sonography degree south africa 2024-2025

sonography degree south africa 2024-2025

A sonographer is a medical professional who uses ultrasonic imaging devices to create diagnostic images, scans, videos, or three-dimensional volumes of anatomy and diagnostic data. Clinical practice requirements vary greatly by country.

A diagnostic medical sonographer, also known simply as a sonographer, creates ultrasound images of various parts of the body using imaging equipment and sound waves. They are taught how to acquire and analyze sonographic images.

What does a sonographer do?
4 days ago

• Diagnostic medical sonography (DMS) is an allied health field that employs imaging technology and sound waves to create images of organs, tissues, and even blood vessels within the body.

The following is a listing of Diagnostic Medical Sonography Schools in South Africa.

• University of Johannesburg Department of Diagnostic Medical Sonography
• Stellenbosch University Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology

Is a sonographer a physician?

• Answer: Sonographers are not physicians. In the United States, medical doctors must first earn a bachelor’s degree before enrolling in medical school to earn a Doctor of Medicine (M.D.). An associate’s degree program, which takes two years to complete, is the most common path to a career in sonography.

How do I go about becoming a sonologist?

• You must be an allied health science graduate to work as a sonographer. It’s an added benefit for you. There is no college in South Africa that teaches sonography to nonmedical or allied health students. Only radiographers are produced by B.Sc. or M.Sc. Radiology.

WHAT KIND OF DEGREE IS REQUIRED FOR A SONOGRAPHER?
There are numerous educational paths to becoming a sonographer. Both associate degree and bachelor’s degree programs in sonography are available for career paths, according to the BLS. According to the BLS, there are also some certificate-based programs, and some colleges and hospitals offer one-year certificate programs.

Advanced education may be beneficial to allied health professionals who want to work in administration, education, or research, or even as sales representatives or consultants. Interestingly, O*NET (2020) highlights three distinct education paths for sonographers:

• 47 percent of respondents working as sonographers reported having an associate degree
• 17 percent of sonographers reported having a bachelor’s education
• 19 percent of sonographers reported having a postsecondary certificate

Students are typically required to complete some type of clinical hours as part of their program, which allows them to put their newly acquired skills and knowledge to the test in a real-world healthcare setting, often under the supervision of an experienced professional.

Prospective students in the United States should look into an accredited sonography program through the Commission on Accreditation of Allied Health Education Programs (CAAHEP), while students in South Africa should look into accredited programs listed with the South African Medical Association (SAMA).

SONOGRAPHER SPECIALIZATION

Education at or above the associate degree level can enable healthcare professionals to work in specialized areas of sonography. Some of these areas of specialization, according to the SDMS, are:

• Abdomen (AB)
• Breast (BR)
• Cardiac (AE)
• Musculoskeletal (MSK)
• Neurosonology (NE)
• Obstetrics/ gynecology (OB)
• Vascular technology (VT)

The ARDMS offers specialty exams in certifying fields such as fetal echocardiography (FE), pediatric sonography (PS), and pediatric echocardiography (PE).

According to the ARDMS, because a sonographer will see approximately 109,500 patients over the course of a 25-year career, sonographers should consider whether they prefer to work with specific patient populations, such as pediatrics, obstetrics, or other targeted patient population.

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