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Occupation Profile

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Occupation:	Diagnostic Medical Sonographers	Change Occupation
State:	Pennsylvania	Change State
Profile Content:	(content listed below)	Modify Profile Content
Wages \| Employment Trends \| Knowledge, Skills, & Abilities \| Tasks & Activities Tools & Technology \| Education & Training \| Related Occupations Web Resources

DIAGNOSTIC MEDICAL SONOGRAPHERS: PENNSYLVANIA

Occupation Description

Produce ultrasonic recordings of internal organs for use by physicians.

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State and National Wages

Wage Table

Hourly Wage Chart

Yearly Wage Chart

Location	Pay Period	2008
Location	Pay Period	10%	25%	Median	75%	90%
United States	Hourly	$20.96	$25.28	$29.80	$35.42	$40.36
United States	Yearly	$43,600	$52,600	$62,000	$73,700	$83,900
Pennsylvania	Hourly	$18.84	$22.34	$26.94	$31.22	$36.06
Pennsylvania	Yearly	$39,200	$46,500	$56,000	$64,900	$75,000

Wage Table

Hourly Wage Chart

Yearly Wage Chart

Annual Wages for Diagnostic Medical Sonographers

High is the wage at which 90% of workers earn less and 10% earn more.
Middle is the wage at which 50% of workers earn less and 50% earn more.
Low is the wage at which 10% of workers earn less and 90% earn more.

Wage Table

Hourly Wage Chart

Yearly Wage Chart

Hourly Wages for Diagnostic Medical Sonographers

High is the wage at which 90% of workers earn less and 10% earn more.
Middle is the wage at which 50% of workers earn less and 50% earn more.
Low is the wage at which 10% of workers earn less and 90% earn more.

Occupation Wages FAQs

Median Wage by Occupation Across States
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National Data Source: Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment Statistics Survey
State Data Source: Pennsylvania Workforce Statistics

State and National Trends

United States	Employment		Percent Change	Job Openings ¹
United States	2008	2018	Percent Change	Job Openings ¹
Diagnostic medical sonographers	50,300	59,500	+18%	1,650
Pennsylvania	Employment		Percent Change	Job Openings ¹
Pennsylvania	2006	2016	Percent Change	Job Openings ¹
Diagnostic medical sonographers	2,350	2,650	+14%	50

¹Job Openings refers to the average annual job openings due to growth and net replacement.

Note: The data for the State Employment Trends and the National Employment Trends are not directly comparable. The projections period for state data is 2006-2016, while the projections period for national data is 2008-2018.

Occupation Trends FAQs

Employment Trends by Occupation Across States
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National Data Source: Bureau of Labor Statistics, Office of Occupational Statistics and Employment Projections
State Data Source: Pennsylvania Center for Workforce Information & Analysis

Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities

The most important knowledge, skills, and abilities (KSAs) are listed for Diagnostic Medical Sonographers.

Knowledge:

Customer and Personal Service - Knowledge of principles and processes for providing customer and personal services. This includes customer needs assessment, meeting quality standards for services, and evaluation of customer satisfaction.
Medicine and Dentistry - Knowledge of the information and techniques needed to diagnose and treat human injuries, diseases, and deformities. This includes symptoms, treatment alternatives, drug properties and interactions, and preventive health-care measures.
Physics - Knowledge and prediction of physical principles, laws, their interrelationships, and applications to understanding fluid, material, and atmospheric dynamics, and mechanical, electrical, atomic and sub- atomic structures and processes.
English Language - Knowledge of the structure and content of the English language including the meaning and spelling of words, rules of composition, and grammar.
Computers and Electronics - Knowledge of circuit boards, processors, chips, electronic equipment, and computer hardware and software, including applications and programming.

Skills:

Speaking - Talking to others to convey information effectively.
Active Listening - Giving full attention to what other people are saying, taking time to understand the points being made, asking questions as appropriate, and not interrupting at inappropriate times.
Reading Comprehension - Understanding written sentences and paragraphs in work related documents.
Social Perceptiveness - Being aware of others' reactions and understanding why they react as they do.
Critical Thinking - Using logic and reasoning to identify the strengths and weaknesses of alternative solutions, conclusions or approaches to problems.
Monitoring - Monitoring/Assessing performance of yourself, other individuals, or organizations to make improvements or take corrective action.
Time Management - Managing one's own time and the time of others.

Abilities:

Oral Comprehension - The ability to listen to and understand information and ideas presented through spoken words and sentences.
Oral Expression - The ability to communicate information and ideas in speaking so others will understand.
Near Vision - The ability to see details at close range (within a few feet of the observer).
Control Precision - The ability to quickly and repeatedly adjust the controls of a machine or a vehicle to exact positions.
Problem Sensitivity - The ability to tell when something is wrong or is likely to go wrong. It does not involve solving the problem, only recognizing there is a problem.
Speech Clarity - The ability to speak clearly so others can understand you.
Speech Recognition - The ability to identify and understand the speech of another person.
Written Expression - The ability to communicate information and ideas in writing so others will understand.

Source: Occupational Information Network: Diagnostic Medical Sonographers.

Tasks and Activities

Occupation specific tasks and the most important generalized work activities are listed for Diagnostic Medical Sonographers.

Occupation Specific Tasks:

Clean, check and maintain sonographic equipment, submitting maintenance requests or performing minor repairs as necessary.
Coordinate work with physicians and other health care team members, including providing assistance during invasive procedures.
Decide which images to include, looking for differences between healthy and pathological areas.
Determine whether scope of exam should be extended, based on findings.
Load and unload film cassettes used to record images from procedures.
Maintain records that include patient information, sonographs and interpretations, files of correspondence, publications and regulations, or quality assurance records such as pathology, biopsy, or post-operative reports.
Maintain stock and supplies, preparing supplies for special examinations and ordering supplies when necessary.
Observe and care for patients throughout examinations to ensure their safety and comfort.
Observe screen during scan to ensure that image produced is satisfactory for diagnostic purposes, making adjustments to equipment as required.
Obtain and record accurate patient history, including prior test results and information from physical examinations.
Operate ultrasound equipment to produce and record images of the motion, shape and composition of blood, organs, tissues and bodily masses such as fluid accumulations.
Perform clerical duties such as scheduling exams and special procedures, keeping records and archiving computerized images.
Perform legal and ethical duties including preparing safety and accident reports, obtaining written consent from patient to perform invasive procedures, and reporting symptoms of abuse and neglect.
Perform medical procedures such as administering oxygen, inserting and removing airways, taking vital signs, and giving emergency treatment, such as first aid or cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR).
Prepare patient for exam by explaining procedure, transferring them to ultrasound table, scrubbing skin and applying gel, and positioning them properly.
Process and code film from procedures and complete appropriate documentation.
Provide sonogram and oral or written summary of technical findings to physician for use in medical diagnosis.
Record and store suitable images, using camera unit connected to the ultrasound equipment.
Select appropriate equipment settings and adjust patient positions to obtain the best sites and angles.
Supervise and train students and other medical sonographers.

Generalized Work Activities:

Updating and Using Relevant Knowledge - Keeping up-to-date technically and applying new knowledge to your job.
Assisting and Caring for Others - Providing personal assistance, medical attention, emotional support, or other personal care to others such as coworkers, customers, or patients.
Getting Information - Observing, receiving, and otherwise obtaining information from all relevant sources.
Documenting/Recording Information - Entering, transcribing, recording, storing, or maintaining information in written or electronic/magnetic form.
Identifying Objects, Actions, and Events - Identifying information by categorizing, estimating, recognizing differences or similarities, and detecting changes in circumstances or events.

Detailed Work Activities:

analyze medical data
collect clinical data
communicate technical information
explain testing procedures to patient
follow dental or medical office procedures
follow infectious materials procedures
follow patient observation procedures
identify body response variations
inventory medical supplies or instruments
lift or transport ill or injured patients
make presentations on health or medical issues
observe patient condition
operate ultrasound equipment
perform noninvasive medical diagnostic techniques
prepare patient reports
prepare patients for tests, therapy, or treatments
record medical history or data
take vital signs
understand technical operating, service or repair manuals
use clinical sterilizing technique
use emergency medical procedures
use hazardous materials information
use interpersonal communication techniques
use knowledge of medical terminology
use medical diagnostic equipment
use quality assurance techniques
use sanitation practices in health care settings

Source: Occupational Information Network: Diagnostic Medical Sonographers.

Tools and Technology

Diagnostic Medical Sonographers View Detailed Report

Tools:

Blood pressure cuff kits - Sphygmomanometers
Medical radiological positioning aids for general radiological use - Immobilization and positioning devices, Sandbags
Medical ultrasound or doppler or echo monitors - Ultrasound monitors, Ultrasound video equipment
Medical ultrasound or doppler or echo transducers or accessories - High frequency transducers, Transducers
Medical ultrasound or doppler or pulse echo or echography units for general diagnostic use - A-Mode ultrasound machines, Color Doppler ultrasound equipment, Continuous-wave ultrasound equipment, M-mode ultrasound machines, Pulsed-wave ultrasound equipment

Technology:

Calendar and scheduling software - Calendar and scheduling software
Electronic mail software - Email software
Medical software - Patient medical record software
Spreadsheet software - Spreadsheet software
Word processing software - Word processing software

Source: Occupational Information Network: Diagnostic Medical Sonographers.

Education and Training

Occupation: Diagnostic Medical Sonographers
Most Common Educational/Training Level: Associate degree
Related Instructional Programs:

Allied Health Diagnostic, Intervention, and Treatment Professions, Other
Diagnostic Medical Sonography/Sonographer and Ultrasound Technician

Distribution of Educational Attainment

Occupation	Percent of employees aged 25 to 44 in the occupation whose highest level of educational attainment is
Occupation	Less than high school diploma	High school diploma or equivalent	Some college, no degree	Associate's degree	Bachelor's degree	Master's degree	Doctoral or professional degree
Diagnostic medical sonographers	0.7%	8.7%	21.6%	45.3%	19.4%	2%	2.3%
Health Technologists and Technicians	1.9%	19.6%	29.5%	25.6%	19.1%	2.3%	2.1%
Healthcare Practitioners and Technical	1.2%	10.4%	15.4%	15.4%	20.7%	11.6%	25.2%
Total, All Occupations	10.7%	27.6%	20.6%	8.9%	19.4%	8.3%	4.5%

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WIA Eligible Training Provider List: http://www.pacareerlink.state.pa.us/homeframe.asp?function=trainprov

Source: Bureau of Labor Statistics, Office of Occupational Statistics and Employment Projections (Education/Training Level, Educational Attainment); National Center for Education Statistics (Typical Instructional Programs)

Related Occupation Profiles
Occupations with similar skill requirements

There is no information about Related Occupations. This may occur because data has not been collected or because this is a composite occupation (e.g., ""All Other"").

Web Resources

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