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Diagnostic Medical Sonographer

Diagnostic Medical Sonographer or Ultrasound Technologists perform the ultrasound imaging on various organs, masses and fetal images. They can conduct their ultrasound scans for OB/GYN cases, general abdominal/chest or other imaging as well as vascular imaging and echocardiography. They take the ultrasound images of the organs, take notes of the findings, and send them to the respective physician to be diagnosed and conveyed to the patients.

Diagnostic medical sonographers work as members of patient care teams, assessing patients and providing information to physicians for diagnoses and monitoring patients’ health status. This is a specialized vocation requiring a high-degree of technical skills and exceptional interpersonal skills.

Salary Range

$65,000 – $85,000

Median Wage

$45.17 (Alberta)
$33.52 (Quebec)

Minimum Education

2-4 Year Diploma

ACSAP
Medical sonographers (3216)
A diploma degree from an accredited college on diagnostic medical sonography (2-4 years)
A typical full-time annual salary is in the range of $65-80k. Annual average is $83,180. According to the latest figures, the highest hourly average (median) wages are earned in Alberta at $45.17 per hour and the lowest hourly average (median) wages are earned in Quebec at $33.52 per hour.
High Employment outlook is Good to Fair in most provinces. More information is available here.
Obtaining specialty certificates in vascular, musculoskeletal sonography, echocardiography, etc. Become a supervisor, local, regional operations lead/manager etc. Also, becoming an ultrasound researcher and sonography educator is possible with further education. Learn more from here.
Most sonographers hold just an Associate’s degree, which typically takes two years to complete
Programs available across the country. Examples include SAIT (two years, full-time), NAIT (three years, full-time), Michener Institute etc. Medical sonographers may specialize in abdominal, cardiac, cerebral, obstetrical and gynecological, ophthalmic, intraluminal or peripheral vascular sonography. They may also specialize in adult or pediatric echocardiography or neurosonology.
Personal motivation; leadership skills; time management; analytical thinking; medical terminologies expertise; organizational skills; good communication skills; physical health; ability to work in stressful situations; emotional resilience; compassion, empathy; Interest to engage with patients/people and help them
This could be a good alternative career since it is in demand and one could easily get hired after completing a training program. Non-regulated professional; high turnover due to aging workforce. Drawbacks: physically demanding, occupational related injuries (MSK repetitive stress injuries to upper limbs and back), expensive exams for registration. Certification requirements: Core Exam (80 MCQ). To become a generalist, cardiac, or vascular sonographer, there are separate exams (OBGYN 100 MCQ; Gen Vasc 55 MCQ; Abdomen 130 MCQ; Cardiac 180 MCQ; Vascular 180 MCQ) More information: Alis Alberta; NOC Canada The following professional designations can be obtained after successful completion of the credential process through Sonography Canada: Canadian Registered Generalist Sonographer (CRGS®) - includes abdomen, male and female pelvis, obstetrics, peripheral veins for DVT, and superficial structures including (but not limited to) breast, thyroid, and scrotum. Canadian Registered Cardiac Sonographer (CRCS®) – includes adult cardiac anatomy, function, physiology, pathology and adult congenital assessment. Canadian Registered Vascular Sonographer (CRVS®) – includes dedicated vascular ultrasound imaging, including (but not limited to) the abdominal vessels, arterial and venous studies of the upper and lower limbs, head and neck and physiologic arterial assessment The graduates of those programs may also be eligible to write American Registry of Diagnostic Medical Sonographer (ARDMS) exams.
  1. Get admitted into diploma program for diagnostic medical sonography in an accredited college in Canada. The admission into some colleges maybe competitive and require admission tests.
  2. Complete a two to four-year program in diagnostic medical sonography or ultrasound technology or complete a two- to three-year program in a related allied health field and a one-year post-diploma program in diagnostic medical sonography from an accredited institution
  3. Register with Sonography Canada
  4. CME to maintain registration.