Utah Ultrasound Tech Programs

New graduates celebrate with their families at their nursing commencement ceremony.

How to Become a Sonography in Utah - Sonography Programs in Utah

Sonography is when a medical professional uses a wand and gel applied to the skin in order to produce an image resulted from sound waves of the body. The field of sonography has many different job tasks. These different job tasks are in: breast sonography, abdominal sonography, OB/GYN sonography, neurosonography, and musculoskeletal sonography. Each different area has its own specific parts of the body that the sonographer is tasked with looking at. Breast sonography deals with the breasts and breast tissue. Abdominal sonography is when the sonographer looks at sonograms from the abdomen and immediate surrounding areas. OB/GYN sonography produces sonograms of the female reproductive system. Neurosonography deals with the body's nervous system and brain. Musculoskeletal sonography has sonograms of the muscles, ligaments, etc. A sonogram is usually the only way to detect certain conditions accurately.

In order to work as a sonographer in Utah, you will likely want to get an associate's degree at least. These programs are found at community colleges. Some universities and colleges have bachelor's degrees as well. It is all a matter of what you prefer. If you already have a degree, you can also earn a certificate in sonography from a community college. This enables you to get finished with the sonography coursework quicker so you can get out there and find a sonography job.

On the average, sonographers in Utah make around $28 an hour. A sonographer can make more money if they are certified in more than one area of specialization. Some sonographers are certified in all of them, which makes a sonographer more marketable when they are looking for jobs because they can do any type of sonography. So that is something to think about when you are getting ready to finish your program and take the certification test. You will have to take a different certification test for each area of specialization you want to pursue though.

Within the next few years, it is expected that the field of sonography will increase its workforce by 44%. That is an unreal statistic, but as more people are graduating from great sonography programs and passing their certification tests, there is a need for more sonography jobs � including the State of Utah. Each year the field of sonography gets more advanced so, even once you get your degree and have worked in the field for a bit, it can be a good idea to take some continuing education so that you can learn all of the new methods and equipment.

Utah State Board of Nursing
Heber M. Wells Bldg., 4th Floor
160 East 300 South
Salt Lake City, UT 84111
Phone: (801) 530-6628
Fax: (801) 530-6511

Utah Nurses Association

• Utah Department of Health
• Salt Lake Valley Health Department