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What are the steps to becoming a Vet Sonographer?

I've been going back and forth on whether I want to be a vet radiologist or a vet sonographer. I am leaning a little more towards the second option. I need help on what to do because it is such a specific field of work. I am 17 in my senior year and I want to know what to major in in university, and the steps after.

career-path career-advice veterinary veterinary-medicine veterinary-technician sonographer
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Angel’s Answer

To become a veterinary sonographer, here’s a step-by-step guide:

High School: Focus on science subjects (biology, chemistry, physics) to build a strong foundation.

University Major: Choose a major related to animal science or veterinary technology. Ideal options include:

Veterinary Technology
Animal Science
Pre-Veterinary Medicine or Diagnostic Medical Sonography
Earn a Degree: Complete a Vet Tech program (2-4 years), which includes courses on animal care and medical imaging.

Gain Experience: Work as a vet tech to gain hands-on experience in veterinary medicine and medical imaging. Many vet sonographers start as techs to build expertise in animal care and ultrasound.

Specialize in Sonography: After gaining experience, pursue additional certification in veterinary sonography. Programs may be available through the ARDMS or ACVR. These certifications require practical experience and training.

Continuing Education: Stay updated on advances in veterinary imaging through workshops and certifications.
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Nirah’s Answer

A veterinary radiologist is a fully qualified veterinarian who has gone through at least three more years of additional training and certification. A sonographer is a technician level position, and in veterinary medicine you can be certified in imaging in general, which includes ultrasonography, but I’m not aware of any programs exclusively for sonography. In human medicine, it is common for the imaging to be done by a technician, and the resulting images to be reviewed later by a doctor. In veterinary medicine, while technicians usually take x-rays, it’s pretty common for the veterinarian to be the one using the ultrasound probe on the patient.

If you mean that you are interested in a technician level position, you need to go to one of the colleges or universities that have an AVMA accredited program in Veterinary technology, and you will major in veterinary technology in order to become a licensed veterinary technician. If instead you mean you want to become a veterinarian, you can go to any four year college or university and follow a pre-Vet or premed major, and then go to a four year college of veterinary medicine to get your DVM degree. After that, you would need to be matched with a residency program in radiology ( which includes all imaging modalities), and then can specialize in whatever imaging technologies interest you, including ultrasonography. At this point in your life, it’s very early to be so specific about a specific technology. 10 years from now, ultrasonography might have been replaced with some new imaging modality. The technology constantly changes.

Nirah recommends the following next steps:

Visit acvr.org
Visit avma.org
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