In today’s competitive healthcare market, locating and keeping certified ultrasound technicians is beneficial because they are vital to getting accurate diagnoses and a better patient care experience. Ultrasound technicians, or sonographers, are part of the healthcare team to help physicians provide proper diagnostic imaging to base their treatment decisions on.
However, the ultrasound technician hiring process has some steps that must be followed, particularly when there is no game plan. Knowing exactly how to hire an ultrasound technician allows facilities to find qualified candidates and acquire qualified candidates at a pace that allows its facility to provide a level of care that patients expect from their healthcare team.
This blog will take you step by step through identifying and analysis of hiring needs, how to write a job description, where to find your next qualified ultrasound technician, and how to conduct a successful interview and orientation. If you are a treatment facility looking to strengthen your internal ultrasound technician staffing or planning to hire other allied healthcare roles, this information is designed to help you build your imaging team.
The job of an ultrasound technician
Before you start the recruiting process, it is vital to know how to hire an ultrasound technician; it is worthwhile to understand the essential duties within the job. Specifically, ultrasound technicians (also referred to as diagnostic medical sonographers) run imaging equipment to produce high-quality diagnostic imaging. The ultrasound images are important to assess internal conditions, while also guiding physicians would then utilize them to plan treatment.
While technical skills are vital, interpersonal skills, such as empathy and communication, are also important. Candidates should have certifications such as ARDMS (American Registry for Diagnostic Medical Sonography) or RDMS (Registered Diagnostic Medical Sonographer) to indicate their competency. With steady projected growth to 2033, now is an excellent time to get efficient with your recruitment and understand how to hire an ultrasound technician effectively.
Identifying your hiring needs
Before you start, identify what your facility needs to hire. Do you require this person to have some experience in obstetrics, vascular imaging, or cardiac imaging? Having this clarity will help you devise your ultrasound technician staffing plan, especially if you are partnering with a healthcare staffing platform to streamline the hiring process.
For example, the maternity clinic may want a technician who specializes in fetal echocardiography, while a cardiology clinic may be interested in candidates with cardiovascular imaging experience. In addition, consider if you need full-time employees or contract professionals, which many facilities are now doing through flexible arrangements with an ultrasound technician staffing agency.
Writing a job description that packs a punch
Creating a clear job post prepares the recruitment process for success from the beginning. It gets everyone on the same page regarding the job role and illustrates the professionalism of your facility. A strong job post also prompts qualified candidates to take the next step with confidence. A well-written job post causes less mismatching and improves your ability to successfully hire growers later on. Your ultrasound technician job description should provide information on:
- A clear job title
- Job responsibilities outlined
- Required qualifications (e.g., ARDMS certification)
- Experience level
- The work context
- Soft skills (communication, empathy)
- Salary and benefits
Although hiring an ultrasound technician begins with openness and honesty, a solid job description will attract candidates aligned with your clinical purpose and expectations. Here is a summary of what you might write:
Position Summary: We need a compassionate and detail-oriented ultrasound technician to join our imaging team. In this position, you will perform diagnostic ultrasound procedures as directed by physicians, maintain the ultrasound equipment, and exhibit strong verbal and written communication skills while demonstrating sensitivity to patient care.
Best ways to source candidates
Finding the right talent does not begin and end with posting to generic job boards. Consider modern and technology-able platforms like MedSquirrels, LinkedIn, and specialized healthcare associations like SDMS (Society of Diagnostic Medical Sonography).
Other approaches to sourcing the right candidates include:
- Ultrasound training programs
- The alumni networks and referral programs
- Conferences you participate in
If you want to efficiently hire an ultrasound technician, these outreach approaches will widen the potential pool of candidates and improve the quality of candidates.
Screening and interviewing candidates
After receiving applications, start to review resumes and applications by assessing candidates’ technical capabilities, certifications, and years of experience. Screening candidates through a phone call will help to gauge soft skills and cultural fit.
The interview process will explore the following:
- Level of proficiency when operating equipment
- Type of patients experienced with (peds or elderly)
- Experience with urgent requests for diagnostics
- Specific question: “Describe a patient you had to calm down, prior to performing imaging. What did you do?”
Evaluating cultural fit and the ability to work collaboratively
In addition to clinical qualifications, you should look for clues to see if the person will fit with your workplace culture. Be sure to ask the candidate situational questions to explore how they might behave in those circumstances. Situational questions could include:
- “How have you handled disagreements about the treatment of patients with other healthcare professionals?”
- “How would you adjust to a team of personnel with varying degrees of experience?”
Asking these kinds of questions can help you select a technician who not only provides excellent technical skills but can also work well with your team, which is crucial when you are interested in knowing the process of how to hire an ultrasound technician for long-term success.
Seamless onboarding and retaining employees
Upon hiring the ultrasound technician, a well-designed onboarding plan will help them assimilate into your work environment with little stress. Training includes understanding facility protocols and ensuring they meet their colleagues, and providing support during their first couple of weeks on the job. Retaining ultrasound technicians is less difficult when employees feel welcomed and prepared from the first day of employment!
Why modern staffing solutions matter
If you want to understand the question of how to hire an ultrasound technician successfully, you also must think very differently about hiring. The clinical environment has changed, and we need to be smarter and faster. Traditional agencies may fill positions quickly; however, they come with expensive mark-ups and hidden costs, which significantly constrain you if you need a fast and affordable option.
Working with an ultrasound technician staffing agency or healthcare hiring platform like MedSquirrels provides your facility the capability to hire an ultrasound technician faster, with greater compliance and improved scalability. These platforms provide AI-matching, flat-fee pricing, and faster credentialing to help your immediate imaging needs.
The right partner will not only improve your ultrasound technician hiring process and correct time-to-hire but will also enable your facility to solidify a more resilient imaging team for optimal patient outcomes.
