Amelia Foster Block 3

Obstetric Sonographers use ultrasounds to monitor fetal development. They use a wand called a transducer to see the image on the computer. The sonographer rubs the transducer on the abdomen to get a clear image of the growing fetus. WHAT IS AN OBSTETRIC SONOGRAPHER?

 It pays well  You help people  It does not require a PhD.  It involves fetal development  Must go to school to become certified  Lots of science and math  Associates degree is recommended  Medical field  Sonograms  Important job  Anatomy  9-5 hours WHAT I ASSUME OR KNOW

 I think fetal development is fascinating  The job pays well without having to go to school for a long time.  I know this career is not as easy as it may seem and you have to be a personable person to excel at it. WHAT I ASSUME OR KNOW

 Ultrasounds are not shown to be harmful in any way  Real time ultrasound is the most common sonographic technique used in Gynecology and Obstetrics.  You need an Associates’ degree or go to sonography school  You do not need to go to medical school  Take science related classes such as anatomy and biology.  You will want to train first hand at hospitals and medical centers.  The outlook for ultrasound technicians is very positive. Trained sonographers are in high demand  California is the state with the highest salary for sonograhphers in the country. WHAT I FOUND OUT

 The median salary in California is about $84,220 a year.  61% of sonographers work in hospitals.  The American Registry of Radiologic Technologists is the number one organization in the world for sonography.  There are about 58,800 employed medical sonographers in the United States in  Depending on what kind of ultrasound technician you become your hours will vary.  If you work in a hospital you may have odd hours because patients cannot wait when they are ill.  If you are an Obstetric Sonographer your hours will most likely be 9-5 if you are working in a medical office.  There are two types of sonographers, there are medical diagnostic sonographers, and there are elective sonographers.  The woman I job shadowed is an elective sonographer so she does not share the information with a doctor it is simply optional and is a more laid back setting. T  A downside to being an elective sonographer is you may not make as much as a diagnostic sonographer.  An advantage would be you don’t need as much training or education to be an elective sonographer. WHAT I FOUND OUT

9:30 -I arrived at Invision 3D/4D Ultrasound. I met Cindy the owner and we got the store ready for the appointments. 10:00 -The first couple arrived. They had two kids with them and were finding out the sex of their third child today. 10:10 -We began the ultrasound and located the baby. 10:20 -We determined the sex and it is a boy! Just what mom and dad wanted. 10:30 -The second couple arrived. 10:40 -We began the ultrasound to reveal the gender of the baby. 10:42 -We located the baby and found out the couple is having a girl! 11:00 -The next couple arrives. 11:41-Mom was having a hard time. She already knew she is having a boy. I helped entertain her 3 year old daughter while she viewed the baby. 11:50 -Next appointment! Mom and dad find out they are having a baby girl! Dad and big brother are disappointed. 12:30 -The couple cancelled so Cindy and I had time to pick up boxes from the business down the street. We took them to our office and stacked them. 12:40 –Mom arrives with her mom, she knows she’s having a boy. She is the farthest along of all the couples today. We got to see her baby yawn and suck on his own foot! 1:30 –The last couple arrives before I have to go. They opted out of me coming in with them so I waited outside. 2:00 –All done! It was a great day! JOB SHADOW

 Go to school get my Associates degree then apply to the Kaiser School of Allied Health then continue to get my Bachelors degree.  they make about $84,000 a year in California.  There are 2D, 3D, and 4D ultrasound.  2D is just a black and white image consisting of the sound waves bouncing off the baby to create the image.  3D is in color and is three dimensional.  4D ultrasound is video of the baby in real time. 3D and 4D ultrasound is the most recent technology used to view the unborn child. WHAT I LEARNED

 By doing this project I learned that I really would love to pursue this job as a career and I really enjoyed finding out about it. I learned that there’s a lot more hat goes into this job than meets the eye.  I don’t want to be an Ultrasound Technician, I want to be an Obstetric Sonographer  they specialize in fetal development and make sure the baby is growing properly.  you can be a diagnostic sonographer or an elective sonographer which is not done for medical purposes.  I job shadowed Cindy. She is an elective sonographer and does not work with a medical practice. She runs her own business doing the procedures herself.  Go to the Kaiser School of Allied Health to get your certification. WHAT I LEARNED

 Good pay  Flexible schedule  Helping people  You know quality work will be done  You make peoples day everyday  It’s a happy job in general ADVANTAGES / DISADVANTAGES  Cannot really move up in the work world unless you become a supervisor  You have to go to school to become one  It requires a lot of math and science (both things I am not great at)  If in diagnostic sonography you will occasionaly have to confirm miscarriages and other problems relating to the pregnancy

 If you are interested in becoming an Obstetric Sonographer than you are in luck because it isn’t very hard!  The only requirement is that you complete a sonography school like Heald or preferably Kaiser School of Allied Health.  If you really want to be well prepared in the field you can get your Associates or Bachelors degree in Biology, Early Childhood Development, Psychology, or a major that relates well to the field! HOW DO I BECOME AN OBSTETRIC SONOGRAPHER?

In ten years I hope to be graduated from college, married, starting a family, and pursuing my career as an Obstetric Sonographer. 10 YEAR PLAN Graduate high school in 2015, hope to attend San Francisco State University or St. Mary’s University and major in Early Childhood Development or Psychology After I get my Associates degree in 2017, I wish to go to the Kaiser School of Allied Health Depending on how difficult my schooling is I may decide to get my Bachelors degree while going to sonography school. After getting my certificate in 2019, I would hope to start a career as an Obstetric Sonographer. After four or five years of doing sonograms I would hope to move up to supervisor by 2025.