____________________________________ Investigative Occupations: Diagnostic Medical Sonographershealth, diagnose diseases or abnormalities, and plan
appropriate treatments. Formulate plan of treatment
for patient’s teeth and mouth tissue. Use air turbine
and hand instruments, dental appliances, and surgi-
cal implements. Advise and instruct patients regard-
ing preventive dental care, the causes and treatment
of dental problems, and oral health-care services.
Design, make, and fi t prosthodontic appliances such
as space maintainers, bridges, and dentures or write
fabrication instructions or prescriptions for dentur-
ists and dental technicians. Diagnose and treat dis-
eases, injuries, and malformations of teeth, gums,
and related oral structures and provide preventive
and corrective services. Fill pulp chamber and canal
with endodontic materials. Write prescriptions for
antibiotics and other medications. Analyze and eval-
uate dental needs to determine changes and trends in
patterns of dental disease. Treat exposure of pulp by
pulp capping, removal of pulp from pulp chamber,
or root canal, using dental instruments. Eliminate
irritating margins of fi llings and correct occlusions,
using dental instruments. Perform oral and periodon-
tal surgery on the jaw or mouth. Remove diseased tis-
sue, using surgical instruments. Apply fl uoride and
sealants to teeth. Manage business, employing and
supervising staff and handling paperwork and insur-
ance claims. Bleach, clean, or polish teeth to restore
natural color. Plan, organize, and maintain dental
health programs. Produce and evaluate dental health
educational materials.
GOE—Interest Area/Cluster: 08. Health Science.
Work Group: 08.03. Dentistry. Other Jobs in! is
Work Group: Dental Assistants; Dental Hygienists;
Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons; Orthodontists;
Prosthodontists.
Skills: Science; Management of Financial Resources;
Management of Material Resources; Equipment
Selection; Complex Problem Solving; Reading Com-
prehension; Service Orientation; Management of
Personnel Resources.
Education and Training Programs: Dentistry
(DDS, DMD); Dental Clinical Sciences, General
(MS, PhD); Advanced General Dentistry (Cert,
MS, PhD); Oral Biology and Oral Pathology (MS,
PhD); Dental Public Health and Education (Cert,
MS/MPH, PhD/DPH); Dental Materials (MS,
PhD); Pediatric Dentistry/Pedodontics (Cert, MS,
PhD); Dental Public Health Specialty; Pedodon-
tics Specialty. Related Knowledge/Courses: Medi-
cine and Dentistry; Biology; Psychology; Chemistry;
Personnel and Human Resources; Economics and
Accounting.
Work Env ironment : Indoors; contaminants; radi-
ation; disease or infections; sitting; using hands on
objects, tools, or controls.Diagnostic Medical Sonographers
! Personality Code: ISR
! Education/Training Required: Associate
degree
! Annual Earnings: $59,860
! Beginning Wage: $42,250
! Earnings Growth Potential: Low
! Growth: 19.1%
! Annual Job Openings: 3,211
! Self-Employed: 1.1%
! Part-Time: 17.3%Produce ultrasonic recordings of internal organs
for use by physicians. Prov ide sonog r a m s a nd or a l or
written summaries of technical fi ndings to physicians
for use in medical diagnosis. Decide which images to
include, looking for diff erences between healthy and
pathological areas. Operate ultrasound equipment
to produce and record images of the motion, shape,
and composition of blood, organs, tissues, and bodily
masses such as fl uid accumulations. Select appropri-
ate equipment settings and adjust patient positions
to obtain the best sites and angles. Observe screens
during scans to ensure that images produced are sat-
isfactory for diagnostic purposes, making adjust-
ments to equipment as required. Prepare patients for
exams by explaining procedures, transferring them
to ultrasound tables, scrubbing skin and applying
gel, and positioning them properly. Observe and
care for patients throughout examinations to ensureInvestigative–
D