What position in the medical field should you start at to be on your way in becoming a sonographer?
Asked by HF
I am thinking of going to school for Medical Assisting or Billing & Coding since the programs are relatively short, gain experience in a medical setting and then go back to school for sonography. Is this the best route to take without college credits or should I take another trade to reach my goal in sonography? I am changing careers

Best Answer:
The most important thing you can do to start a sonography career off right is to go to a school accredited by the Commission on Accreditation of Allied Health Education Programs (CAAHEP). You can find programs by state here: http://www.caahep.org/Find_An_Accredited_Program.aspx (look under Diagnostic Medical Sonographer). Graduating from these schools allow you to take the national certification (RDMS) immediately after graduating, which is very desirable to potential employers. Tech schools that you'll see in news paper advertisements (Sanford Brown, etc) aren't usually accredited and many people that graduate from them have trouble finding work because they aren't eligible to take the RDMS. As to what experience you need to have to get into the school, that really depends on the school itself. As far as I know, you will have to have some prerequisites: generally, Anatomy & Physiology, Intermediate Algebra, Medical Terminology, and possibly Physics. If you go to a community college (2 year), these prereqs will probably be required before you are admitted to the sonography program. If you go to a university (4 year), you may have to apply and have excellent grades and recommendations from your previous education. There are also hospital-based programs or programs that solely grant you a certification. These usually require a two-year degree in another allied health field (nursing, radiology tech, etc) or an AS or BS already in hand. Medical Assisting and Coding aren't usually directly helpful in getting into a school. In programs with wait lists, they are popular jobs to hold after finishing prereqs and while waiting for a spot to open, just to get your feet wet. They're also good jobs to get after getting rejected from a school with an application process, as it shows initiative and willingness to work in the field. But the most, most important thing to do is contact the school first, let them know how interested you are. Then you need to work on being the best applicant for their program, and that, usually, is through education, not work experience.