Ultrasound technician salary and registered nurse salary are both among the highest salaries in the medical field. The attractive salary is one of the main reasons why many students are deciding to take registered nurse education or ultrasound tech education. When comparing the two jobs, one must look into many factors and not just judge the salaries in one glimpse. There are several factors, which affect the sonogarpher salary and RN salary.
The latest report claims that the average ultrasound tech wage (as of May 2011) is $17.43 to $36.28 per hour with an average annual income ranging from $39,934 to $77,495. For the registered nurses, the average hourly wage is $19.63 – $36.03 and annual income on average ranging from $40,355 to $78,731. When comparing the two professions with the average hourly wage, there is just a slight difference, which is also the same with the annual salary range.
Years of experience as a RN or an ultrasound technician is an important determinant in the salary range of both professions. A technician who is working for one year or less in the sonography field will expect salary ranging from $29,320 to $57,999 while the registered nurse salary is ranging from $29,144 – $62,218 which is slightly higher for the latter. One to four years of experience will give ultrasound technician’s salary ranging from $29,552 to $59,715 while for the registered nurse, it is ranging from $33,702 to $68,373. Five to nine years of experience will guarantee ultrasound tech salaries ranging from $36,143 to $76,676 while registered nurses expect salary ranging from $39,700 – $76,545. Ten to nineteen years of working as an ultrasound tech will earn between $44,697 and $85,369 while a registered nurses can expect a yearly income between $40,924 and $83,180. The highest range of compensation for medical sonographers fall on the twenty years (or more) of experience that starts from $54,821 to $78,611 while for registered nurses, they are expected to earn from $41,663 to $88,585. With the data presented for the years of experience, when comparing the two professions, there is just a minimal to no difference in the salary ranges.
Location of employment is another vital factor determining the range of salaries of both professions. The average ultrasound salary in California is ranging from $39,000 to $78,763 while $39,003 to $97,229 for the average salary for registered nurses. In Texas, registered nurse income is higher than the ultrasound income having a data of annual income range from $38,484 to $74,854 and $22,148 to $71,490 respectively. Just like Texas, in New York registered nurses earn more than ultrasound technicians do with salary ranging from $38,712 to $80,352 and $27,728 to $66,985 respectively. For the state of Illinois, ultrasound technicians receive more than registered nurses do because the sonographer salary in Illinois starts from $40,547 to $93,883 while registered nurse salary starts from $34,681 to $72,890.
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