Jobs in Echocardiography

Hi I was wondering if anyone knows of any echo externship opportunities in the Chicago area??? Or any places that would be willing to do an externship? I am actively looking for a echo job but I would feel more comfortable working in an externship first since I just graduated this December. So anyone that can help please....it would be much appreciated!!!

Jill Paterson in Homewood, Illinois said: Hi I was wondering if anyone knows of any echo externship opportunities in the Chicago area??? Or any places that would be willing to do an externship? I am actively looking for a echo job but I would feel more comfortable working in an externship first since I just graduated this December. So anyone that can help please....it would be much appreciated!!!

Hi Jill,

Just curious, did you find a job? I'm in NW suburbs of Chicago and thinking about echo or DMS school. Are there many echo jobs in Chicago?

Laura in Rolling Meadows, Illinois said: Hi Jill,

Just curious, did you find a job? I'm in NW suburbs of Chicago and thinking about echo or DMS school. Are there many echo jobs in Chicago?

I did actually. I would definitely go to an accredited school though. It would be easier to find a job. Theres a lot of jobs but every job wants you to have experience. In an accredited program you get some of the experience jobs are looking for.

aprilecho09 in Doylestown, Pennsylvania said: hello,
I am an Echo Tech that just graduated from Thomas jefferson University with a degree in cardiac sonography. I am looking for any job in the field just to get my foot in the door. If anyone knows anybody hiring in the philadelphia area let me know.

Hi aprilecho09:
How is your job hunting?I happened to see your posting and I am very interested in it.I am eager to know the echo job market in Philadelphia area because I will go to the same program as you in Jefferson this coming fall.I appreciate any information you give me.

The days of Echo are over. Supply is way more than demand and the government is at war with health care specialties, especially cardiology imaging.

Hi i just passed the ardms spi, I was wondering if there were any good places to find a job with little experience. Graduated from West Coast Ultrasound

Hi,I am going to be taking the SPI soon can you please tell me anything you remember thank you

Barbara in Easton, Maryland said: Joan,
For starting Echo technicians is 55,000 starting, then it goes up to around 70,000. Now when you finish Echo school, then you ARE, yes you ARE going to get the Vascular section done then you will be in the pay range of $90,000 to 100,000 dollar range.

I love echo and it to me is more fasinating then the other two modalites, but it is your choice in what ever you want to do.

Take care and stay safe
Barbara

i wanna know where this 100,000 pay scale is, because i do echo and vascular and I make 20.85 an hour in south carolina. where are these tech's getting 70-100,000 a year? i know of wonderful tech's that have 10 + yrs exp, echo and vascular ARDMS reg, and only make 30 an hour

Maryland

hello
i am michael nicolas from the philippines. i am a graduate of hb calleja center for cardiovascular sonography. i have a certificate as echo and vascular tech. can anyone help me find a job in the u.s.

thanks

too many schools, no jobs.

www.change.org/petitions/view/tell_the_obama_administration_we_need_more_protection_from_for-profit_education_rip-offs

tell the goverment about preditory schools cost, sign this only a few more signatures, spread the word!

Jo Ann in Houston, Texas said: I am considering the Echocardiography program. Can I get some feedback from anyone in this profession.

Thanks,
Jo Ann Klapat

Hello. I just graduated from a cardiovascular program. I really enjoy the field and there is great potential. I would just make sure that the school you go to has a good reputation. I went to Sanford Brown College in Dallas, TX. I found out too late that , while it is a good program, the school is apparently known for just taking people's money and not helping find jobs upon graduation. Again, I was more than ready for my registry exams, but the school's rep was a big setback. Employers WILL look at the school you attended, so really do your research. Good luck!!

Do not get into this field. It is too saturated and jobs are very hard to come by, especially if you live in the south. There are too many schools teaching this and the candidates outnumber the jobs. I have been in echo/vascular for about 5 years now and I have been looking for a new job closer to my house for over three years. The are no available positions. Just giving you a heads up. If you really want to get into ultrasound go for abdominal, not echo. Even abdominal ultrasound jobs are hard to find but not as bad as echo.

Echo, Vascular as well as Cath jobs are no longer feasable career opportunities. Schools are in business to make money and have you sign on the dotted line.

JC

nola said: Do not get into this field. It is too saturated and jobs are very hard to come by, especially if you live in the south. There are too many schools teaching this and the candidates outnumber the jobs. I have been in echo/vascular for about 5 years now and I have been looking for a new job closer to my house for over three years. The are no available positions. Just giving you a heads up. If you really want to get into ultrasound go for abdominal, not echo. Even abdominal ultrasound jobs are hard to find but not as bad as echo.

I TOTALLY agree with Nola's post!!! DON'T DO IT!!! I spent three years in total working on bridgeups to the actual echo program....garduated with a 3.98 and had my RDCS credentials within 40 days of graduation....and NO JOB!!!! EVERYONE that has postions WANTS EXPERIENCE, including my own clinical site who now has an opening. If you do not have a job guarantee before starting this field...DON'T DO IT!!!! The education is not as important as the ABILITY TO SCAN QUICKLY (at least 8-9 echos per day)!!! and do TEE's and Stress echos. I'm here to tell you, those skills CANNOT be mastered to the markets requirmenst while in the clinical setting...I WISH I HAD NEVER TAKEN THIS CAREER PATH!!!!

Echo in Concord, North Carolina said: The days of Echo are over. Supply is way more than demand and the government is at war with health care specialties, especially cardiology imaging.

Hey Concord, I am Charlotte and couldn't agree more! Where did you go to school and when did you graduate?

Lalae in Los Angeles, California said: "echo starts out 55,000?" seriously?? Where did you get this information from? I personally started out nowhere near that number! I have had several offers in Texas and the pay range with experience is anywhere from 21-28 an hour. Most echo sites also require you to have an experience in vascular. Cardiologist are some of the cheapest docs out there... They dont care If you have rvt! They just want to make a grand off of a carotid due to a "bruit". I remember my instructors telling us in school to expect atleast 25/hr as a new grad- this is soooo wrong! No one in my class started close to 25/hr. It is wrong of you to tell this girl that she can look
forward to a six figure salary with dual registries when it simply is extremely rare for this to happen. Are you a member of sdms? Have you seen the tiny percentage of techs that make 100,000?

In closing- i am rdcs/rvt/rdms(FE) with a few years experience whose hometown is in texas and i can assure you that thinking you will earn 80,000 even 55,000 starting out is completely WRONG. Get into US because you are passionate about the field- not for the money.

Well, I work at a hospital in the philadelphia area in echo and I make 32.00 hr. You can find jobs at a higher pay. Docters offices I noticed pay around 24-28hr. I think it depends on your region and where you went to school. I went to Jefferson University and most of the graduates from my program make somewhere between 28 and 34hr. It is bachelor program and they only have 13 students in the echo program. Not trying to debate... just saying, higher paying jobs are out there.

M10 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania said: Hi aprilecho09:
How is your job hunting?I happened to see your posting and I am very interested in it.I am eager to know the echo job market in Philadelphia area because I will go to the same program as you in Jefferson this coming fall.I appreciate any information you give me.

I found a job in the philadelphia region. The job market is very saturated so start applying asap. Mail your resume out everywhere!!!( the spring before you graduate). Leave with good connections from jeff..yes the fact that you go to that school does matter. It is money well spent. All of the professors are great there and if you need help or a reference getting a job dont be afraid to ask. They are more than helpful and only want the best for you. It was a great experience there..I wish you luck : )

Hi Furlong

Did you start at $32?

For everyone that is considering this field I have to tell you the truth. THERE ARE NO JOBS DO NOT GET INTO THIS FIELD OF WORK! I have been in this line of work for a while, dont do it! You are wasting your money this occupation is saturated dont do it! For everyone that lives in Louisiana DO NOT DO IT! If you were born and raised in Louisiana and want to stay, I would suggest another line of work. There is a school in Baton Rouge that I would not recommend going to. You will not find a job unless the actual school / company hires you,and if you do get hired you will make next to nothing in terms of salary. Just a heads up; Good luck...........

Hi echo tech in Furlong:

Thank you very much for your valuable informantion and suggestions.This is what I really would like to know.Thanks again!

gcgillmann in chareston, South Carolina said: i wanna know where this 100,000 pay scale is, because i do echo and vascular and I make 20.85 an hour in south carolina. where are these tech's getting 70-100,000 a year? i know of wonderful tech's that have 10 + yrs exp, echo and vascular ARDMS reg, and only make 30 an hour

They are in Arizona.

Lalae in Los Angeles, California said: "echo starts out 55,000?" seriously?? Where did you get this information from? I personally started out nowhere near that number! I have had several offers in Texas and the pay range with experience is anywhere from 21-28 an hour. Most echo sites also require you to have an experience in vascular. Cardiologist are some of the cheapest docs out there... They dont care If you have rvt! They just want to make a grand off of a carotid due to a "bruit". I remember my instructors telling us in school to expect atleast 25/hr as a new grad- this is soooo wrong! No one in my class started close to 25/hr. It is wrong of you to tell this girl that she can look
forward to a six figure salary with dual registries when it simply is extremely rare for this to happen. Are you a member of sdms? Have you seen the tiny percentage of techs that make 100,000?

In closing- i am rdcs/rvt/rdms(FE) with a few years experience whose hometown is in texas and i can assure you that thinking you will earn 80,000 even 55,000 starting out is completely WRONG. Get into US because you are passionate about the field- not for the money.

I am RDCS. I need to learn carotid doppler.without gettin RVT.what is your suggestion?

Hi echocardiographer
I am a RDCS.I need to get experience in the field of carotid doppler .I do not want VRT.How can I get it?

excuse me I mean RVT

Can anyone recommend a school for echo or vascular ultrasound. I live in birmingham alabama and cannot find much. I found Virginia college but the reviews are not good. I dont think they are accredited. Any help would be greatly appreciated. Thanks James

Benneth in Oakland, California said: Pls. i am considering going into Echocardiography, although i already had my Bachelors degree in another field. I am looking into a school that is not accredited but the admissions personnel told me that as long as i already had my Bachelors i will be able to take my Board exam immediately after graduation.
Secondly I want to know whether going to a school that is not yet accredited will hurt me in the nearest future even though i already had a Bachelors degree , eventualy i am planning to go for my MBA in Healthcare Management after the Echo Board exam.
Secondly i am considering making a choice between Nursing and Echocardiography, but for some reasons i am leaning towards Echo. right now i am a bit undecided, can somebody help throw more light on the job prospects of Echocardiography and Nursing.

If you go to the ARDMS.org website, they will answer most of your questions. You will need to do clinical hours to sit for the registry and there are 2 parts, a physics and the specialty. Check the "Care Bill", which is a bill to make it a law that all ultrasound techs have to be registered. As for the job market, the field is saturated with ultrasound techs and what ever is available is usually perdium. Ob/gyn and pediatric echo has more job openings. Check out some of the employment availability and you will also see that an approved
accredited program is a must. As for salary, its based on several factors. One is insurance reimbursement and lab accredidation. If the
institution you work for doesn't get paid enough to pay a good salary.
Don't be fooled by what you see for salary, there are alot of factors, for example office may pay per case but you work on a 1099, meaning you pay your taxes and no benfits. If you work in a hospital, salary is less but you get steady raises and benefits, but you may also be on call and work holidays like nursing. Hope this helped -
Good luck

I am a Nuclear Medicine Technologist thinking about going to Jefferson University in philadelphia for Echo. What did you think about the program and how is the job market?

Echo is heading towards the same direction as Nuclear Med..be forwarned..

Alot of schools popping up everywhere..there's less full/part work and more PRN....

and to ALL the Echo techs out there.."PROTECT YOUR FIELD" before it heads into the same direction as Nuclear Medicine

I agree, this field is overheated! This is my third time commenting on this forum and my message still stands. DO NOT GET INTO THIS FIELD OF WORK, THERE ARE NO JOBS. DO NOT WASTE YOUR TIME OR MONEY

I agree! Don't do it...no FT opportunities and the PT work is overwhelmed with applicants. It's a waste of a good education and two years time!

Each hospital in the country has 2000 to maybe 5000 nurses. 

Each hospital in the country has between 3 and 6 echo techs. 

Each state is pumping out 30 to 60 or more new echo techs per year. 

There are not any jobs. 

1or 2 jobs might pop up once in a while, but those go to the experienced echo techs that are already working as echo techs. 

Schools are charging as much as $30,000 with no guarantee of finding their students jobs. 

Echo techs at clinical sites are tired of all of the students and feel sorry for them.  They know that 95 to 99% of them will never find jobs.

To prospective echo students:
Go into nursing.  The pay will start between 30 and 50,000.  But their are many opportunities for advancement into management, administration, nurse clinician, physicians assistant, and many more. 
Get your experience in the intensive care units and the ER and continue going to school, which the hospital you work at will probably pay for. 

Bottom line: all of echo and ultrasound are flooded and there are no jobs
experiment: search the internet throughout the entire country and find an echo job anywhere. 
Call the hospital and ask to speak to the lead echo tech or echo supervisor.  Tell that person that you plan to go to echo school and spend $30,000 and you would like to know if there was any chance that they would hire you.  Ask if they have hired any recent students or if they would hire you now if you were already a graduate of an echo school. 

gcgillmann in chareston, South Carolina said: i wanna know where this 100,000 pay scale is, because i do echo and vascular and I make 20.85 an hour in south carolina. where are these tech's getting 70-100,000 a year? i know of wonderful tech's that have 10 + yrs exp, echo and vascular ARDMS reg, and only make 30 an hour

I do know tech's make that salary range as "travelers". Also, I know that the westcoast - from talking with other tech's- seems to pay more than most other geographical areas.

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