Career Stages of a Qualified Medical Sonographer

ABSTRACT Sonographers typically progress through career phases which include their early, mid and late career. This work outlines evolving needs, attitudes, values and concerns of sonographers throughout their career phases and proposes terminology to describe sonographers during the early career sonographer stage. The early stage of a sonographer's career encompasses the first 5 years of clinical practice post‐qualification. It can be subdivided into two phases: (1) The new‐entry early career sonographer phase incorporating the first 2 years of clinical practice and (2) the enhanced practice early career sonographer phase correlating to years three to five. Early career sonographers are developing their professional confidence and sonographic competence across a range of domains of practice. Mid‐career sonographers encapsulate those with 5–25 years' experience. They are well positioned to influence the profession through leadership, management, research, teaching, business or continued clinical practice. Late career sonographers include those with 20–25 + years' experience who often seek meaningful work and may engage in voluntary professional activities. Further research is required to explore the diversity of practice, requirements, needs, desires for career progression, challenges and concerns of sonographers at different career stages, important to be appreciated when developing and revising career frameworks for sonographers. Additionally, clarification of terminology regarding sonographer role titles relative to their career stages, roles and pillars of practice is also needed.