r/Sonographers

Hello all! I have a scanning interview next week at Kaiser for a per diem registry position and I was wondering what to expect in terms of types of ultrasounds I should know. They were adamant that I know OBGYN which I definitely do. But any and all advice about being a sonographer at Kaiser would be most helpful thank you!

Hey guys! I’m a CVS student and we’re learning subcostal view in lab right now. I was wondering if there were any tips I could use when scanning? So far it’s been rough to say the least and I’m having to press down very hard on my classmates to get an image. Is it it like this too in the real-world? I would feel so bad leaving bruises on my patients😔

I'm trying to begin to study for my OB registry but I feel so lost I don't know where to start. I currently have the penny book and I've seen lots of mixed reviews about MUT & URR. Any tips/recommendations would really be appreciated!

Hi, I have my SPI in two days and I am currently getting 90s on Prepry, high 70 on URR , and doing pretty well on Davies questions. Would u say that I am well prepared/ will pass the SPI?
Thank you!!!
Any tips welcome☺️☺️

hey everyone,

just passed my OBGYN ARDMS yesterday. does anyone know when/ how long they sent the credential on the website. I want it to reorganize my resume and add it... thanks !

hi FT OBGYN sonographer here

(sorry if this is kinda all over the place)

i work at an outpatient clinic. im currently 27 weeks pregnant FTM. we have had four different managers in the last year. our current manager is the absolute worst. she is in her 70s and came out of retirement for this position. she is very rude and unprofessional when talking to staff. she gets extremely defensive when you try to come and talk to her about problems.

at the beginning of the year we had three PRNs. two of the three are pregnant as well. one is due any minute and other due in july. the only PRN that was not pregnant also did MA work at our office. she quit in Feb and our manager knew she wouldnt have coverage for my leave. the PRN who is due so soon isnt sure if she will come back to work after baby gets here. other pregnant PRN is also FT at our hospital and works 7 on 7 off third shift. she will be out for a large portion of my leave and even when she comes back position at hospital trumps PRN. manager still hasnt found any coverage for my leave (she acts like its my responsibility but like wtf can i even do?) so anyways like i stated above im 27 weeks pregnant. i have been saving what little PTO i get since i found out i was pregnant. (not even 4 hours a pay period) a few weeks ago i emailed her and told her when my last day would be july 27th and my induction date is 8/11. **yes i know many sonographers work until they give birth but i genuinley DO NOT want to do that. i want to prioritize my health. ive had heart rate issues and it makes it hard on me to keep up with our busy schedule. i got a lot of shit on FB when posting on the sonographer page about not wanting to work myself into delivery. my schedule has 13 available slots. its just a lot on me. ** so originally my manager just said "okay thats fine" and then the next week she asked me if i had coverage for my maternity leave and i just straight up said no bc thats the truth? so then she comes to my room later and talks to me about how if i use my PTO i wont get paid befoee short term disability sets in and i said i know im choosing this. it just felt like she was trying to talk me out of it. well next day i have already clocked out and was about to leave and she told me to come to her office. she had her manager in there with her. this woman introduced herself to me. 🙃 i told her "ive worked here for three years. i know who you are" well anyways so they proceed to tell me that im not allowed to take 8 days off before my induction (little less than two weeks. our office is mon-thurs) and i got upset and started crying. they told me they knew HR said i could but i had to have manager approval but i didnt. they are willing to let me take three days off the week before. they said MAYBE i can work half days the week before. i expressed how upset i was and the manager above manager said "yes i get upset when i dont get my way too" i also expressed i dont want to work myself into labor and i dont want to be stressed out at the end and that my job is HARD bc it is!! well they said again no one can take that much time off and if they let me they would have to let anyone take that time off (not in company handbook- clinic owned by hopsital) so then they said anything else you want to talk about? i said no bc i clearly have no say or choice. then my manager brought up the fact she thinks im difficult to have conversations with- im not. ive never had complaints even from providers. ive brought up issues over housekeepimg and she didnt like it. (housekeeping even stole spray deoderant out of my room and she said well they clearly needed it) shes just making it out like im a problem in her managers eyes. im not stupid. they brought up if i get note from OB (which i use one in office) i would have to start FMLA early and not get full 12 weeks after birth and cannot use pto on back half. they suggested i take time off around christmas since itll be my babies first christmas.

well anyways now they are trying to overbook me constantly. make me have more 13 pts and said i dont get a say if i can have more or not.

i genuinely dont know what to do. i feel like im being bullied. my husband keeps pushing me to look for jobs and tell them i cant start until november. i cannot quit before the baby. i need the insurance, FMLA, and i get a discount at hospital. i am so unhappy and stressed out. im so worried i will out myself into early labor the further along i get.

any advice? again i know many sonographers work themselves into labor (literally bc many commented and said that on FB post) but its OKAY for me to not want that for myself.

would anyone even hire me if i apply and say i cant work until my leave is up?

I graduated in summer of 2024 and I did clinicals and schooling in Florida. Right after graduation, I moved to Kansas and then Oklahoma after I met my current boyfriend and got pregnant. Since then, getting an ultrasound job has been difficult. I did work at planned parenthood, but got let go because of work cuts. That’s a whole different situation. Since then, I’ve worked as a front desk rep trying to save up everything I have for my kid coming but also for my exams to get registered cause anymore, they won’t hire you anywhere without your SPI. I want advice. Is it too late for me? Should I try something different?? This will also be my third time taking my SPI and I’m working really hard to pass this time. Every single resource I have and can afford I’m using.

I’ve failed the ARRT twice now. But unfortunately I didn’t know about the 3 year rule so I am outside the window. I heard if you get your bachelors even after graduating that you can skip ARRT and go sit for ARDMS. is this true? And other tips or routes would be appreciated. Feeling so defeated

I was let go from my first ultrasound job in peds. I struggled with vascular exams and speed, even though I felt like I had really improved in other areas, especially abdominal. I guess it just wasn't enough. I’m disappointed and discouraged, and honestly I don’t know what to do next as far as work. I’m trying to remain positive, but I can’t help wondering if this will affect my chances of getting hired elsewhere this field is so tough. I guess I'm wondering if this is the end of the road for me.

I took the exam today and failed. I got 538.

There were a bunch of questions on Ribs, Biopsy, Liver Transplants, Breasts, and other things that were not covered in the 14 URR click-and-learn exams or the Red Penny book Quesions. I also did a bunch of Quizlets and still I was staring at those questions like WTF!!!!

I'm really disappointed because all the other questions that I know, I got them right. What other material should I study ? My URR expires today and I don't think I want to renew it. I don't want this to happen to me again and I'm faced with a bunch of questions I've never seen before in my life.

I'd really appreciate help with resources to study from.

We might be relocating to north Florida and I was wondering if there’s any techs from that area that can weigh in. Looking at Fort Walton Beach, Destin, etc. When I searched on google I wasn’t sure how accurate they were because they definitely weren’t accurate for Orlando 😂

Hello! I’m looking for salary advice if anyone has any input.

For context - I’m a registered sonographer in Echo and Vascular. I have 6 years experience in the field scanning general abdominal, OB/gyn, echo and vascular. It has been 2 years since I was last given a raise, my boss says that I am making above average pay for someone in my position and that it will be another 2 years until I’m eligible for a pay increase. I work in Oklahoma and make 33$ an hour. My facility
Is privately owned so they can make the rules on how much they are paying staff. Does anyone know if it would be worth it to pursue another position where I could negotiate a higher salary or is my boss right and I should be content with what I make now? I am generally happy at my current facility and getting another job wouldn’t be ideal but I need to put my financial security first. Any advice?

I’m a new grad and I start my job next week! I’m getting new shoes and would like to see if anyone has some recommendations!

Throughout my clinical rotations, I’ve seen a lot of On Clouds, Hokas, Adidas, and New Balance. I would be interested in any of those, if anyone has specific styles in those brands. Also open to any other brands!

TIA!

Hi everyone,

So I recently finished the ultrasound physics course and am planning to take the SPI sometime next month. However, I am so overwhelmed with the amount of study materials to use, that I end up not studying very effectively.

The resources I have are ‘Examination Review for Ultrasound: Sonographic Principles & Instrumentation’ by Penny and Fox which has online interactive quizzes, the green Edelman book, flashcards my professor made for our physics course, my notes from class, and was planning to use Prepry as i’ve heard good things about it.

Given all these sources, which would you pick and why? We used the Penny Fox book in class and it seemed good, but would Edelman be better for the SPI?? Thank you guys!!!

Will I be able to get a job if I’m not registered? I have my SPI. I’m taking my abdomen exam soon, and I’m really scared that I might fail. If I fail, I’ll have to wait two months to retake it. I’m afraid that I’ll lose my scanning skills.

I don't have plans to switch jobs anytime soon, but I've been scanning for almost 16 years and some days I'm in P A I N and I know I'd eventually like to switch to something more on the IT side of things. Any advice from others who have done this as far as ways I could prepare or make myself more marketable if a position like this ever opens up around me? Like, are there certifications I could get in preparation, or is that just unnecessary?

Hi all, so currently I’m working a job that I live about 10 minutes from. The coworkers are great. There is zero drama. Things are fairly figured out with schedules and management is (sometimes) receptive. The only problem is that HR refuses to increase pay. I have a bachelors degree and I actually make more starting per hour than most techs there. However, said pay is very low for the average. For example I work in Pennsylvania.

My experience does allow me to work a travel job and a position just opened that I can commute to. It pays quite literally more than double my weekly pay.

My only worry is leaving my current job after only about four months. We had two techs leave about 2 months after I started due to pay as well but they had been working there for over a year. Am I wrong to leave this job so I can afford to support my girlfriend and I?

Thanks!

I am getting between 75-80% on the ultrasound registry review mock exams. Should I be feeling discouraged or will I be ready enough to pass? I have been studying for 2 weeks. Usually I am getting about a 75-77% on these.

I just passed my OBGYN registry today with a 683! Urr was so helpful, it really over prepared me. I used Penny book, MUT,& URR.