How To Become A Cardiovascular Sonographer: What It Is and Career Path

What is a cardiovascular sonographer and how to become one

Updated January 8, 2025

4 min read

Quoted expert

Ms. Ann Walker

Cardiovascular sonographers are medical professionals specialized in assessing the cardiac conditions of patients. They work closely together with physicians and use ultrasound technology to diagnose heart diseases. They perform echocardiograms to evaluate in a non-invasive way the condition of veins and heart chambers, the functioning of the valves, and the quality of the blood flow.

Working in this position, you will perform ultrasound imaging of the heart and assist in other diagnostic procedures related to various conditions of the heart. You will review patient files, schedule appointments, manage equipment, and communicate with patients explaining procedures and interviewing them about symptoms.

As you will have to identify abnormalities of the heart and differentiate between healthy and impaired cardiac functioning, you will need a solid understanding of the nature of cardiovascular diseases. You will need an associate's degree in a science or medicine-related area and usually a certification to perform this role. Great communication skills and a strong grasp of basic scientific principles and cardiology will be a must.

What general advice would you give to a cardiovascular 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.

ScoreCardiovascular SonographerUS Average

Salary

6.3

Avg. Salary $80,456

Avg. Salary $59,228

Stability level

9.1

Growth rate 10%

Growth rate 0.3%

Diversity

5.4

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 0.91%

Asian 13.87%

Black or African American 10.58%

Hispanic or Latino 12.77%

Unknown 3.28%

White 58.58%

Gender

female 76.32%

male 23.68%

Age - 44

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 - 44

Stress level

9.1

Stress level is very high

7.1 - high

Complexity level

6.9

Complexity level is challenging

7 - challenging

Work life balance

6.9

Work life balance is good

6.4 - fair

Key steps to become a cardiovascular sonographer

Explore cardiovascular sonographer education requirements

Most common cardiovascular sonographer degrees

Associate

56.2 %

Bachelor's

26.9 %

Certificate

8.1 %

Start to develop specific cardiovascular sonographer skills

Skills	Percentages
Patients	14.16%
BLS	8.42%
RDCS	8.09%
Echocardiogram	8.04%
Echocardiography	7.13%

Complete relevant cardiovascular sonographer training and internships

Accountants spend an average of 1-3 months on post-employment, on-the-job training. New cardiovascular 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 cardiovascular sonographer based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data and data from real cardiovascular sonographer resumes.

Gain additional cardiovascular sonographer certifications

Cardiovascular sonographer certifications can show employers you have a baseline of knowledge expected for the position. Certifications can also make you a more competitive candidate. Even if employers don't require a specific cardiovascular sonographer certification, having one may help you stand out relative to other applicants.

The most common certifications for cardiovascular sonographers include Registered Diagnostic Cardiac Sonographer - Adult Echocardiography (RDCS) and Registered Cardiac Sonographer (RCS).

More About Certifications

Research cardiovascular sonographer duties and responsibilities

Facilitate physician to help achieve ICAEL accreditation status.
Obtain full patient history, vital signs, EKG s and verify patient medication.
Complete patient intake, including: EKG, vitals, medications, and patient history.
Fast pace work environment, independently perform ultrasound examinations on patients with cardiovascular disease.

Prepare your cardiovascular sonographer resume

When your background is strong enough, you can start writing your cardiovascular 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 cardiovascular 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 cardiovascular sonographer resume templates

Build a professional cardiovascular 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 cardiovascular sonographer resume.