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The differences between cardiac sonographers and diagnostic medical sonographers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 1-2 years to become both a cardiac sonographer and a diagnostic medical sonographer. Additionally, a diagnostic medical sonographer has an average salary of $85,607, which is higher than the $79,641 average annual salary of a cardiac sonographer.
The top three skills for a cardiac sonographer include patients, registry and RDCS. The most important skills for a diagnostic medical sonographer are patients, ARDMS, and patient care.
| Cardiac Sonographer | Diagnostic Medical Sonographer | |
| Yearly salary | $79,641 | $85,607 |
| Hourly rate | $38.29 | $41.16 |
| Growth rate | 10% | 10% |
| Number of jobs | 10,472 | 58,800 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Associate Degree, 55% | Associate Degree, 55% |
| Average age | 43 | 43 |
| Years of experience | 2 | 2 |
A cardiac sonographer specializes in operating imaging technologies to help physicians assess and determine the cardiac conditions of patients. Aside from coordinating with physicians, a cardiac sonographer also interacts with patients, providing them assistance throughout the process, and discussing the extent of procedures. Typically, a cardiac sonographer's responsibilities revolve around coordinating with hospital staff to gather patient information, sharing test results to physicians promptly, and even managing the scheduling of patients, all in adherence to the hospital's policies and regulations.
A Diagnostic Medical Sonographer uses ultrasound high-frequency sound waves to produce images of internal body tissues. Some typical duties include preparing patients, explaining the exams, and reporting the results to the patients or a physician.
Cardiac sonographers and diagnostic medical sonographers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Cardiac Sonographer | Diagnostic Medical Sonographer | |
| Average salary | $79,641 | $85,607 |
| Salary range | Between $54,000 And $116,000 | Between $52,000 And $139,000 |
| Highest paying City | Oakland, CA | Eureka, CA |
| Highest paying state | California | California |
| Best paying company | Washington Hospital Healthcare System | St. Mary's Health Inc. |
| Best paying industry | Health Care | Health Care |
There are a few differences between a cardiac sonographer and a diagnostic medical sonographer in terms of educational background:
| Cardiac Sonographer | Diagnostic Medical Sonographer | |
| Most common degree | Associate Degree, 55% | Associate Degree, 55% |
| Most common major | Medical Technician | Medical Technician |
| Most common college | Duke University | Duke University |
Here are the differences between cardiac sonographers' and diagnostic medical sonographers' demographics:
| Cardiac Sonographer | Diagnostic Medical Sonographer | |
| Average age | 43 | 43 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 30.8% Female, 69.2% | Male, 13.4% Female, 86.6% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 4.2% Unknown, 4.4% Hispanic or Latino, 10.4% Asian, 8.8% White, 72.0% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.3% | Black or African American, 4.2% Unknown, 4.4% Hispanic or Latino, 10.4% Asian, 8.8% White, 72.0% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.3% |
| LGBT Percentage | 6% | 6% |