Radiology Help | Nuclear Medicine Technologist Schools | Ultrasound Technologist Schools | Radiology Technologist Schools

I’m not sure which career i want to go into, x-ray technician or ultrasound technician. Which is better?

I’m not sure which one I want to go into. They both sound fun and challenging, but I don’t know which one would fit me. I’m a little on the shy side, and want something that isn’t that hard of a job. What would you recommend?

Posted on December 11, 2011 at 8:52 am by radiology · Permalink
In: Ultrasound Technician Jobs · Tagged with: , , , , , , ,

7 Responses

Subscribe to comments via RSS

  1. Written by Steven D
    on December 11, 2011 at 9:34 am
    Permalink

    Both require a hands on approach. Ultra sound is safer because there’s no radiation to deal with. Also you get to see a lot of pregnant women.

  2. Written by lisa b
    on December 11, 2011 at 10:15 am
    Permalink

    I would go with ultrasound, you would probably deal with a lot of pregnant women. Plus most likely less blood, such as compound fractures, car wreck victims, etc.

  3. Written by imnickdell
    on December 11, 2011 at 10:23 am
    Permalink

    ultrasound i think x rays will be outdated soon

  4. Written by Kathy R
    on December 11, 2011 at 10:40 am
    Permalink

    I also looked into both careers. Where I live, a lot of extra school is required for becoming an ultrasonographer, so you should really check into the requirements. Ultrasound seems a lot more appealing because you aren’t exposed to radiation, but for the extra training (and the extra money that would cost), an ultrasound tech doesn’t necessarily get paid more than a radiology tech.

    Other answers keep alluding to working with pregnant women, but there is so much more to the world of ultrasound. It’s used in lots of specialties–cardiac and ophthalmology, for example–and the field is growing. There is a lot of demand for both careers.

    You really do have to interact with people, however, so I don’t know how that would work for you, and you would have to work hard. Sorry! There’s a TON of lifting and standing involved with the job.

  5. Written by sunflower16
    on December 11, 2011 at 10:58 am
    Permalink

    I’m going to go to school for Ultrasound Tech soon, and I have heard so many great things about this field! The schedules are relatively flexible and the average income is around $52,000. If you are truly having a hard time deciding, you can go to school for radiology & then enroll in a 1 yr. program for ultrasounds. In fact, many programs require that you have a background in radiology. That way you would be certified to do both, so if you decide you don’t like one or the other you have a back-up. However, there are schools that offer other options, such as an associate’s degree in sonography, which is what I will be doing (18-month program). There is also echocardiography, vascular, and other fields within ultrasound that you may want to look into.

    I would suggest doing some research for where you live & maybe go talk to a school offering a sonography program. Or, if you know someone who works where they have ultrasound techs on staff, see if they could arrange for you to meet with them just to ask some questions about how they like it & how they got into the field. Here are a few websites that may help you out:

    Ultrasound tech: http://www.bls.gov/oco/ocos273.htm
    Rad tech: http://www.bls.gov/oco/ocos105.htm

    To find an accredited program near you:
    http://www.caahep.org/Find_An_Accredited_Program.aspx

    http://www.jrcdms.org/

    Good luck!

  6. Written by Kyle B
    on December 11, 2011 at 11:40 am
    Permalink

    Depending on where you live x-ray tech is easier to get into class wise but jobs are filling up pretty fast. Also if you dont like blood and such I dont know if you would want to do that because you see it quite often. A friend of mine went through a local x-ray tech program and is making about $30 an hour which is good and now she is doing the training to be come an ultrasound tech. So you can start in x-ray and move up to UST.

  7. Written by goats g
    on December 11, 2011 at 12:09 pm
    Permalink

    Just an FYI if you are shy it might be a bit awkward to do the ultrasound thing. I have heard of people going in for an ultra sound and it being done by vaginal insertion.. I am shy myself and I know I wouldnt be comfortable doing that to a random woman, although Im guessing there are ways to get placed in a job that doesnt include that type of ultra sound ..? lol Best of luck to you though