At one time, your career as an ultrasound tech would have been fairly linear. After graduation, you went to work at a hospital, clinic, or other facility offering diagnostic imaging services. Self-employment was always an option, but you typically needed years of experience and a lot of contacts for sourcing assignments.
Today it’s different. We’re a society that’s on the go in more ways than one. Digital nomads travel the world while working online, remote work is becoming the norm for a lot of companies, and now more and more healthcare professionals are on the move. If you’ve been wondering, “What is a traveling ultrasound tech and how do I become one?” this blog is for you.
What Does a Traveling Ultrasound Tech Do?
Instead of working for a single employer, traveling ultrasound techs work for a variety of employers who need temporary staffing or help with workload management.
For instance, you might be hired to cover vacations or temporary leaves, or support the facility during a spike in demand for services. You might also be asked to provide mobile ultrasound imaging services. The advantage of this work arrangement is that you have more control over your schedule, which makes balancing your career and personal life easier.
Travel ultrasound technologists use sonographic techniques to assist in the testing of patients in a variety of health care facilities. This role involves the following:
- Traveling to medical centres
- Maintaining medical imaging equipment
- Completing patient assessments before procedures
- Tracking patient records
- Answering patients’ questions before performing procedures
- Ensuring optimal image quality
- Presenting preliminary findings to other healthcare staff
In order to serve those in need, traveling sonographers travel across the country and even the world. The duration of an assignment can range from as short as a few weeks to as long as six months or a year, possibly even longer. Regardless of duration, each new location brings new opportunities, people, and adventures.
What Are the Qualifications to Become a Traveling Ultrasound Tech?
The qualifications for a travel position are essentially the same as those for direct employment at a clinic, hospital, or other healthcare facility.
- A three-year or four-year program in diagnostic medical sonography or ultrasound technology OR a two-year or three-year program in a related allied health field, followed by a one-year post-diploma program.
- Registration with Sonography Canada or ARDMS in good standing.
Some employers require a certain amount of experience while others are willing to bring on new graduates with a solid academic record. No matter what stage of your career you’re at, there’s a place for you as a traveling ultrasound tech.
What Are the Benefits of Traveling as an Ultrasound Tech?
We all want a work-life balance, but it isn’t always easy to get today, especially in healthcare. When you’re self-employed as a medical diagnostic professional, you get to do what you love while realizing benefits like the following:
- Control over your schedule. You decide where, when, and for how long you work. If you want to take the summer off to travel outside of Canada or even a week to attend your best friend’s wedding, you don’t need anyone’s approval but your own.
- A wide range of work assignments. You might work in a small hospital in Northern Ontario for a few months before covering someone’s parental leave in a Nunavut clinic. You never know where you might receive an assignment, which is one of the most exciting aspects of being a traveling ultrasound tech.
- Valuable career experience. When you travel, you’re exposed to different healthcare settings. This includes hospitals of all sizes, clinics, and other locations that offer diagnostic imaging services. In addition, you can perform a more diverse set of ultrasound imaging procedures since you are not limited to a single department or facility.
- Pay off debt. School is expensive, and you can spend years paying off student loans. When you travel for your job, a medical imaging temp agency can cover your travel costs and accommodation, leaving you with more money to pay off student loans and other debt you may have accumulated.
- See the world! You’ll find that your services may be needed outside of Canada. For example, if you ever wanted to work in New Zealand as an ultrasound tech, there are opportunities to make money while you travel!
For many traveling ultrasound techs, one of the biggest benefits is the ability to make a difference. Demand for healthcare services continues to grow, and in rural or remote areas, patients can wait weeks or even months for diagnostic imaging services.
Ready to Become a Traveling Ultrasound Tech? Reach Out to a Medical Imaging Temp Agency!
The role of ultrasound techs in healthcare and illness prevention continues to grow. When you travel as part of your job, ultrasound technology is not only fulfilling, but it also gives you the opportunity to visit different cities and gain experience at a variety of work locations. A traveling ultrasound tech can also make professional contacts that lead to career advancement options.
So how do you start?
Your first step should be to determine where you want to work. Which is your preferred option: staying in your current area, moving across the country, or traveling abroad? Once you have a clear idea of what you want to do (and where), reach out to a trusted medical imaging temp agency like ProMed HR Solutions.
ProMed HR Solutions works with medical imaging technologists in most modalities, including ultrasound, MRI, X-ray, and CLXT. Besides offering an extremely competitive salary and bonus structure, we also pay for travel and accommodation related to your job. In addition:
- Your preferred locations are always our priority.
- There is no obligation for you to accept a contract offer if the date, location, or duration do not work for you.
For years, ProMed HR Solutions has been helping skilled medical imaging professionals find rewarding career opportunities. Our company is a trusted leader in healthcare staffing across the country, and we also have opportunities now available in New Zealand. Our goal is to help you pursue a career as a traveling ultrasound technician, and we have access to a wide variety of professional opportunities. To get started, reach out to us today by visiting www.promedhr.ca or by calling (833) 776-6336.
