Diagnostic Medical Sonographers build social perceptiveness, operation and control and operations monitoring skills that carry over to other work. Below are 25 careers ranked by how closely their skills match, with pay from BLS May 2025. The closest match is Radiation Therapists (89%).
Updated October 2026 · Data: O*NET 31.0 and BLS OEWS May 2025 · How we match careers
Sorted by skill match.
| # | Career | Skill match | Median pay | Pay change | Extra education |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Radiation Therapists | 89% | $105,310 | +9% | None |
| 2 | Respiratory Therapists | 80% | $82,280 | −15% | None |
| 3 | Surgical Assistants | 71% | $66,800 | −31% | None |
| 4 | Nuclear Monitoring Technicians | 69% | $110,240Pay for the broader BLS group “Nuclear Technicians” | Not compared | None |
| 5 | Critical Care Nurses | 64% | $97,550Pay for the broader BLS group “Registered Nurses” | Not compared | Bachelor's degree |
| 6 | Police Identification and Records Officers | 64% | $93,790Pay for the broader BLS group “Detectives and Criminal Investigators” | Not compared | None |
| 7 | Registered Nurses | 61% | $97,550 | +1% | Bachelor's degree |
| 8 | Nurse Anesthetists | 61% | $236,590 | +145% | Graduate degree |
| 9 | Acute Care Nurses | 60% | $97,550Pay for the broader BLS group “Registered Nurses” | Not compared | Bachelor's degree |
| 10 | Nuclear Technicians | 60% | $110,240 | +14% | None |
Compared with Diagnostic Medical Sonographers, median $96,590. Skill match is our estimate (0–99) from O*NET 31.0 skills, knowledge, work activities and interests, adjusted for preparation and big pay drops. Pay: BLS OEWS May 2025, national median.
How important each skill is in work as diagnostic medical sonographers (O*NET importance, scale 1–5).
The gaps that show up most often across your top 10 matches.
Free and low-cost training: use the CareerOneStop training finder below.
A concrete first step, the skills to add, and the hard parts of each job, from O*NET 31.0 education, training and work context data.
89% skill match · $105,310 · +9% pay
Operations Analysis · Troubleshooting · Equipment Selection
80% skill match · $82,280 · −15% pay
Systems Evaluation · Service Orientation · Complex Problem Solving
71% skill match · $66,800 · −31% pay
Systems Evaluation · Management of Financial Resources · Systems Analysis
If you want to stay close to what you do now, these roles are the nearest.
The closest matches are Radiation Therapists (89% skill match, median $105,310), Respiratory Therapists (80% skill match, median $82,280) and Surgical Assistants (71% skill match, median $66,800), based on O*NET 31.0 data and BLS May 2025 pay.
Among the 25 matches, 7 pay more than diagnostic medical sonographers at the median. The biggest increases: Nurse Anesthetists (+145%, $236,590), Commercial Pilots (+28%, $123,220) and Nuclear Power Reactor Operators (+27%, $122,890).
20 of the 25 matches usually need no more education than you have now, based on O*NET Job Zones. One usually needs a graduate degree: Nurse Anesthetists.
We compare the importance of skills, knowledge, work activities and interests in O*NET 31.0 for your job and every other career, then adjust for extra preparation and big pay drops. The full method is on our Methodology page.