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Echo technician vs mammography technician

The differences between echo technicians and mammography technicians can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 1-2 years to become both an echo technician and a mammography technician. Additionally, an echo technician has an average salary of $75,952, which is higher than the $64,362 average annual salary of a mammography technician.

The top three skills for an echo technician include patients, BLS and echocardiography. The most important skills for a mammography technician are patients, ARRT, and patient care.

Echo technician vs mammography technician overview

Echo TechnicianMammography Technician
Yearly salary$75,952$64,362
Hourly rate$36.52$30.94
Growth rate10%6%
Number of jobs14,52252,998
Job satisfaction--
Most common degreeAssociate Degree, 54%Associate Degree, 71%
Average age4543
Years of experience22

What does an echo technician do?

An echo technician is responsible for operating specialized equipment to develop ultrasound images of patients' hearts, diagnosing possible illnesses, and monitoring their conditions. Echo technicians carefully explain the process to the patients, assist the physicians in data interpretation, and ensuring that the image document was stored and developed properly for reference. They also inspect the machine and equipment's efficiency for operations and immediately call for repairs for any defects and malfunctions that may cause inaccuracies in the results.

What does a mammography technician do?

A mammography technician is primarily in charge of operating an imaging machine to detect and diagnose breast diseases. Their responsibilities include greeting patients, reviewing their identification and request documentation, explaining the extent of procedures, answering inquiries, operating machines, performing adjustments, and conducting the study in adherence to the protocols, making sure the patients feel comfortable every step of the way. Furthermore, as a mammography technician, it is essential to practice every safety technique during the procedures, all while enforcing the facility's policies and regulations.

Echo technician vs mammography technician salary

Echo technicians and mammography technicians have different pay scales, as shown below.

Echo TechnicianMammography Technician
Average salary$75,952$64,362
Salary rangeBetween $49,000 And $117,000Between $35,000 And $117,000
Highest paying CitySpringfield, ORSan Francisco, CA
Highest paying stateCaliforniaCalifornia
Best paying companyUniversity of Maryland Medical SystemStability Healthcare
Best paying industryHealth CareHealth Care

Differences between echo technician and mammography technician education

There are a few differences between an echo technician and a mammography technician in terms of educational background:

Echo TechnicianMammography Technician
Most common degreeAssociate Degree, 54%Associate Degree, 71%
Most common majorMedical TechnicianMedical Technician
Most common collegeDuke UniversityTexas A&M University

Echo technician vs mammography technician demographics

Here are the differences between echo technicians' and mammography technicians' demographics:

Echo TechnicianMammography Technician
Average age4543
Gender ratioMale, 32.4% Female, 67.6%Male, 3.6% Female, 96.4%
Race ratioBlack or African American, 10.6% Unknown, 3.3% Hispanic or Latino, 12.8% Asian, 13.9% White, 58.6% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.9%Black or African American, 5.4% Unknown, 4.1% Hispanic or Latino, 10.2% Asian, 6.0% White, 73.8% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.5%
LGBT Percentage8%8%

Differences between echo technician and mammography technician duties and responsibilities

Echo technician example responsibilities.

  • Assist with placement and manage intra-aortic balloon pumps.
  • Perform cardiac defibrillation, CPR, and initiate invasive procedures on patients in cardiac arrest.
  • Utilize 2D , 3D, m-mode, and color Doppler.
  • Perform EKG's and treadmill stress testing.
  • Perform stress echo's, dobutamine stress echo's and bubble studies.
  • Assist physician with echo stress tests as well as treadmill only studies.
  • Show more

Mammography technician example responsibilities.

  • Identify, prepare and position patients for procedure by using establish diagnostic imaging protocols to achieve the highest quality image.
  • Analyze images, FRAX, form DXA reports, send exams to PACS, transfer complete reports to RIS.
  • Perform DXA scans, including LVA.
  • Perform MRI and mammography exams.
  • Enter data daily for RIS system.
  • Perform DEXA scans for osteoporosis testing.
  • Show more

Echo technician vs mammography technician skills

Common echo technician skills
  • Patients, 19%
  • BLS, 10%
  • Echocardiography, 10%
  • Echocardiogram, 9%
  • Patient Care, 8%
  • Cardiology, 6%
Common mammography technician skills
  • Patients, 22%
  • ARRT, 13%
  • Patient Care, 11%
  • Mammography Technologist, 7%
  • Customer Service, 4%
  • Pacs, 3%

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