Medical Training

Ultrasound technology has emerged as a prime tool for the diagnosis of conditions and diseases within the medical field. This technology allows medical professionals to view internal organs their size, and morphology for the purpose of diagnostic imaging of the human body, including obstetrics. If you are an aspiring sonographer or have interest in the diagnostic medical sonography, the advancements of Ultrasound technology will definitely be of interest.

In the world of physics, the word “ultrasound” refers to sound waves that are at a frequency above the rage of waves which are audible (typically above 20,000 hertz or 20 kilohertz). Modern day ultrasound systems perform at a frequency range of 2 to 18 megahertz, which is far beyond the limit of human hearing. Ultrasound systems use a probe, or transducer which influences the sound waves which travel through the desired area of the body. The waves are then reflected as the image of the desired area or organ. The exploration and research of high frequency sound waves began as early as the late 1790s with the study of bats.

There are two scientists who conducted important research on ultrasound imaging. Dr. Karl Theodore from Austria published his paper based on “medical ultrasonic” in the year of 1942. Another person who developed the functions and practical procedure of Ultrasound was Professor Ian Donald; his research was conducted in 1950 and paved the path to towards advancing the methodology and technology.

There are hundreds of medical universities and healthcare programs that emphasize the education of ultrasound technology. As time progresses, technological advancements within the field of diagnostic imaging are actively being made. Ultrasound technology is widely used in the prevention, diagnosis, and management of organs, veins, and systems within the human body.

Get the diagnostic medical sonography program or ultrasound technology program

The use of sonograms has increased over a period of time and will continue to do so, as ultrasound technology has allowed doctors to study almost any part of the human body. With state of art ultrasound machines, the exposure to ionizing radiation has been zeroed and has assisted in first hand diagnosis, thus helping prevent many deadly diseases.

Sonograms are used for detecting and evaluating medical conditions of:

Neck and Infant Head:
* Evaluation and detection of stroke risk
* Evaluation, detection, and measurement of thyroid tumors and nodules.

Ophthalmology:
* Evaluation and detection of tumors, including retinal melanomas and retinal detachment
* Evaluation, detection, and measurement of foreign bodies within the vitreous humor

Gynecology:
* Detection, measurement, and monitoring of uterine cysts, polyps, or fibromas
* Detection, measurement, and localization of ovarian and endometrial tumors
* Detection and measurement of fallopian tube abnormalities

Breast:
* Detection and measurement of tumors in dense breasts
* Monitoring and measurement of breast tumors during therapy
* Detection and measurement of skin tumor infiltration

Prostate:
*Detection, and measurement of prostate tumors, including adenofibromas, neoplasms, and papillomas
* Detection and measurement of tumors during therapy

Gastrointestinal:
* Evaluation, detection, and measurement of aortic aneurysms
* Evaluation and detection of fistulas, appendicitis and Crohn’s disease
* Evaluation and detection of abnormalities in the spleen, liver and gallbladder

Musculoskeletal:
* Evaluation and detection of tendonitis

In the US, the wages and salary employment in the health care industry is projected to increase 27 percent through 2014, as in comparison of 14 percent for other industries combined.

The major issue faced by the health care industry is workforce. To offset the workforce issue the health care industry is open to seek and increase the labor pool by attracting and recruiting people from non-traditional labor pools. The industry has gone to an extent of accepting entry level workers and preparing them for targeted and specialized skill areas by providing them with requisite training. The health care industry is also seeking to expand the numbers of academic and clinical instructors alongside the facilities and resources, aligning the curriculum to meet the needs of the health care employers.

With many health care jobs requiring less than 4 years of college education, one can easily opt for programs leading to certification or a degree with vocational schools which provide programs with specialized training.

The Employment and Training Administration (ETA) – U.S. Dept. of Labor has invested over $164 million in the health care industry. This includes 29 high growth job training initiative and 67 community based job training.

For details visit: www.doleta.gov

Advanced practice registered nurse (APRN) is a term used for a registered nurse (RN) who has the advanced master level of educational and clinical practice experience, over the basic nursing education and licensing requirements.

The basic types of advanced practice registered nurses ARPNs is as follows:
• Nurse practitioner (NP) – Qualified with wide array of primary and preventive health care, prescribe medication, diagnose and treat common minor illnesses and injuries. Nurse practitioner can be found working in clinics, nursing homes, hospitals, or private offices.

• Certified nurse-midwife (CNM) – Proficient with gynecological and low-risk obstetrical care. They attend to child births and can be found working in hospitals, birth centers, and homes if required.

• Clinical nurse specialist (CNS) – Handle a wide range of physical and mental health problems, and also have forte in consultation, research, education, and administration. Clinical nurse Specialist can be found working in hospitals, clinics, nursing homes, private offices, and community-based settings.

• Certified registered nurse anesthetists (CRNA) – Administer anesthetics to the patients and are the oldest lot of the advanced nursing specialties. Approximately 65% of anesthesia is given by certified registered nurse anesthetists.

Doctorate in Nursing Practice is going to be the shift in standard for qualification to be a APRN by 2015.Clinical Nurse Leader (CNL) is another masters level role in nursing care delivery which is introduced into educational programs. There are other masters level nursing roles to cater to nursing education, nursing administration etc.

Based on individual interests the RN’s can advance their education and careers to their area of expertise and liking.