Over the years I have read many personal stories of miscarriages, and one often recurring theme is that people will often have confusing experiences with ultrasound technicians. They will recount their frustration in the stories that an ultrasound tech will have gotten a concerned look and turned the screen away, then left the room while refusing to answer questions. Naturally, the women having the miscarriages will feel confused and hurt that the ultrasound tech wouldn’t answer any questions or give information.
Ultrasound technicians are trained to perform ultrasounds, but because they are not doctors or nurses, they are not permitted to provide diagnoses—even if they can correctly identify an issue. Unlike doctors, who undergo four years of college, four years of medical school, and a residency training program, ultrasound technicians do not have a comparable medical degree.
. Ultrasound technician training can be anywhere from an 8-week certificate program to a two-year associate’s degree program, although it is possible to get your bachelor’s or master’s degree in diagnostic sonography. These varying degree programs are typically certified by the Commission on Accreditation of Allied Health Education Programs (CAAHEP). If your sonographer has the letters RDMS after their name, it means they are a registered diagnostic medical sonographer and have passed the American Registry for Diagnostic Medical Sonography (ARDMS) exam.