Back to accreditation.
The Royal College of Radiologists have provided guidance on provision of point of care ultrasound training to non-radiology clinicians.
The (extensive) document may be found here.
Thoracic ultrasound is the most commonly completed module and Level 1 Thoracic Ultrasound had previously been mandated for Respiratory Trainees prior to CCT (preferably prior to ST5).
The British Thoracic Society have recently published updated guidance on a dedicated pathway for Respiratory Physicians that will superseded the Level 1 RCR curriculum.
The limitation on Level 1 accreditation was deemed to be the requirement for “at least one session per week over a period of no less than three months with approximately five scans per session performed by the trainee (under supervision of an experienced practitioner)”. Given that most pleural ultrasound is now performed by respiratory physicians the BTS considered updated curriculum to be required.
Topics covered within the focused ultrasound guidance include:
- Urological ultrasound
- Gynaecological ultrasound
- Gastrointestinal ultrasound
- Vascular ultrasound
- Breast ultrasound
- Thoracic ultrasound
- Cranial ultrasound
- Focused emergency ultrasound
- Ultrasound training for critical/intensive care
- Head and neck ultrasound
- Musculoskeletal ultrasound
Each section provides training standards to achieve Level 1, 2 and 3 competency.
Most generalist clinicians will preferentially complete the dedicated training pathways endorsed by their specialty regulating bodies and therefore this document will not be discussed in further detail.
