There’s no two ways about it – being a sonographer/ultrasound technician pays well. If you’re interested in the allied health field and have a technical bent, this could be the position for you. Ultrasound technician salary ranges are quite attractive even at the low end. And at the high end they’re really something to write home about as the saying goes.
According to the salary statistics site salary.com, the national median (average) salary for an ultrasound technologist (technician) is $63,018.00 with lower and upper ranges of around 58 k and 70 k. Not too shabby at all.
Various factors affect where you are likely fall in this salary range. One of the main ones is education/certification. If you have completed only a less than 2 year program (often 9 to 18 months) and aren’t certified, you can expect a lower range salary. The next step up is to get a standard college degree. This is usually either an AS (Associate of Science), an AAS (Associate in Applied Science degree, or a Bachelors BS degree (Bachelor of Science or similar degree). With any of these degrees you not only qualify for better paying positions, but qualify to sit the ARDMS certification exam. The latter is a valuable credential and leads to better paid positions as well.
This raise in pay with greater education is more or less what you would expect. However there are a few surprises here. According to another demographic salary site, Payscale.com, people with Bachelors degrees do not necessarily earn more than people with Associates degrees. In fact, Associates are often favored. This may be due to the fact that Bachelors degrees often cover larger career areas of allied health fields, while 2 year Associate degrees are more focused and targeted.
Certification really plays a role. The Payscale.com figures show that those with Certificates of Completion make almost double at the top end as non-certified individuals make at the low end, even if they have degrees.
Some figures: Expressed in terms of hourly rate per credential category, certificate holders (presumably representing those with a variety of degrees) come in at the top with a range $21.99 – $40.00 hourly. Next Come the AS degrees (Rather than BS degrees as you might expect) at: $26.14 – $32.91. AAS degrees follow this with a range of $19.85 – $29.02. Then the Bachelors come in at $21.12 – $26.50. Finally there are the AA (Associate of Arts) degrees, which range in salary rate from $18.00 – $27.81. However note that the top range of this category is higher than the BS category. So it looks like an Associate’s degree might be a good approach.
Another factor affecting ultrasound technician salary ranges is experience. Payscale.com has the top salary range for 4 years experience or less at around 50k, at 5-9 years it goes up to around 70k, and 10-19 brings it up as high as 75k. Interestingly, after that it begins to drop back off, with, The type of employer – whether a hospital, private practice, company of some kind and so on affects the salary as well. Expect to make a bit less if you’re working for a hospital. Next, in terms of median salary, come private doctor practices, and finally companies. Government work – state run hospitals and so seems to make the least, they average a salary of 35 k at the least, topping off at around 60k.
Another factor to look at is geographical area. This is too specific to go over in a short article like this, but payscale.com and salary.com both have options to search averages by city and/or state. Take a look at these sites to get an idea of what you can expect as a salary in your area.
Finally, there is the ultrasound specialty itself as a salary determining factor. The higher paying fields tend to be things like vascular sonography and echocardiography as well as neurosonology. Obstetrics is also highly paid. This is fairly specific to the employer and depends a lot on local factors such as the demand in your particular geographical location.
So all in all, as you can see, the ultrasound technician salary is substantial. Take your education and work seriously and you’ll be apt to reach the higher salary levels in due time. The starting rates are already quite good, so motivation shouldn’t be too much of a problem. Just remember to really earn your high salary by being a well educated and dedicated ultrasound technologist.