Overview
All Medical Imaging Professionals
-
$2,354 Weekly Pay
-
Very strong Future Growth
Sonographers
-
4,800 workers Employment Size
-
Very high skill Skill level rating
-
56% Full-Time Full-Time Share
-
41 hours Average full-time
-
39 years Average age
-
76% female Gender Share
Sonographers operate ultrasound equipment to acquire, interpret and selectively record anatomical images, physical data and real-time physiological information for medical diagnostic purposes in conjunction with Medical Practitioners.
You need a postgraduate degree in medical sonography to work as a Sonographer.
Tasks
- Receives referrals to perform medical imaging.
- Determines appropriate equipment to use, and selects appropriate equipment settings to provide the diagnostic information requested by medical practitioners.
- Calculates details of procedures such as length and intensity of exposure and settings of recording equipment.
- Explains procedures to patients and answers their queries about processes.
- Ensures patient's welfare during procedures.
- Positions patients, screens and equipment preparatory to procedures.
- Decides if images are satisfactory for diagnostic purposes and selects images to show medical practitioners.
- Conveys findings of procedures to medical practitioners.
Prospects
The number of Sonographers grew very strongly over 5 years:
from 3,400 in 2011 to 4,800 in 2016.
Caution: These estimates do not take account of the impact of COVID-19. They may not reflect the current jobs market and should be used and interpreted with caution.
- Size: This is a very small occupation.
- Location: Sonographers work in many regions of Australia.
- Industries: Most work in the Health Care and Social Assistance industry.
- Full-time: More than half work full-time (56%, similar to the average of 66%), but there are many opportunities to work part-time.
- Hours: Full-time workers spend around 41 hours per week at work (compared to the average of 44 hours).
- Age: The average age is 39 years (compared to the average of 40 years).
- Gender: 76% of workers are female (compared to the average of 48%).
Main Industries
Source: Based on ABS Census 2016, Customised Report. Industries are based on the Australian and New Zealand Standard Industrial Classification (ANZSIC 06).
States and Territories
NSW
VIC
QLD
SA
WA
TAS
NT
ACT
Source: Based on ABS Census 2016, Customised Report. Share of workers across Australian States and Territories, in this job compared to the all jobs average.
Age Profile
Source: Based on ABS Census 2016, Customised Report. Age profile of workers in this job compared to the all jobs average.
Education Level
Source: ABS Census 2016, Customised Report. Highest qualification completed by workers in this job (in any field of study). Qualifications needed by new workers might be different from the qualifications of workers already in the job.
Pathways
You need a postgraduate degree in medical sonography to work as a Sonographer.
Registration with the Australasian Sonographer Accreditation Registry is required.
Before starting a course, check it will provide you with the skills and qualifications you need. Visit
- Course Seeker to search and compare higher education courses.
- ComparED to compare undergraduate and postgraduate student experiences and outcomes.
Skills & Knowledge
Employers look for Medical Imaging Professionals who are caring and empathetic and can work well in a team, with the ability to communicate with a diverse range of people.
Filter Skills & Knowledge
Knowledge
These are important topics, subjects or knowledge areas.
-
Customer and personal service
Understanding customer needs, providing good quality service, and measuring customer satisfaction.
-
English language
English language including the meaning and spelling of words, rules of composition, and grammar.
-
Psychology
Human behaviour; differences in ability, personality, and interests; learning and motivation; research methods; assessing and treating disorders.
-
Clerical
Word processing, managing files and records, stenography and transcription, designing forms, and other office work.
-
Physics
The physical laws of matter, motion and energy, and how they interact through space and time.
-
Education and training
Curriculum and training design, teaching and instruction for individuals and groups, and the measurement of training effects.
-
Medicine and dentistry
Diagnose and treat human injuries, diseases, and deformities, including preventive health-care measures.
-
Computers and electronics
Circuit boards, processors, chips, electronic equipment, and computer hardware and software, including applications and programming.
-
Mathematics
Arithmetic, algebra, geometry, calculus, or statistics.
-
Biology
Plant and animal organisms, their tissues, cells, functions, how they rely on and work with each other and the environment.
-
Public safety and security
Use of equipment, rules and ideas to protect people, data, property, and institutions.
-
Therapy and counselling
Diagnosis, treatment, and rehabilitation of physical and mental dysfunctions, and career counselling and guidance.
-
Personnel and human resources
Recruiting and training people, managing pay and other entitlements (like sick leave), and negotiating pay and conditions.
-
Philosophy and theology
Philosophical systems and religions, including their basic principles, values, ethics, ways of thinking, customs, practices, and impact on society.
-
Administration and management
Business principles involved in strategic planning, leadership, and coordinating people and resources.
-
Communications and media
Media production, communication, and dissemination. Includes written, spoken, and visual media.
-
Mechanical
Machines and tools, including their designs, uses, repair, and maintenance.
-
Sociology and anthropology
Group behaviour and dynamics, societal trends and influences, human migrations, ethnicity, cultures and their history and origins.
-
Foreign language
Foreign (non-English) language including the meaning and spelling of words, rules of composition and grammar, and pronunciation.
-
Telecommunications
Transmission, broadcasting, switching, control, and operation of telecommunications systems.
Skills
Skills can be improved through training or experience.
-
Active listening
Listening to others, not interrupting, and asking good questions.
-
Reading comprehension
Reading work related information.
-
Speaking
Talking to others.
-
Critical thinking
Thinking about the pros and cons of different ways to solve a problem.
-
Writing
Writing things for co-workers or customers.
-
Monitoring
Keeping track of how well work is progressing so you can make changes or improvements.
-
Time management
Managing your own and other peoples' time to get work done.
-
Instructing
Teaching people how to do something.
-
Social perceptiveness
Understanding why people react the way they do.
-
Active learning
Being able to use what you have learnt to solve problems now and again in the future.
-
Coordination with others
Being adaptable and coordinating work with other people.
-
Judgment and decision making
Figuring out the pros and cons of different options and choosing the best one.
-
Operation monitoring
Watching gauges, dials, or other indicators to make sure a machine is working properly.
-
Serving others
Looking for ways to help people.
-
Complex problem solving
Noticing a problem and figuring out the best way to solve it.
-
Learning strategies
Figuring out the best way to teach or learn something new.
-
Operation and control
Controlling equipment or systems.
-
Persuasion
Talking people into changing their minds or their behaviour.
-
Science
Using scientific rules and methods to solve problems.
-
Management of personnel resources
Motivating, developing, and directing people as they work, and choosing the best people for the job.
Abilities
Workers use these physical and mental abilities.
-
Near vision
See details that are up-close (within a few feet).
-
Oral expression
Communicate by speaking.
-
Oral comprehension
Listen to and understand what people say.
-
Written comprehension
Read and understand written information.
-
Problem spotting
Notice when something is wrong or is likely to go wrong, even if you can't solve the problem.
-
Flexibility of closure
See a pattern (a figure, object, word, or sound) hidden in other distracting material.
-
Written expression
Write in a way that people can understand.
-
Control precision
Quickly change the controls of a machine, car, truck or boat.
-
Deductive reasoning
Use general rules to find answers or solve problems logically.
-
Inductive reasoning
Use lots of detailed information to come up with answers or make general rules.
-
Speech recognition
Identify and understand the speech of another person.
-
Categorising
Come up with different ways of grouping things.
-
Speech clarity
Speak clearly so others can understand you.
-
Manual dexterity
Quickly move your hand to grasp, manipulate, or assemble objects.
-
Sorting or ordering
Order or arrange things in a pattern or sequence (e.g., numbers, letters, words, pictures, mathematical operations).
-
Arm-hand steadiness
Keep your hand or arm steady.
-
Finger dexterity
Put together small parts with your fingers.
-
Brainstorming
Come up with a number of ideas about a topic, even if the ideas aren't very good.
-
Multilimb coordination
Use your arms and/or legs at the same time while sitting, standing, or lying down.
-
Originality
Come up with unusual or clever ideas, or creative ways to solve a problem.
Activities
These are kinds of activities workers regularly do in this job.
-
Keeping your knowledge up-to-date
Keeping up-to-date with technology and new ideas.
-
Monitoring people, processes and things
Checking objects, actions, or events, and keeping an eye out for problems.
-
Helping and caring for others
Providing personal assistance, medical attention, or emotional support.
-
Communicating within a team
Giving information to co-workers by telephone, in writing, or in person.
-
Researching and investigating
Looking for, getting and understanding different kinds of information.
-
Making decisions and solving problems
Using information to work out the best solution and solve problems.
-
Looking for changes over time
Comparing objects, actions, or events. Looking for differences between them or changes over time.
-
Collecting and organising information
Compiling, coding, categorizing, calculating, tabulating, auditing, or checking information or data.
-
Handling and moving objects
Using hands and arms in handling, installing, positioning, moving and manipulating objects.
-
Documenting or recording information
Entering, transcribing, recording, storing, or maintaining information in written or electronic/magnetic form.
-
Planning and prioritising work
Deciding on goals and putting together a detailed plan to get the work done.
-
Building good relationships
Building good working relationships and keeping them over time.
-
Working with the public
Greeting or serving customers, clients or guests, and public speaking or performing.
-
Checking compliance with standards
Deciding whether events or processes comply with laws, regulations, or standards.
-
Making sense of information and ideas
Looking at, working with, and understanding data or information.
-
Controlling equipment or machines
Operating machines or processes either directly or using controls (not including computers or vehicles).
-
Checking for errors or defects
Inspecting equipment, structures, or materials for errors, problems or defects.
-
Explaining things to people
Helping people to understand and use information.
-
Doing physically active work
Use your arms, legs and whole body, such as climbing, lifting, balancing, walking, stooping, and handling objects.
-
Working with computers
Using computers to program, write software, set up functions, enter data, or process information.

O*NET is a trademark of the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration.
The skills and importance ratings on this page are derived from the US Department of Labor O*NET Database Version 21.2, 29-2032.00 - Diagnostic Medical Sonographers.
Work Environment
Learn about the daily activities, and physical and social demands faced by workers. Explore the values and work styles that workers rate as most important.
Filter Work Environment
Demands
The physical and social demands workers face most often are shown below.
-
Being exact or accurate
Be very exact or highly accurate.
-
Contact with people
Have contact with people by telephone, face-to-face, or any other way.
-
Physically close to people
Work physically close to other people.
-
Using your hands to handle, control, or feel
Spend time using your hands to handle, control, or feel objects, tools or controls.
-
Making repetitive motions
Spend time making repetitive motions.
-
Indoors, heat controlled
Work indoors with access to heating or cooling.
-
Repeating same tasks
Repeat the same tasks or activities (e.g., key entry) over and over, without stopping.
-
Telephone
Talk on the telephone.
-
Disease or infection
Be exposed to disease or infections.
-
Teamwork
Work with people in a group or team.
-
Face-to-face discussions
Talk with people face-to-face.
-
Frequent decision making
Frequently make decisions that impact other people.
-
Contact with the public
Work with customers or the public.
-
Freedom to make decisions
Have freedom to make decision on your own.
-
Impact of decisions
Make decisions that have a large impact on other people.
-
Time pressure
Work to strict deadlines.
-
Wear common protective or safety equipment
Wear equipment like safety shoes, glasses, gloves, hard hats or life jackets.
-
Unstructured work
Have freedom to decide on tasks, priorities, and goals.
-
Angry or unpleasant people
Deal with unpleasant, angry, or rude people.
-
Bending or twisting your body
Spend time bending or twisting your body.
Values
Work values are important to a person’s feeling of satisfaction. All six values are shown below.
-
Relationships
Serve and work with others. Workers usually get along well with each other, do things to help other people, and are rarely pressured to do things that go against their sense of right and wrong.
-
Support
Supportive management that stands behind employees. Workers are treated fairly by their company, they are supported by management, and have supervisors who train them well.
-
Achievement
Results oriented. Workers are able to use their strongest abilities, giving them a feeling of accomplishment.
-
Working conditions
Job security and good working conditions. There is usually a steady flow of interesting work, and the pay and conditions are generally good.
-
Independence
Work alone and make decisions. Workers are able to try out their own ideas, make decisions on their own, and work with little or no supervision.
-
Recognition
Advancement and the potential to lead. Workers are recognised for the work that they do, they may give directions and instructions to others, and they are looked up to in their company and their community.
Interests
Interests are the style or type of work we prefer to do. All interest areas are shown below.
-
Analytical
Ideas and thinking. Searching for facts and figuring out problems in your head.
-
Helping
Working with people. Helping or providing service to others.
-
Practical
Practical, hands-on work. Often with plants and animals, or materials like wood, tools, and machinery.
-
Administrative
Following set procedures and routines. Working with numbers and details more than with ideas, usually following rules.
-
Enterprising
Starting up and carrying out projects. Leading people and making many decisions. Sometimes require risk taking and often deal with business.
-
Creative
Working with forms, designs and patterns. Often need self-expression and can be done without following rules.

O*NET is a trademark of the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration.
The skills and importance ratings on this page are derived from the US Department of Labor O*NET Database Version 21.2, 29-2032.00 - Diagnostic Medical Sonographers.
All Medical Imaging Professionals
-
$2,354 Weekly Pay
-
Very strong Future Growth
Sonographers
-
4,800 workers Employment Size
-
Very high skill Skill level rating
-
56% Full-Time Full-Time Share
-
41 hours Average full-time
-
39 years Average age
-
76% female Gender Share
Sonographers operate ultrasound equipment to acquire, interpret and selectively record anatomical images, physical data and real-time physiological information for medical diagnostic purposes in conjunction with Medical Practitioners.
You need a postgraduate degree in medical sonography to work as a Sonographer.
Tasks
- Receives referrals to perform medical imaging.
- Determines appropriate equipment to use, and selects appropriate equipment settings to provide the diagnostic information requested by medical practitioners.
- Calculates details of procedures such as length and intensity of exposure and settings of recording equipment.
- Explains procedures to patients and answers their queries about processes.
- Ensures patient's welfare during procedures.
- Positions patients, screens and equipment preparatory to procedures.
- Decides if images are satisfactory for diagnostic purposes and selects images to show medical practitioners.
- Conveys findings of procedures to medical practitioners.
The number of Sonographers grew very strongly over 5 years:
from 3,400 in 2011 to 4,800 in 2016.
Caution: These estimates do not take account of the impact of COVID-19. They may not reflect the current jobs market and should be used and interpreted with caution.
- Size: This is a very small occupation.
- Location: Sonographers work in many regions of Australia.
- Industries: Most work in the Health Care and Social Assistance industry.
- Full-time: More than half work full-time (56%, similar to the average of 66%), but there are many opportunities to work part-time.
- Hours: Full-time workers spend around 41 hours per week at work (compared to the average of 44 hours).
- Age: The average age is 39 years (compared to the average of 40 years).
- Gender: 76% of workers are female (compared to the average of 48%).
Main Industries
Source: Based on ABS Census 2016, Customised Report. Industries are based on the Australian and New Zealand Standard Industrial Classification (ANZSIC 06).
States and Territories
NSW
VIC
QLD
SA
WA
TAS
NT
ACT
Source: Based on ABS Census 2016, Customised Report. Share of workers across Australian States and Territories, in this job compared to the all jobs average.
Age Profile
Source: Based on ABS Census 2016, Customised Report. Age profile of workers in this job compared to the all jobs average.
Education Level
Source: ABS Census 2016, Customised Report. Highest qualification completed by workers in this job (in any field of study). Qualifications needed by new workers might be different from the qualifications of workers already in the job.
You need a postgraduate degree in medical sonography to work as a Sonographer.
Registration with the Australasian Sonographer Accreditation Registry is required.
Before starting a course, check it will provide you with the skills and qualifications you need. Visit
- Course Seeker to search and compare higher education courses.
- ComparED to compare undergraduate and postgraduate student experiences and outcomes.
Employers look for Medical Imaging Professionals who are caring and empathetic and can work well in a team, with the ability to communicate with a diverse range of people.
Filter Skills & Knowledge
Knowledge
These are important topics, subjects or knowledge areas.
-
Customer and personal service
Understanding customer needs, providing good quality service, and measuring customer satisfaction.
-
English language
English language including the meaning and spelling of words, rules of composition, and grammar.
-
Psychology
Human behaviour; differences in ability, personality, and interests; learning and motivation; research methods; assessing and treating disorders.
-
Clerical
Word processing, managing files and records, stenography and transcription, designing forms, and other office work.
-
Physics
The physical laws of matter, motion and energy, and how they interact through space and time.
-
Education and training
Curriculum and training design, teaching and instruction for individuals and groups, and the measurement of training effects.
-
Medicine and dentistry
Diagnose and treat human injuries, diseases, and deformities, including preventive health-care measures.
-
Computers and electronics
Circuit boards, processors, chips, electronic equipment, and computer hardware and software, including applications and programming.
-
Mathematics
Arithmetic, algebra, geometry, calculus, or statistics.
-
Biology
Plant and animal organisms, their tissues, cells, functions, how they rely on and work with each other and the environment.
-
Public safety and security
Use of equipment, rules and ideas to protect people, data, property, and institutions.
-
Therapy and counselling
Diagnosis, treatment, and rehabilitation of physical and mental dysfunctions, and career counselling and guidance.
-
Personnel and human resources
Recruiting and training people, managing pay and other entitlements (like sick leave), and negotiating pay and conditions.
-
Philosophy and theology
Philosophical systems and religions, including their basic principles, values, ethics, ways of thinking, customs, practices, and impact on society.
-
Administration and management
Business principles involved in strategic planning, leadership, and coordinating people and resources.
-
Communications and media
Media production, communication, and dissemination. Includes written, spoken, and visual media.
-
Mechanical
Machines and tools, including their designs, uses, repair, and maintenance.
-
Sociology and anthropology
Group behaviour and dynamics, societal trends and influences, human migrations, ethnicity, cultures and their history and origins.
-
Foreign language
Foreign (non-English) language including the meaning and spelling of words, rules of composition and grammar, and pronunciation.
-
Telecommunications
Transmission, broadcasting, switching, control, and operation of telecommunications systems.
Skills
Skills can be improved through training or experience.
-
Active listening
Listening to others, not interrupting, and asking good questions.
-
Reading comprehension
Reading work related information.
-
Speaking
Talking to others.
-
Critical thinking
Thinking about the pros and cons of different ways to solve a problem.
-
Writing
Writing things for co-workers or customers.
-
Monitoring
Keeping track of how well work is progressing so you can make changes or improvements.
-
Time management
Managing your own and other peoples' time to get work done.
-
Instructing
Teaching people how to do something.
-
Social perceptiveness
Understanding why people react the way they do.
-
Active learning
Being able to use what you have learnt to solve problems now and again in the future.
-
Coordination with others
Being adaptable and coordinating work with other people.
-
Judgment and decision making
Figuring out the pros and cons of different options and choosing the best one.
-
Operation monitoring
Watching gauges, dials, or other indicators to make sure a machine is working properly.
-
Serving others
Looking for ways to help people.
-
Complex problem solving
Noticing a problem and figuring out the best way to solve it.
-
Learning strategies
Figuring out the best way to teach or learn something new.
-
Operation and control
Controlling equipment or systems.
-
Persuasion
Talking people into changing their minds or their behaviour.
-
Science
Using scientific rules and methods to solve problems.
-
Management of personnel resources
Motivating, developing, and directing people as they work, and choosing the best people for the job.
Abilities
Workers use these physical and mental abilities.
-
Near vision
See details that are up-close (within a few feet).
-
Oral expression
Communicate by speaking.
-
Oral comprehension
Listen to and understand what people say.
-
Written comprehension
Read and understand written information.
-
Problem spotting
Notice when something is wrong or is likely to go wrong, even if you can't solve the problem.
-
Flexibility of closure
See a pattern (a figure, object, word, or sound) hidden in other distracting material.
-
Written expression
Write in a way that people can understand.
-
Control precision
Quickly change the controls of a machine, car, truck or boat.
-
Deductive reasoning
Use general rules to find answers or solve problems logically.
-
Inductive reasoning
Use lots of detailed information to come up with answers or make general rules.
-
Speech recognition
Identify and understand the speech of another person.
-
Categorising
Come up with different ways of grouping things.
-
Speech clarity
Speak clearly so others can understand you.
-
Manual dexterity
Quickly move your hand to grasp, manipulate, or assemble objects.
-
Sorting or ordering
Order or arrange things in a pattern or sequence (e.g., numbers, letters, words, pictures, mathematical operations).
-
Arm-hand steadiness
Keep your hand or arm steady.
-
Finger dexterity
Put together small parts with your fingers.
-
Brainstorming
Come up with a number of ideas about a topic, even if the ideas aren't very good.
-
Multilimb coordination
Use your arms and/or legs at the same time while sitting, standing, or lying down.
-
Originality
Come up with unusual or clever ideas, or creative ways to solve a problem.
Activities
These are kinds of activities workers regularly do in this job.
-
Keeping your knowledge up-to-date
Keeping up-to-date with technology and new ideas.
-
Monitoring people, processes and things
Checking objects, actions, or events, and keeping an eye out for problems.
-
Helping and caring for others
Providing personal assistance, medical attention, or emotional support.
-
Communicating within a team
Giving information to co-workers by telephone, in writing, or in person.
-
Researching and investigating
Looking for, getting and understanding different kinds of information.
-
Making decisions and solving problems
Using information to work out the best solution and solve problems.
-
Looking for changes over time
Comparing objects, actions, or events. Looking for differences between them or changes over time.
-
Collecting and organising information
Compiling, coding, categorizing, calculating, tabulating, auditing, or checking information or data.
-
Handling and moving objects
Using hands and arms in handling, installing, positioning, moving and manipulating objects.
-
Documenting or recording information
Entering, transcribing, recording, storing, or maintaining information in written or electronic/magnetic form.
-
Planning and prioritising work
Deciding on goals and putting together a detailed plan to get the work done.
-
Building good relationships
Building good working relationships and keeping them over time.
-
Working with the public
Greeting or serving customers, clients or guests, and public speaking or performing.
-
Checking compliance with standards
Deciding whether events or processes comply with laws, regulations, or standards.
-
Making sense of information and ideas
Looking at, working with, and understanding data or information.
-
Controlling equipment or machines
Operating machines or processes either directly or using controls (not including computers or vehicles).
-
Checking for errors or defects
Inspecting equipment, structures, or materials for errors, problems or defects.
-
Explaining things to people
Helping people to understand and use information.
-
Doing physically active work
Use your arms, legs and whole body, such as climbing, lifting, balancing, walking, stooping, and handling objects.
-
Working with computers
Using computers to program, write software, set up functions, enter data, or process information.

O*NET is a trademark of the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration.
The skills and importance ratings on this page are derived from the US Department of Labor O*NET Database Version 21.2, 29-2032.00 - Diagnostic Medical Sonographers.
Learn about the daily activities, and physical and social demands faced by workers. Explore the values and work styles that workers rate as most important.
Filter Work Environment
Demands
The physical and social demands workers face most often are shown below.
-
Being exact or accurate
Be very exact or highly accurate.
-
Contact with people
Have contact with people by telephone, face-to-face, or any other way.
-
Physically close to people
Work physically close to other people.
-
Using your hands to handle, control, or feel
Spend time using your hands to handle, control, or feel objects, tools or controls.
-
Making repetitive motions
Spend time making repetitive motions.
-
Indoors, heat controlled
Work indoors with access to heating or cooling.
-
Repeating same tasks
Repeat the same tasks or activities (e.g., key entry) over and over, without stopping.
-
Telephone
Talk on the telephone.
-
Disease or infection
Be exposed to disease or infections.
-
Teamwork
Work with people in a group or team.
-
Face-to-face discussions
Talk with people face-to-face.
-
Frequent decision making
Frequently make decisions that impact other people.
-
Contact with the public
Work with customers or the public.
-
Freedom to make decisions
Have freedom to make decision on your own.
-
Impact of decisions
Make decisions that have a large impact on other people.
-
Time pressure
Work to strict deadlines.
-
Wear common protective or safety equipment
Wear equipment like safety shoes, glasses, gloves, hard hats or life jackets.
-
Unstructured work
Have freedom to decide on tasks, priorities, and goals.
-
Angry or unpleasant people
Deal with unpleasant, angry, or rude people.
-
Bending or twisting your body
Spend time bending or twisting your body.
Values
Work values are important to a person’s feeling of satisfaction. All six values are shown below.
-
Relationships
Serve and work with others. Workers usually get along well with each other, do things to help other people, and are rarely pressured to do things that go against their sense of right and wrong.
-
Support
Supportive management that stands behind employees. Workers are treated fairly by their company, they are supported by management, and have supervisors who train them well.
-
Achievement
Results oriented. Workers are able to use their strongest abilities, giving them a feeling of accomplishment.
-
Working conditions
Job security and good working conditions. There is usually a steady flow of interesting work, and the pay and conditions are generally good.
-
Independence
Work alone and make decisions. Workers are able to try out their own ideas, make decisions on their own, and work with little or no supervision.
-
Recognition
Advancement and the potential to lead. Workers are recognised for the work that they do, they may give directions and instructions to others, and they are looked up to in their company and their community.
Interests
Interests are the style or type of work we prefer to do. All interest areas are shown below.
-
Analytical
Ideas and thinking. Searching for facts and figuring out problems in your head.
-
Helping
Working with people. Helping or providing service to others.
-
Practical
Practical, hands-on work. Often with plants and animals, or materials like wood, tools, and machinery.
-
Administrative
Following set procedures and routines. Working with numbers and details more than with ideas, usually following rules.
-
Enterprising
Starting up and carrying out projects. Leading people and making many decisions. Sometimes require risk taking and often deal with business.
-
Creative
Working with forms, designs and patterns. Often need self-expression and can be done without following rules.

O*NET is a trademark of the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration.
The skills and importance ratings on this page are derived from the US Department of Labor O*NET Database Version 21.2, 29-2032.00 - Diagnostic Medical Sonographers.