Can an ultrasound technician also be an echocardiograph technician?

Question

Hi, I started thinking about what I want to do with my future and I think being an ultrasound tech would be pretty cool. I understand that Ultrasound techs deal with prenatal and pregnancies and other organs as well. I was wondering if it would be possible for someone to be both an ultrasound tech and an echocardiograph tech as well without overloading an everyday schedule? Is it possible to be able to do both careers at the same hospital/health center? And I am also looking for other information on the two career paths as well such as income, what they do, years of education required, and what I should do in high school to jump start.

Thank you so much for whatever information you provide!

Anonymous · Accepted Answer

Only if you are trained and certified in both. These are two different specialties.

＊ 阿妹＊ May * · Answer

Yes you can do both. 

My DMS program focuses on General (Abdomen & Small Parts), OB-GYN and Echo, but we learn everything. Four of my teachers are RDCS AND RDMS. Some of my clinical instructors (the sonographers I work/learn from) are RDCS and RVT.

Generally, you can't work in 2 departments at the same hospital. If it's a mutli-hospital system, then you can work at 2 locations within that health system. Or you can work at 2 completely different places. Almost all the echocardiographers I know have 2 different jobs - either only for Echo/Vascular or for Echo and General/OB-GYN. 

Minimum program is 2 years but there are some 4 year programs as well. Some programs require a prior college degree and some only require a HS diploma. You may need to take college level classes as well. (My program required a prior BA/BS and 4 college level classes).

The difference between an RDMS and an RDCS is that RDMS can focus on General, OB-GYN, Breast, Neurosonology and/or Fetal Echo. RDCS is ONLY Echo - Adult, Pediatric and/or Fetal. The only thing is that with Fetal Echo, you have to be an RDMS in OB-GYN as well. But you can definitely be both. One of my teachers is RDMS, RDCS and RVT (Vascular). Vascular is kind of funny because some General labs do Vascular studies and some don't. In some hospitals Vascular is separate from General and Echo and in some, it's combined with Echo and is called Cardiovascular.

Not all high schools give the same science classes. I know at my high school there wasn't an Anatomy & Physiology class - which is one of the classes you need. The other class would be Physics. So if you take Physics, that will help you. But when you get into the DMS/Echo/CVT program, the Physics will be Ultrasound Physics, not General. 

Income varies based on experience, location/area of the facility and what kind of facility it is. And of course, it also depends on if you're FT, PT or per diem. Average is about $45,000 - 70,000 (last I checked). Some sonographers make more, some make less.

Anonymous · Answer

Yes its very possible.

Can an ultrasound technician also be an echocardiograph technician?

3 Answers