recognized the profession as “ultrasonography”
in 1974, there was still the question of, “Who will perform the test?” In the beginning physicians
performed exams, but in the early 1970’s radiologists were involved in completing and
interpreting the study. In the late 1970’s into the 1980’s and even 1990’s nurses or other medical
professionals were taught by a physician or through on the job training by another sonographer.
During the 1980’s the increase in the number of tests being done prompted colleges and
technology institutes to start developing educational programs in Diagnostic Medical
Sonography. Hospitals also offered programs in ultrasonography.
How was the curriculum initially developed? Working with the Joint Review
Committee on Education in Diagnostic Medical Sonography (JRC-DMS), and the American
College of Cardiology, American College of Radiology, American College of Obstetricians and
Gynecologists, American Institute of Ultrasound in Medicine, American Society of
Echocardiography, American Society of Radiologic Technologists, Society of Diagnostic
SONOGRAPHY BACHELOR DEGREE ADVANTAGES
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Medical Sonography, Society for Vascular Surgery, and Society for Vascular Ultrasound the
American Medical Association adopted the first “standards and guidelines” for education in
ultrasonography in 1979 (CAAHEP,2011). The Commission for the Accreditation of Allied
Health Education Programs (CAAHEP) was incorporated in 1994 in response to the ever
growing number of allied health programs and took over this role from the AMA (CAAHEP,
2011). Today schools offering sonography programs attempt to gain accreditation through
CAAHEP. This level of accreditation shows that the program has met minimum standards.
These standards and guidelines undergo periodic revisions to reflect the changes in the
profession. The chart below shows the number of schools offering accredited programs in
sonography. This information was obtained from the CAAHEP website.
Diploma
Certificate
Associate
Baccalaureate
Masters
15
85
113
30
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The chart shows that most programs offer an associate level degree. Almost half of
surveyed sonographers hold an associate degree (SDMS). There are only thirty bachelor level
degree programs accredited by CAAHEP and approximately 30% of sonographers surveyed hold
this degree (SDMS).
In most of the United States sonographers are not licensed but they do have the option of
a credentialing exam. Many employers will not consider a potential candidate that does not
possess a credential. There are three agencies offering these exams: The American Registry of
Diagnostic Medical Sonographers, the American Registry of Radiologic Technologists and (for
SONOGRAPHY BACHELOR DEGREE ADVANTAGES
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cardiac and vascular sonography only) Cardiovascular Credentialing International. These exams
are for the entry-level technologist and reflect that level of training and education.
Salary and Benefits
In 2008 the Society for Diagnostic Medical Sonography sent a salary and benefit survey
to their members. The chart below summarizes some of the findings (SDMS).
Compensation Employment
Median
Income
$66,768
As an
employee
94%
Demographics Practice
Setting
Female 87%
Hospital
52%
Job
Job security
satisfaction
Work related: Strong
strong
Private office Career path:
19%
weak
Clinic 16%
Note that sonographers feel their career path is weak. Only 10% were very satisfied with
their career paths, almost 40% were neutral on the topic but 16% were dissatisfied and 6% were
very dissatisfied. Though median income is at a comfortable level, this survey leads one to
believe that sonographers do not feel there is a career pathway. Personal experience has shown
that unless you obtain a higher degree, at least a baccalaureate, that advancement to leadership or
management roles will not occur.
Table number 1, below, shows the differences in salary based on education. There is
little evidence, based on these numbers, that those sonographers with a higher degree can expect
a larger salary unless you hold a masters or doctorate level degree (SDMS).
SONOGRAPHY BACHELOR DEGREE ADVANTAGES
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Table 1
Total Income by Education
$19,999 or less
$20,000-29,999
$30,000-39,999
$40,000-49,999
$50,000-64,999
$65,000-79,999
$80,000-99,999
Over $100,000
High School/
GED
21%
5.4%
1.4%
4.0%
7.7%
27.5%
25.8%
15.8%
12.3%
Associates
Bachelors
Masters
Doctorate
44.8%
6.0%
3.0%
5.5%
11.6%
24.1%
20.4%
17.9%
11.6%
29.7%
4.1%
3.4%
4.1%
7.7%
26.4%
27.2%
15.4%
11.8%
3.7%
3.2%
3.2%
3.2%
11.3%
11.3%
29.0%
24.2%
14.5%
0.7%
0%
0%
0%
27.3%
0%
18.2%
0%
54.5%
Table number 2, below. shows income levels by job title. Managers and Department
Directors earn a higher income than staff sonographers or sonographers holding just a
supervisory position.
Table 2
Regular Income by Job Title
$19,999 or less
$20,000-29,999
$30,000-39,999
$40,000-49,999
$50,000-64,999
$65,000-79,999
$80,000-99,999
Over $100,000
Sonographer
Lead Sonographer
69.2%
4.2%
3.6%
7.6%
17.1%
36.1%
20.1%
6.8%
4.4%
24.2%
1.5%
0.5%
2.2%
5.2%
32.3%
33.5%
18.1%
6.7%
Manager or
Dept.Dir
4.7%
3.8%
0%
0%
1.3%
14.1%
25.6%
32.1%
23.1%
Other
1.9%
3.1%
0%
6.3%
9.4%
21.9%
40.6%
15.6%
3.1%
According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, for medical and health services managers the
median income in 2010 is $84, 270 per year and the entry-level education is a Bachelor’s degree
with a Master’s degree preferred (Bureau of Labor Statistics, 2012).
Career Advancement
In 2009, the American Society of Echocardiography proposed the Advanced
Cardiovascular Sonographer pathway (Mitchell et al, 2009). CAAHEP has now recognized this
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designation and recently posted to its website, “The Standards and Guidelines…were approved
by the CAAHEP Board of Directors at its September 21, 2012 meeting. These Standards are
from one of the newest professions in which CAAHEP accredits programs and take effect
October 1, 2012” (CAAHEP). This pathway recognizes that senior cardiac sonographers can
practice at an advanced level and can assist physicians in initial diagnosis and can aid entry-level
sonographers in completing a full diagnostic ultrasound exam based on the pathology present.
The guideline states that a sonographer should hold a minimum of a Bachelor degree to be
admitted to this program. The Standard states that graduates will obtain, at a minimum, a
baccalaureate degree and a cardiac or vascular sonography credential. This is one pathway that
sonographers now can choose, though currently, there are no accredited programs.
Another pathway is that of the Advance Practice Sonographer. This is a title that Society
for Diagnostic Medical Sonographers will convey on a technologist. According to the SDMS
website sonographers must meet the following criteria to be eligible:

ARDMS or CCI certification in each specialty area of APS clinical practice

Five (5) years of clinical experience in the specialty area(s) that you are applying
for APS status after date of becoming ARDMS or CCI registered in that specialty.

Minimum of Bachelor’s degree in Diagnostic Medical Sonography,
Echocardiography or Vascular Technology

An article published or accepted for publication in a peer-reviewed journal. Coauthorship of article is acceptable.

Fifteen (15) hours of specialty specific Continuing Medical Education (CME)
credit in the previous three (3) years (for each APS specialty). This requirement
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is not in addition to or associated with the ARDMS or CCI continuing education
requirements.
Note that there is not a credentialing exam or certification that is applied for. The SDMS
Salary and Benefit Survey was last completed in 2008 and did not include questions relating to
this designation nor the Advanced Cardiovascular Sonographer. The Bureau of Labor Statistics
also does not make mention of these new classifications.
The current trend in hospitals and larger private practices is to promote only those with
more advanced degrees. From the Occupational Outlook Handbook, “Most medical and health
services managers have at least a bachelor’s degree before entering the field; however, master’s
degrees also are common. Requirements vary by facility” and also “For those already in a
different healthcare occupation, a master's degree in health services administration or a related
field might be required to advance. For example, nursing service administrators usually are
supervisory registered nurses with administrative experience and graduate degrees in nursing or
health administration” (Bureau of Labor Statistics, 2012).
Higher Education
If you are a sonographer that holds an associate’s degree and you desire to further your
education and continue to be employed full time the obvious choice is distance education. There
is one accredited program offering a bachelor’s degree in sonography via distance education.
There are no accredited master’s degrees. Numerous colleges and universities offer healthcare
administration degrees and many of these are offered on-line. Referring back to the
Occupational Outlook Handbook, it stated that healthcare services managers might need a
master’s degree in administration.
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Conclusion
The healthcare field employment outlook is very good with growth being twice that of
other occupations (Damp, 2006). The “baby boomer” generation is aging and people are living
longer and this is helping to create the need for more medical professionals (Damp, 2006). So
choosing sonography as a profession is a wise decision but at what level of education? Though
the field of sonography has been recognized in healthcare since 1974 and by Bureau of Labor
Statistics as an independent profession in 2002, there has only recently been a defined career
ladder that included education, training and experience. To advance to senior hospital
management roles requires a master’s degree. Salary and benefits remain fairly consistent at the
bottom and middle rungs of this “career ladder”. More time is needed; more survey information
needs to be collected to be able to decide if a bachelor level degree is beneficial to the entry level
sonographer. Those sonographers wishing to move to senior management positions will need to
pursue not only a bachelor degree but also a master degree in healthcare administration.
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References
Bureau of Labor Statistics, U.S. Department of Labor (2012). Occupational Outlook Handbook.
New York: McGraw Hill.
Damp, D. (2006). Health Care Job Explosion!: High Growth Health Care Careers and Job
Locator (4th ed.). Moon Township, PA: Bookhaven Press, LLC
Ehler, D., Carney, D.K., Dempsey, A.L., Rigling, R., Kraft, C., Witt, S…Waggoner, A.(2001).
Guidelines for cardiac sonographer education: recommendations of the American Society
of Echocardiography Training and Education Committee. Journal of the American
Society of Echocardiography, 14, 77-84.
Feigenbaum, H. (2005). History of echocardiography. In H. Feigenbaum, A.F. Armstrong, T.
Ryan (Eds.), Feigenbaum’s Echocardiography (6th ed.) (pp.1-9). Philadelphia, PA:
Lippincott Williams and Wilkins.
McLaughlin, S.M. (2002). Government recognizes sonography occupation. Journal of
Diagnostic Medical Sonographers. 18, 112. doi 10.1177/875647930201800213
Mitchell , C., Miller, F., Bierig, M., Bremer, M., Ehler, D., Hanlon, T., …Umland, M. (2009).
Advanced Cardiovascular Sonographer: A Proposal of the American Society of
Echocardiography Advance Practice Sonographer Task Force. Journal of the American
Society of Echocardiography,10,1409-1413. doi:10.1016/j.echo.2009.10.002.
SDMS (2008, May 30). Sonographer salary and benefits survey report. Retrieved from
http://www.sdms.org/members/salary.asp.
Troy, S., Digiacinto, D., Elledge, B. (2004). Advancement of higher education in sonography: Is
distance education the answer? Journal of Diagnostic Medical Sonography, 20, 102-111.
[Untitled ultrasound image]. Retrieved from http://www.jultrasoundmed.org/content/23/1/1.full.
[Untitled fetal ultrasound image]. Retrieved from
SONOGRAPHY BACHELOR DEGREE ADVANTAGES
http://www.medicexchange.com/news/2010/06/a-study-about-3d-4d-ultrasound/
Woo, J. (2002). A short history of the development of ultrasound in obstetrics and
gynecology. Retrieved from http://www.ob-ultrasound.net/history1.html.
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