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What does your average day look like? About how many patients do you see and how much paperwork do you do?

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#echocardiography

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C. Dawn’s Answer

I've worked in clinics that expected that we do 15-18 patient exams BEFORE NOON. That is too stressful and not enough time to do a thorough exam. Mostly, 30-45 minutes per exam allows enough time to do a comprehensive and thorough assessment for ob/gyn or general. Vascular and Echo might require more time but every facility has different expectations. You will be slow at first but do not get discouraged by that. Factors like different machines, patients body mass, children squirming or crying, and even gas are challenges that we all face. You can't work magic and get the perfect image every time but you can learn tips and tricks to optimize that image when you are faced with a difficult exam. Fast does not mean thorough. Also, you must pay attention to your own body and not harm yourself. Sonographers are prone to musculoskeletal issues if you aren't practicing ergonomics while scanning.

All that said, a great and full day could be 10-13 patients. 5 patients in a day is considered a slow day for me.
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April Kasten’s Answer

The number of patients I scan per day depends on the facility I'm working at. As a traveler and permanent sonographer on varying shifts, I've performed as little as 2-3 per shift up to 15-16 per shift (8 hours). This has been in relatively small hospital systems. In an 8 hour shift, I find no more than 10 exams to be reasonable depending on types. Our bodies need to be protected and as stated above, fast does not equal thorough.

Paperwork is also different at each facility but I do find that many are coming away from written reports and are providing software for the sonographer to either type or check mark exam abnormalities to increase efficiency. Vascular exams tend to have more complex "paperwork" and thus should be given extra time in exam slots to complete this accurately. Wish you well!
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