Conducting diagnostic and screening ultrasound examinations.
Occupational Profile
This occupation is found in the health sector and includes the NHS and private healthcare providers working in hospitals and clinics.
The broad purpose of the occupation is to conduct diagnostic and screening ultrasound examinations. Ultrasound is the use of highly specialised scanning equipment to create echoes of high-frequency sound waves that can be bounced off body tissues. The echoes are then converted into an image called a sonogram. Ultrasound imaging allows an inside view of soft tissues and the body, to examine anatomy and identify problems. Sonographers perform and report a wide range of clinical ultrasound examinations within a defined area of practice. They undertake scans which may include but are not limited to cancer detection, women’s health and pregnancy, abdominal, vascular and musculoskeletal examinations, although their individual scope of practice can be wide and varied. It requires extremely good hand-eye coordination, spatial awareness and excellent interpersonal skills.
In their daily work, an employee in this occupation interacts with patients, their carers, members of the public and a range of healthcare professionals, e.g. doctors, midwives, nurses and radiographers. The sonographer will be competent to practice independently in this discipline but will work as part of a wider clinical team. They are independent professional practitioners responsible for managing their own work and for a wide range of specialist ultrasound scanning equipment and resources. They typically report to advanced practitioners, and may supervise healthcare assistants and clinical support workers.
Summary of Standard
https://www.instituteforapprenticeships.org/apprenticeship-standards/sonographer-degree/
Full Standard
