Ultrasound Technician Job Description: Duties, Template & Pay (2026)
An ultrasound technician, properly called a diagnostic medical sonographer, uses ultrasound equipment to produce images of organs, blood vessels and pregnancies, checks the images are good enough for a diagnosis and passes preliminary findings to the interpreting physician. Employers often require or prefer a sonography credential, and some states require a license. This page has an ultrasound technician job description template, the credential and license picture, what to require, interview questions and 2025 BLS pay data.
What an ultrasound technician does
A sonographer performs the exam from start to finish: reviewing the order and history, positioning the patient, choosing the right transducer and settings, capturing the images and measurements the protocol calls for, and recognizing when something abnormal needs extra views or an immediate call to the radiologist or physician. The physician interprets the study, but the quality of the diagnosis depends on what the sonographer captured.
BLS publishes figures for diagnostic medical sonographers (SOC 29-2032), and all pay and employment numbers on this page are for that occupation. “Ultrasound technician” and “ultrasound tech” are the titles candidates search for, so use them in the posting alongside the formal title.
Ultrasound technician duties
- Review orders and patient history, and explain the exam to the patient
- Prepare and position the patient, and prepare the equipment and exam room
- Perform ultrasound exams to department protocol, selecting transducers and adjusting settings for image quality
- Capture the required images, measurements and Doppler studies
- Recognize normal and abnormal findings, and extend the exam when the protocol allows
- Give the interpreting physician a preliminary summary, and report urgent findings immediately
- Document the exam and send images to the PACS or reporting system
- Clean and disinfect transducers and equipment between patients, including high-level disinfection for internal probes
- Maintain equipment and report faults
- Follow patient identification, infection control and safety procedures
Credentials and licensing
BLS lists an associate's degree as the typical entry-level education and notes that “Some diagnostic medical sonographers need a state-issued license,” and that employers “may require or prefer” professional certification. In practice, certification is what employers commonly ask for.
- RDMS (Registered Diagnostic Medical Sonographer), awarded through ARDMS. It requires the Sonography Principles and Instrumentation (SPI) exam plus one specialty exam, such as abdomen (AB), breast (BR) or obstetrics and gynecology (OB/GYN).
- RDCS (Registered Diagnostic Cardiac Sonographer) for echocardiography roles.
- RVT (Registered Vascular Technologist) for vascular roles.
- RMSKS (Registered Musculoskeletal Sonographer) for musculoskeletal roles.
Credential details are on the ARDMS / Inteleos RDMS page. Other bodies also certify sonographers, so write the requirement as “RDMS or equivalent” unless your accreditation or payer contracts name a specific credential. Some states license sonographers; check your state's medical imaging or radiation control board before you post. This is general information, not legal advice.
Ultrasound technician job description template
Copy this into your ATS or job board, replace the bracketed fields and delete what does not apply. It is written for a general sonographer in a hospital or imaging center; the section on specialties below covers echo, vascular and OB roles.
Job title
Ultrasound Technician / Diagnostic Medical Sonographer, [Facility name], [City, ST]
Summary
[Facility name] is hiring an ultrasound technician for our [hospital imaging department / outpatient imaging center]. You will perform [general, OB/GYN and vascular] ultrasound exams, capture diagnostic-quality images and work closely with our radiologists. We do about [number] exams a day on [number] machines.
[Schedule, e.g. four 10-hour shifts, rotating weekends, call [x] nights a month]. [Pay range]. [One sentence on what is good about working here: new equipment, reasonable exam times, supportive radiologists.]
What you will do
• Perform [abdominal, OB/GYN, small parts, vascular] ultrasound exams to department protocol
• Review orders and history, explain exams and position patients
• Capture required images, measurements and Doppler studies
• Give radiologists preliminary findings and report urgent findings immediately
• Document exams and send images to [PACS system]
• Clean and disinfect probes and equipment to policy
• [Take call for emergency department and inpatient exams]
What you need
• Graduate of a diagnostic medical sonography program [accredited by CAAHEP, if you require it]
• [RDMS in abdomen and OB/GYN, or equivalent] [or registry-eligible, with credential within [x] months of hire]
• [RVT, if vascular is part of the role]
• [State license, if your state requires one]
• [BLS / CPR]
• Able to stand, reach and move patients and equipment through a full shift
Nice to have
• [Number] years of experience in [hospital / outpatient] ultrasound
• Additional credentials in [breast, vascular, musculoskeletal]
• Experience with [equipment brand or PACS]
What we offer
• [Pay range], [shift and call differentials]
• [Sign-on or relocation, if offered]
• [Credential exam fees and CE paid]
• [Benefits and the eligibility date]
• [Ergonomic equipment, scheduled exam times]
How to apply
[One step. Say who will call, and how soon.]
Requirements: what to ask for, and what to drop
| Requirement | What to know |
|---|---|
| Sonography program | Keep it. It is the standard route to the credential and to the skills. |
| Credential at hire | Require it for independent work and call. Consider “registry-eligible” for new graduates if you can supervise them, with a deadline to credential. |
| Specialty credentials | Require only the ones the job uses every week. Listing every specialty as required shrinks the pool for no benefit. |
| State license | Required where your state licenses sonographers. Name the license in the posting. |
| Years of experience | Useful for call, solo coverage and specialty work. For daytime roles with other sonographers on site, a new graduate may be a good hire. |
| Physical demands | State them plainly. Scanning involves sustained reaching and pressure, and many experienced sonographers ask about ergonomics. |
Ultrasound technician job description by specialty and setting
General sonographer
The template above: abdomen, pelvis, OB, small parts and often vascular. Most hospital roles are general and include call.
OB/GYN sonographer
Maternal-fetal medicine practices, OB offices and women's imaging centers. Require the OB/GYN specialty, and describe the patient volume and the kind of scans (routine anatomy scans, high-risk, early pregnancy).
Echocardiographer (cardiac sonographer)
Cardiology practices and hospital echo labs. Require the RDCS or equivalent, and say whether the role includes stress echo, transesophageal assists or pediatric echo.
Vascular technologist
Vascular labs and surgery practices. Require the RVT or equivalent, and list the core exams (carotid, venous, arterial).
Outpatient imaging center vs hospital
Outpatient roles usually have scheduled exams and no call; hospital roles add emergency and inpatient work, portable exams and nights or weekends. Lead with the schedule in either case, because it is often what decides the move.
Traveling and PRN sonographers
Short-term and per diem sonographers fill vacation and volume gaps. Be exact about the specialties you need covered and whether call is included.
What ultrasound technicians earn
Diagnostic medical sonographers had a median wage of $96,590 a year, or $46.44 an hour, in May 2025. The lowest 10 percent earned less than $67,820 and the highest 10 percent more than $129,370.
BLS reports these May 2025 medians by industry:
- Outpatient care centers: $127,940
- Hospitals; state, local and private: $97,390
- Offices of physicians: $95,220
- Medical and diagnostic laboratories: $87,580
BLS counted 92,200 diagnostic medical sonographers in 2025 and projects employment to grow 14 percent by 2035, much faster than average, with about 6,000 openings a year. Check pay in local postings before you set a range, and add call pay and shift differentials to the comparison.
Interview questions for an ultrasound technician
These six questions test technical judgment, patient care and how the candidate handles pressure. Pair them with a practical scan or image review if you can.
1. Walk me through how you scan a right upper quadrant for gallbladder disease.
A good answer is organized: patient prep, positioning, the views and measurements the protocol calls for, how they document findings such as stones or wall thickening. Adapt the question to the specialty you are hiring.
2. You find something unexpected and possibly urgent during an exam. What do you do?
Listen for finishing the images needed to document it, not sharing a diagnosis with the patient, and contacting the radiologist or ordering physician right away according to policy.
3. A patient asks you during an OB scan whether the baby is okay. How do you answer?
Strong candidates are warm and honest without interpreting: they explain that the physician will review the images and discuss results. This tests scope of practice and patient communication together.
4. How do you get diagnostic images on a patient who is hard to scan?
Good answers mention positioning changes, different transducers, settings, breathing instructions and knowing when to note limitations. It shows real hands-on experience.
5. How do you protect your body over a long shift?
Sonographers who have thought about ergonomics talk about table and monitor height, arm support, varying positions and breaks. It is a sign of someone who will stay in the job.
6. Our call schedule is [describe it]. How does that work for you?
Ask it directly. It is better to learn now that call does not fit than after the offer is accepted.
What it costs to reach an ultrasound technician
Sonographers fall in the allied health / imaging role family. In our 2026 Social Job Advertising Benchmark it ran a median cost per applicant of $54.37 on Meta, with the middle half of campaigns between $10.27 and $106.51, a blended figure of $25.49 and a 10 percent apply rate. The healthcare and senior living sector as a whole ran a $15.42 median, and the all-role median is $13.88. Cost per applicant is not cost per hire.
That wide band is the point: credentialed candidates abandon long forms, and apply rate explains 70 percent of the variation in cost per applicant across the benchmark. Ask only the disqualifiers, such as credential and specialty, on a short mobile form, then call the same day.
Staffing the rest of imaging? See the radiology technologist, radiologist, medical assistant and registered nurse job descriptions, and healthcare recruiting for the hiring side.
The job description is not the job ad
The template is the document for your files and accreditation. The ad has to reach a sonographer who already has a job and gets recruiter messages often.
- Lead with schedule and call, pay, and the time allowed per exam.
- Name the specialties and credentials in the first lines so the wrong candidates do not apply.
- Mention equipment and ergonomics if they are good. Sonographers notice.
- On Facebook and Instagram, employment ads run under Meta's special ad category, which requires at least a 15-mile radius and does not allow targeting by age, gender or ZIP code. For a scarce credential that radius is rarely a limit; the copy does the filtering.
More on the ad itself is in healthcare job ad templates and healthcare recruiting strategies.
Frequently asked questions
What does an ultrasound technician do?
An ultrasound technician, or diagnostic medical sonographer, performs ultrasound exams: reviewing the order, positioning the patient, choosing the transducer and settings, capturing the images and measurements the protocol requires, and giving the interpreting physician preliminary findings. They also document exams, report urgent findings and clean equipment between patients.
What should an ultrasound technician job description include?
An ultrasound technician job description should name the setting, the exam types and specialties, and the daily volume. List duties, the sonography education and credentials required (such as RDMS with the relevant specialty), any state license, schedule and call, physical demands, the pay range and one simple way to apply.
Is an ultrasound technician the same as a sonographer?
Yes. Ultrasound technician and ultrasound tech are common job titles for diagnostic medical sonographers, the occupation BLS reports on. Use both in your posting: the formal title for accuracy and the common one because it is what many candidates search for.
What certification does an ultrasound technician need?
Employers often require or prefer a credential. The RDMS from ARDMS requires the Sonography Principles and Instrumentation exam plus a specialty exam such as abdomen or OB/GYN. Cardiac and vascular roles use the RDCS and RVT. Some states also require a license, so check your state board.
How much do ultrasound technicians make?
Diagnostic medical sonographers had a median wage of $96,590 a year, or $46.44 an hour, in May 2025, according to BLS. By industry, the median was $127,940 in outpatient care centers, $97,390 in hospitals and $95,220 in physician offices. Add call pay and differentials when comparing offers.
Do ultrasound technicians need a license?
Only in some states. BLS notes that some diagnostic medical sonographers need a state-issued license. Check your state's medical imaging or radiation control board before posting, and name the license in the job description if it applies. Where no license exists, the credential is what employers screen for.
What education does an ultrasound technician need?
BLS lists an associate's degree as the typical entry-level education for diagnostic medical sonographers. Most sonographers complete a diagnostic medical sonography program, which prepares them for the credential exams. Some come from other imaging professions, such as radiography, and add sonography training later in their careers.
Should I hire a new graduate sonographer?
Yes, if you can supervise them. Many employers hire registry-eligible graduates and set a deadline to earn the credential. Avoid putting a new graduate on solo call, and pair them with experienced sonographers for the first months. Say in the posting whether new graduates are welcome.
What interview questions should I ask an ultrasound technician?
Ask them to walk through a standard exam protocol, what they do with an unexpected urgent finding, how they answer a patient who asks for results, how they image a difficult patient, how they protect their body over a shift and how the call schedule fits their life. A practical scan is even better.
How much does it cost to recruit an ultrasound technician?
On Meta, the allied health and imaging role family in Boostpoint's 2026 benchmark ran a median of $54.37 per applicant, with the middle half of campaigns between $10.27 and $106.51 and a 10 percent apply rate. That is cost per applicant, not cost per hire.
Related job descriptions
Hiring ultrasound technicians?
The description is the document. Getting it in front of credentialed sonographers near your facility is the part we do.
Wage, employment and projection data for diagnostic medical sonographers (SOC 29-2032): U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Outlook Handbook, Diagnostic Medical Sonographers, last modified 27 August 2026. Wages are May 2025 OEWS. Credential requirements from ARDMS / Inteleos. Cost-per-applicant and apply-rate figures: Boostpoint 2026 Social Job Advertising Benchmark, 891 managed campaigns and 1,334 campaign-months. General information, not legal advice. Read at source 24 September 2026.