sonographer

I know that this is an old thread, but I just had to respond to clear up the stereotypes and misconceptions about my job. For the record, I am RDMS and RVT and I have been a sonographer for three years. As poor as nursing prospects are, I guarantee you that it's even worse for ultrasound techs. I graduated from a class of 24 from an accredited program. I am STILL, three years later, the ONLY graduate from my class with a full-time job. No. It is likely to be a two year program, with at least six months of prereqs. And there is a trend towards a bachelor's degree. ...Regular hours? What are those? Technically, I'm scheduled to work four tens, from 7:00 to 5:30. In reality? Who knows when I am getting home. There's something called "call" for ultrasound techs, and there have been nights when I have stayed at the hospital until 3 or 4 in the morning, got an hour of sleep, and then headed back to do another full day. Try frequently. Let's put it this way...if I don't document the pathology, the radiologist isn't going to see the pathology. Ultrasound is a LOT more than just taking pictures. Ha. Ha ha ha. Ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha. Okay, I've never been a nurse, so I can't comment on the stress level of a nurse. But I know, without a doubt, that you've never been a sonographer, so there is NO way you can know the level of stress of my job. Here's a typical day: I get in at 7:00 am. There are five in-patients waiting for scans, and the nurses on the floor are calling down to ask me how long I'm going to be. Then the ER is paging me. And I have a full load of outpatients. I have nurses yelling at me, patients yelling because they had to wait, and my phone is ringing off the hook all morning. Lunch? I have no idea what that is, unless you count the two minutes I run into the bathroom to empty my nearly-exploding bladder around noon. I work hard through the time I am supposed to leave (5:30). Just when I'm about to be finished and caught up two hours past the time I'm supposed to leave, the ER is paging me again. I stay, scanning patients, until 2 am. I get home. I get 30 minutes of sleep. The ER pages me again. I go back to work. I get the patient done, get another 30 minutes of sleep. My alarm goes off, and it's off to the races again, except this time I'm so bleary-eyed and out of it that I don't remember what I'm doing. And the threat of "missing something" (and the ensuing litigation) always hangs over my head. Yeah, that totally sounds low stress to me. :) Look, I don't mean to be a Debbie Downer, but seriously, if anyone in the future is asking this same question and reads this post, please, please, please, don't go on to be a sonographer (unless, of course, you love being a sleep-deprived zombie who is yelled at and abused frequently...then, by all means, go on). Your future self will thank you.