Concerns with Job openings, Sonographer vs Nursing

[stardust5683]

So I am looking to finally finish my degree. I all but had my RN (not BSN) when life hit me sideways. Military transferred my husband, then kids, house buying... anyways things have finally settled back in and I am hoping to go back to school but nervous about my choice.

I wanted to be a nurse so bad before I had kids. Now I feel like I am such a different person that I am not sure I could handle it emotionally quite as well anymore. To top it off, I looked to transfer my credits and basically NONE of them transferred. I would pretty much be starting from scratch and that really makes me pause and want to make sure it is what I want to work towards.

My other thought was Sonography, a DMS degree. I think I would love the field and being a mother of two that has limited time in one area before military transfers, it would be a much easier degree to obtain.

My concern is the job field. Out of all the nurses I know they all say the same things, "the hospital is way understaffed, always hiring." "The hospital pays tons of overtime because it doesn't have enough nurses applying" and so on. But what's it like for a sonographer? how easy is it to get a job. I feel like nurses are needed 24/7 and tons of them in every hospital. On the other hand a doctors office needs possibly 1 sonographer and only certain doctors offices needs them. Then the hospitals need one 24/7 but possibly only on call?

I am curious if anyone knows, is there a high demand for them? Are hospitals lacking? Is the field hard too find a job in? I obviously can't move for my job since my husbands in the military, so I don't want to be sitting with a degree I can't use for 4 years straight till the next move.

TIA for your help!

[NICU Guy, BSN, RN]

On the other hand a doctors office needs possibly 1 sonographer and only certain doctors offices needs them. Then the hospitals need one 24/7 but possibly only on call?

Depending on the type of sonographer you want to pursue. There are abdominal, heart, head ultrasound techs. There are several of each type per shift in a hospital. I debated which route before choosing nursing school. I decided against ultrasound because the limited role. I couldn't see myself doing the same test every work day for the next 20 yrs. I chose nursing for the large amount of variety that I can choose from if I get burned-out of my current specialty.

[meanmaryjean, DNP, RN]

Depending on the type of sonographer you want to pursue. There are abdominal, heart, head ultrasound techs. There are several of each type per shift in a hospital. I debated which route before choosing nursing school. I decided against ultrasound because the limited role. I couldn't see myself doing the same test every work day for the next 20 yrs. I chose nursing for the large amount of variety that I can choose from if I get burned-out of my current specialty.

Also: physicians themselves often take specialty training and do their own scans in office.