How does one become an ultrasound nurse and how long is the program?
Asked by Natasha M
I was wondering how you go about becoming an ultrasound nurse and perhaps how much the education costs(approximately). Also, how long do you have to go to school for it?

Best Answer:
There are RN's who work in the special procedures part of a Radiology department of a hospital. They are registered nurses with a few years hospital experience and want to work in the OR who work for radiology instead. They don't do ultra sounds. You have a separate school for that usually a 2 year associate degree program at a community college.

never heard of an ultrasound nurses. nurses or xray do them. Depends where you work and what type of ultrasounds.
Answered by wesley's

I have never heard of a ultrasound nurse either. Usually these are done by ultrasound technicians or Radiology Technologist. Usually there are Associate degree programs at certain colleges that require 2 years to complete that allow for you to work in this field. I have included a link to some information about this below. http://www.medicaltrainingdirectory.com/medical_school_guide/guideid/6.htm http://www.educationcenteronline.org/articles/Healthcare-Careers/how-to-become-an-ultrasound-technician.html
Answered by Greg D

A nurse and an ultrasound technologists are totally separate specialties. An ultrasound technologist is not trained to do what a nurse does and vice versa. When thinking about entering an ultrasound program, you need not be concerned so much about certificate vs. degree. What is important is that you go to an ACCREDITED program, whether it is college or hospital based. An accredited program allows you to take your registry (licensing) exams upon graduation. Once you get licensed, you will never be asked about your schooling again. An employer does not care what route you take to get licensed, they just want you to have that license. Don't waste your time or money on a NON-accredited program. Upon completion and graduation from a NON-accredited program, you must work in the field of sonography for a full year prior to taking your licensing examinations. But, you will have a hard time finding an employer to hire you, unless you are licensed. I would suggest you observe an imaging department to get an idea of what ultrasonographers do daily. There is much more to it than scanning pregnant women. Most people have no idea how much is involved in this career! You can find a list of accredited schools in your area, by searching "diagnostic medical sonography" and your state at the following site. There are links provided for each program, which will give you additional information (including course duration and pre-admission requirements) You would probably need to speak with the contact person at a school to find out the approximate cost of schooling: http://www.caahep.org/Find_An_Accredited_Program.aspx Many people, myself included, go to school to become a radiologic technologist, before continuing to ultrasound school. In fact, it can be difficult to get into u/s school without the RT license. There are many more choices for schools for x-ray in most states. You can find them here, by searching “radiography“ and your state: http://www.jrcert.org/cert/Search.jsp The American Society of Radiologic Technologists just did a large salary survey. You can see how much a RT and/or ultrasound technologist averaged, per year, in your state here: https://www.asrt.org/media/pdf/research/wss2007/wss07annualcompensation.pdf
Answered by Lissacal