Birth Defects and Medical Advancements

Archive for July, 2011

You would probably recognize a sonographer as the person that takes your ultrasounds when you are pregnant, but they perform many different tasks with ultrasounds. They use ultrasounds to check kidneys, hearts, reproductive organs, and other internal structures. If you are interested in the medical field but don’t want to work with blood or needles, you may want to consider becoming a sonographer.

Education Background

If you want to be a medical sonographer, begin by taking classes in high school such as biology, chemistry, anatomy, English, and computer courses in order to have a stable background that will help you in your training. Because you will be using technology and working with anatomy, it is important that you understand these areas.

Training

To begin your training, start by researching and applying to accredited programs. You will usually spend two to three years completing an associate degree in medical sonography. You can find these programs at local colleges or you can get an online degree and take courses like anatomy, biology, English, and algebra.

Certification

Once you have completed your degree you will have to register with the American Registry of Medical Sonographers, which will allow you to take a licensing exam. Very few employers will hire you without these requirements, so it is crucial that you finish the licensing process. Keep in mind that you may have to continue taking classes to keep your certification once you have become employed.

Employment

After becoming certified, you can work at hospitals, clinics, or other organizations that perform ultrasounds. Complete a résumé and begin applying wherever you can. If you already have an organization in mind, check their requirements before you finish your training.

There have been many advancements made in prenatal care, one being the new 4D ultrasound technology. This allows for new parents to see their baby up close and personal as though they were looking at a live picture. Some of the other advancements include testing for deformities and other birth defects.

The Old Days

As recently as a decade ago, doctors would need to be invasive with the baby and the mother in order to determine if there were issues with the pregnancy, or to determine the severity of the issues. This would involve long needles, and high risk for infections, or secondary problems.

Today

Today, ultra sound technicians are able to identify problems early on, without disturbing the baby in utero. There is an online degree program that focuses in on many of these types of fields so that new parents can feel confident with the person using the technology.

How Medical Advancements Protect Infants

The advancements in medicine for prenatal care have helped to protect babies that are at risk, by identifying issues early on. The other major benefit is that doctors are able to take care of problems using minimally invasive techniques. This is much like that of the ultra sound technology in that detection is much sooner, and can be fixed early on.

Happy Baby

Having a happy and fully developed baby mean a greater quality of life for all around. Thanks to the new technology, babies have a better chance at having a long and full life.