A sonographer is a human.  We are not computers.  We are the people that greet you and treat you with respect.  We tell you we are going to probe your body in intimate ways.  We are some of the most intimate health care providers you will encounter in the medical world.  We look into your chest, into your arteries, and into the womb.  We are people who know you from your ass-hole to you appetite.  We love our patients.  We know when the bulge in the abdominal wall is a hernia, or a sign of cirrhosis of the liver.  We are frequently the first people to find that your foetus has a heart beat, or not living.  We are not nurses, or doctors.  We are the people that try to figure out what is wrong with your tummy at 3AM in the morning.  We are frequently questioned by doctors as to what the diagnosis is.  Many of us offer non-legal opinions.  Most of our opinions make or break a medical decision.  We sonographers are careful, and thoughtful people.  We make our decisions based upon extensive medical histories, lab results, and physical findings.  Sonographers are some of the most valuable people on the planet. Sonographers are often very well educated.  Most sonographers are certified by an agency in the USA. Many sonographers suffer constant callbacks, and scrutiny by scruffy radiologists, cardiologists, and other medical doctors who think they know how to interpret ultrasound images. Many sonographers must interpret the images for the physician because the physician lacks knowledge.  All patients ask the sonographer if there is something wrong.  We are trained to be poker-faced.  Some of us do not know how to play poker well.  We are all human.  Next time you have a sonogram, echocardiogram, carotid ultrasound, venous ultrasound remember that we sonographers are humans also.  We care about you.

Written with Respect.

TJW