Real talk, though: don't let radioactive spiders bite you. No matter how cute they are. You won't get powers. (Source)

Radiation gets all the hype. It turns average teenagers into heroes with spider-like powers, it helps treat cancer patients, and it just seems cooler to talk about (probably because it's spawned so many superheroes). Unfortunately, it's also incredibly poisonous. 

Like Batman, radiologists have to work in the dark while wearing heavy protective gear; otherwise, they could get sick. (That's sick in the bad way.) If you want to be a medical technician without the side dish of poison, we've got great news: you can be an ultrasound technician. All of the benefits, none of the drawbacks.

Ultrasound technicians—a.k.a. sonographers—are the helpful folks in hospitals and clinics who use ultrasound technology to examine patients' organs, veins, and tissues. Ultrasound techs are specially trained in ultrasound machines and imaging techniques, and they can be found in almost every department in a hospital.

 

Ultrasound technicians do more than investigate buns in ovens. (Source)

This gig isn't just for checking up on developing babies and making soon-to-be parents cry happy tears, either. Every hospital department and health clinic has a couple ultrasound techs on call. They're checking for tumors, blood clots, and other potentially fatal things. Stopping life-threatening conditions before they even start. Saving lives, performing miracles, earning that $65,860 (source) paycheck. That sort of thing. No big deal.

Okay, it's kind of a big deal. Being able to see inside a person's body without actually performing surgery is incredibly useful when it comes to spotting—and stopping—things like blood clots and tumors. 

And that salary isn't too shabby either, considering that the training can be done in less than three years. Senior technicians can make up to $80,790 a year (source). A job that lets you do good, save lives, and get great raises? Yes, please.

One of the best things about becoming an ultrasound technician is the no-nonsense requirement policy. You don't need a fancy-shmancy master's degree to get hired as an ultrasound tech. In fact, most people opt for an associate's degree before completing a twelve-month ultrasound-training program. That's less than three years for a job that can pay up to $80,000. Sounds too good to be true, right?

Don't worry, there's a catch: being an ultrasound technician is physically demanding. Aside from having to be on their feet all day, ultrasound technicians have to lift their patients on and off the examination table and carefully manipulate a camera probe to take pictures of a person's internal organs. 

This combination of heavy lifting and meticulous movements are responsible for the shoulder, neck, wrist, hand, finger, and upper back pain that most ultrasound technicians suffer over the course of their careers (source). 

Ouch, right? There's also mental stress to deal with. Ultrasound technicians are usually on call, meaning that they might be ordered to sprint over to the hospital at 3:00AM. An ultrasound technician typically interacts with between eight and twenty patients per day, and they have to give each and every one of them compassionate and informed medical care, even if it's 3:00AM and they're totally pooped.

The name of the game here is bedside manner. While radiologists have to sit apart from their patients to save themselves from radioactive waves, ultrasound technicians sit face to face with their patients. Ultrasound machines have screens that show the internal image in real time—meaning a patient can look at what's going on in their insides right away. That can be pretty scary.

Ultrasound technicians are responsible for communicating with their patients before, during, and after the procedure and keeping them as informed and comfortable as possible. Whether the news is good or bad, you can depend on your ultrasound technician to deliver it well.

Wear and tear aside, though, working as an ultrasound technician is pretty sweet. There's a reason it's one of the fastest-growing careers in America. A job that pays well, helps people, and is only going to get bigger—what else could you want?

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