How To Become A Cardiac/Vascular Sonographer: What It Is and Career Path

What is a cardiac/vascular sonographer and how to become one

Updated January 8, 2025

3 min read

Quoted expert

Ms. Ann Walker

There is more than meets the eye when it comes to being a cardiac/vascular sonographer. For example, did you know that they make an average of $39.69 an hour? That's $82,550 a year! Between 2018 and 2028, the career is expected to grow 10% and produce 14,700 job opportunities across the U.S.

What general advice would you give to a cardiac/vascular sonographer?

Ms. Ann Walker

Interim Program Director

Although it might not be ideal, it is imperative to work as close to full-time as possible for the first 1-2 years following graduation. Becoming skilled at sonography within the first 2 years, especially independently, is extremely difficult and often unlikely for new sonographers who take on part-time or PRN positions. It’s all about repetition and getting exposure to every patient with every level of difficulty and pathology on a consistent basis. I would never recommend a sonographer with less than 2 full-time years of experience to attempt any type of travel ultrasound. In addition, not allowing yourself to become over-confident right out of the gate is something I feel very strongly about. We may think that our clinical experience was broad enough to give us an ample foundation to feel extremely confident, but sonography is a field that is often very humbling, and it is our patients that suffer the consequences of our negligence when we rely on false confidence. I would recommend new sonographers to work in a facility that has seasoned techs who are available, even if just by phone of FaceTime, at all times for advice and input, and take every opportunity to absorb their input as you grow your scanning and critical thinking skills.

ScoreCardiac/Vascular SonographerUS Average

Salary

6.4

Avg. Salary $82,550

Avg. Salary $59,228

Stability level

8.0

Growth rate 10%

Growth rate 0.3%

Diversity

5.2

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 0.26%

Asian 8.77%

Black or African American 4.17%

Hispanic or Latino 10.39%

Unknown 4.43%

White 71.98%

Gender

female 69.33%

male 30.67%

Age - 42

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 3.00%

Asian 7.00%

Black or African American 14.00%

Hispanic or Latino 19.00%

White 57.00%

Gender

female 47.00%

male 53.00%

Age - 42

Stress level

8.0

Stress level is high

7.1 - high

Complexity level

6.9

Complexity level is challenging

7 - challenging

Work life balance

8.2

Work life balance is good

6.4 - fair

Key steps to become a cardiac/vascular sonographer

Explore cardiac/vascular sonographer education requirements

Most common cardiac/vascular sonographer degrees

Associate

46.0 %

Bachelor's

36.0 %

Master's

8.0 %

Start to develop specific cardiac/vascular sonographer skills

Skills	Percentages
Echocardiogram	28.45%
Patient Care	24.90%
BLS	21.53%
Ultrasound Equipment	11.92%
Venous	4.92%

Complete relevant cardiac/vascular sonographer training and internships

Accountants spend an average of 1-2 years on post-employment, on-the-job training. New cardiac/vascular sonographers learn the skills and techniques required for their job and employer during this time. The chart below shows how long it takes to gain competency as a cardiac/vascular sonographer based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data and data from real cardiac/vascular sonographer resumes.

Research cardiac/vascular sonographer duties and responsibilities

Perform high quality studies as indicated for the referring physician, in accordance with ICAEL and ICAVL requirements.
Submit for and obtain accreditation from ICAEL for echo laboratory.
Perform general diagnostic radiology examinations.
Train on 3D and Stress/Dobutamine Echos.

Prepare your cardiac/vascular sonographer resume

When your background is strong enough, you can start writing your cardiac/vascular sonographer resume.

You can use Zippia's AI resume builder to make the resume writing process easier while also making sure that you include key information that hiring managers expect to see on a cardiac/vascular sonographer resume. You'll find resume tips and examples of skills, responsibilities, and summaries, all provided by Zippi, your career sidekick.

Choose from 10+ customizable cardiac/vascular sonographer resume templates

Build a professional cardiac/vascular sonographer resume in minutes. Browse through our resume examples to identify the best way to word your resume. Then choose from 10+ resume templates to create your cardiac/vascular sonographer resume.

Apply for cardiac/vascular sonographer jobs

Now it's time to start searching for a cardiac/vascular sonographer job. Consider the tips below for a successful job search:

Browse job boards for relevant postings
Consult your professional network
Reach out to companies you're interested in working for directly
Watch out for job scams

Average cardiac/vascular sonographer salary

The average cardiac/vascular sonographer salary in the United States is $82,550 per year or $40 per hour. Cardiac/vascular sonographer salaries range between $49,000 and $137,000 per year.

Average cardiac/vascular sonographer salary

$82,550 Yearly

$39.69 hourly

What is a cardiac/vascular sonographer and how to become one

What general advice would you give to a cardiac/vascular sonographer?

Cardiac/vascular sonographer career paths

Key steps to become a cardiac/vascular sonographer

Explore cardiac/vascular sonographer education requirements

Most common cardiac/vascular sonographer degrees

Start to develop specific cardiac/vascular sonographer skills

Complete relevant cardiac/vascular sonographer training and internships

Research cardiac/vascular sonographer duties and responsibilities

Prepare your cardiac/vascular sonographer resume

Choose from 10+ customizable cardiac/vascular sonographer resume templates

Apply for cardiac/vascular sonographer jobs

How did you land your first cardiac/vascular sonographer job

Average cardiac/vascular sonographer salary

How do cardiac/vascular sonographers rate their job?