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Diagnostic Medical Sonographer

Healthcare

Produce ultrasonic recordings of internal organs for use by physicians. Includes vascular technologists.

You can enter this career straight after SPM. A degree is optional, not required.

Allied HealthScience

Picture the job

Where you'd usually workA hospital scan room

  • Mostly indoors
  • Dealing with customers or the public
  • Regular working hours

An illustration of a typical workplace, not a photo. The work-style notes come from US O*NET data, so read them as a guide.

Pay in Malaysia

We don't have a sourced Malaysian salary range for this job yet, and we'd rather show nothing than a number we can't stand behind.

Where to check:

  • JobStreet and Hiredly job ads for this title
  • DOSM Salaries & Wages Survey
  • SSPA scheme tables, if you're aiming for a government post
See pay for a related career: Medical Laboratory Technologist

How far is this from you?

Roughly how much preparation this job usually takes. In Malaysia your UPU route and the programme's syarat still decide entry, so treat this as a guide, not a gate.

  1. 1

    Entry straight after SPM

  2. 2

    SPM + sijil / short TVET course

  3. Typical entry

    Diploma / TVET (sijil–diploma)

  4. 4

    Degree (ijazah sarjana muda)

  5. 5

    Postgrad (sarjana / PhD) or professional route

Typical educationAssociate's degree
The full route to this careerThe steps from school, UPU programmes and sourced costs, read against your answers.

How to get here

Post-SPM pathways with programmes in this career's fields. Tap one to see real programmes and entry requirements.

Matriculation

One or two years, heavily subsidised with allowance. Competitive, quota-based entry.

12–24 months

Asasi / Foundation

One-year runway into a specific university: public via UPU or private direct entry.

12 months
Compare routes against your results and interests

Programmes that lead here

Programmes from the official UPU (KPT) and MQA catalogues whose field of study typically leads to this career. Matched by field, not a job guarantee.

Search the programme catalogue

Check what you may qualify for

Enter your SPM grades and see which routes and programmes you may qualify for. An estimate to plan with, not an offer.

Check my eligibility Not sure yet? Take the quiz

Quick answers

How do you become a Diagnostic Medical Sonographer in Malaysia?

Routes after SPM that lead here include Matriculation and Asasi / Foundation.

Can I become a Diagnostic Medical Sonographer straight after SPM?

Yes. This career can be started with a certificate, diploma or TVET training straight after SPM, without a degree.

What should I study to become a Diagnostic Medical Sonographer?

Related fields of study: Allied Health and Science. SPM subjects that help most: English, Physics, Biology and Chemistry.

How much does a Diagnostic Medical Sonographer earn in Malaysia?

We don't yet have a Malaysian source we can cite for Diagnostic Medical Sonographer pay, so we show no figure.

What you'd do all day

The tasks that matter most in this job, most important first.

  1. 1Observe screen during scan to ensure that image produced is satisfactory for diagnostic purposes, making adjustments to equipment as required.
  2. 2Observe and care for patients throughout examinations to ensure their safety and comfort.
  3. 3Provide sonogram and oral or written summary of technical findings to physician for use in medical diagnosis.
  4. 4Operate ultrasound equipment to produce and record images of the motion, shape, and composition of blood, organs, tissues, or bodily masses, such as fluid accumulations.
  5. 5Select appropriate equipment settings and adjust patient positions to obtain the best sites and angles.
  6. 6Decide which images to include, looking for differences between healthy and pathological areas.
  7. 7Prepare patient for exam by explaining procedure, transferring patient to ultrasound table, scrubbing skin and applying gel, and positioning patient properly.
  8. 8Determine whether scope of exam should be extended, based on findings.
  9. 9Obtain and record accurate patient history, including prior test results or information from physical examinations.
  10. 10Maintain records that include patient information, sonographs and interpretations, files of correspondence, publications and regulations, or quality assurance records, such as pathology, biopsy, or post-operative reports.
  11. 11Record and store suitable images, using camera unit connected to the ultrasound equipment.
  12. 12Process and code film from procedures and complete appropriate documentation.
  13. 13Coordinate work with physicians or other healthcare team members, including providing assistance during invasive procedures.
  14. 14Clean, check, and maintain sonographic equipment, submitting maintenance requests or performing minor repairs as necessary.
  15. 15Perform clerical duties, such as scheduling exams or special procedures, keeping records, or archiving computerized images.
  16. 16Perform legal and ethical duties, including preparing safety or accident reports, obtaining written consent from patient to perform invasive procedures, or reporting symptoms of abuse or neglect.
  17. 17Supervise or train students or other medical sonographers.
  18. 18Perform medical procedures, such as administering oxygen, inserting and removing airways, taking vital signs, or giving emergency treatment, such as first aid or cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR).
  19. 19Maintain stock and supplies, preparing supplies for special examinations and ordering supplies when necessary.
  20. 20Load and unload film cassettes used to record images from procedures.

Also known as

What this job is called on JobStreet, LinkedIn and in job ads. Search these too.

  • RDMS
  • Echo Tech
  • Sonographer
  • Ultrasound Tech
  • Echo Sonographer
  • Ultrasonographer
  • Echocardiographer
  • Staff Sonographer
  • Ultrasonic Tester
  • Ultrasound Tester

Subjects that matter here

The SPM subjects worth your effort for this career, with the reason for each.

EnglishDraws directly on English Language — a top knowledge area for this role (O*NET).
PhysicsDraws directly on Physics — a top knowledge area for this role (O*NET).
BiologyDraws directly on Medicine and Dentistry — a top knowledge area for this role (O*NET).
ChemistryDraws directly on Medicine and Dentistry — a top knowledge area for this role (O*NET).
BusinessDraws directly on Administrative — a top knowledge area for this role (O*NET).

What you'd need to know

The subject areas this job leans on most, and the SPM subjects that build them.

  • Customer and Personal Service91%
  • English Language81%

    English

  • Physics74%

    Physics

  • Medicine and Dentistry72%

    BiologyChemistry

  • Administrative67%

    Business

  • Computers and Electronics65%

    Computer Science / ICTElectrical & Electronic Eng. Studies

Tools you'd use

Software and equipment that show up in this job, worth learning early.

Where to learn these, free

Scholarships & funding

What the work feels like

Day-to-day working conditions, so you can tell whether the job suits how you like to work.

  • Face-to-face discussionsEvery day
  • Contact with other peopleConstant contact
  • Dealing with customers or the publicVery high
  • Leading or coordinating othersVery high
  • Handling conflict situationsRarely
  • Indoors, air-conditionedEvery day
  • Outdoors, in all weatherAlmost never
  • Noisy environmentAlmost never

AI and demand for this job

A few real, dated data points, not a single score. AI making some tasks faster usually means a job changes, not that it disappears.

13%

Share of everyday tasks today's AI can already help with (2023)

This estimate is from 2023, already out of date, since AI moves fast. Treat it as a rough, aging starting point, not the current picture.

Growing role in the US

US Bureau of Labor Statistics data, not Malaysian. Shown because it's the only forward-looking demand estimate we have for this job.

What beginner adverts asked for

We read 28 internship and fresh-graduate adverts in related fields (August 2026). A small sample from one job site, not every vacancy.

14 of 28 were internships

Allowance or pay, when stated

RM800 – RM2,000

17 of 28 adverts printed an amount: usually between RM800 and RM2,000 a month. Many print none.

Minimum CGPA asked

3.00 to 3.00

Stated in 2 adverts. Others did not state one.

Languages named

Bahasa Malaysia, Mandarin

An empty line means the adverts did not say, not that employers have no requirement. Check each employer's own advert before you plan around it.

Related careers

If this interests you, these are worth a look too.

About this information

This describes what the job involves. Pay, demand and entry routes differ in Malaysia, so check the Pathways and Programmes pages for local requirements.

O*NET occupation: Diagnostic Medical Sonographers

Job responsibilities, knowledge areas and work context from O*NET 30.3, US Department of Labor, used under CC BY 4.0. onetcenter.org