BMJ 2014;348:g4097 doi: 10.1136/bmj.g4097 (Published 18 June 2014)
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Letters
LETTERS ULTRASOUND SCANNERS AND STETHOSCOPES
Emergency physicians undergo a formal training in the use of ultrasound Jamie Fryer emergency medicine senior clinical fellow Chelsea and Westminster NHS Foundation Trust, London SW10 9NH, UK
Wittenberg reports that there are “no data out there for us to know who is performing ultrasounds apart from radiologists and obstetricians who have to go through a certification process.”1
Emergency physicians in the UK are increasingly using ultrasound and have formal education in its use. Ultrasound in emergency medicine training includes using ultrasound for FAST (focused assessment with sonography in trauma), vascular access, and detecting abdominal aortic aneurysms.2
To be certified in level one emergency medicine ultrasound use, trainees undergo structured training involving online modules and clinical practice with log books. For trainees to be signed off as competent, several of the scans need to be directly supervised by a certified ultrasound trainer.
Level 1 ultrasound competency is a requirement of progression through the annual review of competence for higher emergency medicine trainees and must be achieved before completion of training. Ultrasound certified trainees and consultants are advised by the College of Emergency Medicine ultrasound subgroup to keep logs of cases and undertake auditing of their practice regularly. Competing interests: None declared. 1 2
Wittenberg M. Will ultrasound scanners replace the stethoscope? BMJ 2014;348:g3463. (29 May.) College of Emergency Medicine ultrasound sub-committee. Emergency medicine ultrasound. 2009. www.collemergencymed.ac.uk/code/document.asp?ID=3444.
Cite this as: BMJ 2014;348:g4097 © BMJ Publishing Group Ltd 2014
[email protected] For personal use only: See rights and reprints http://www.bmj.com/permissions
Subscribe: http://www.bmj.com/subscribe
Page 1 of 1
Letters
LETTERS ULTRASOUND SCANNERS AND STETHOSCOPES
Emergency physicians undergo a formal training in the use of ultrasound Jamie Fryer emergency medicine senior clinical fellow Chelsea and Westminster NHS Foundation Trust, London SW10 9NH, UK
Wittenberg reports that there are “no data out there for us to know who is performing ultrasounds apart from radiologists and obstetricians who have to go through a certification process.”1
Emergency physicians in the UK are increasingly using ultrasound and have formal education in its use. Ultrasound in emergency medicine training includes using ultrasound for FAST (focused assessment with sonography in trauma), vascular access, and detecting abdominal aortic aneurysms.2
To be certified in level one emergency medicine ultrasound use, trainees undergo structured training involving online modules and clinical practice with log books. For trainees to be signed off as competent, several of the scans need to be directly supervised by a certified ultrasound trainer.
Level 1 ultrasound competency is a requirement of progression through the annual review of competence for higher emergency medicine trainees and must be achieved before completion of training. Ultrasound certified trainees and consultants are advised by the College of Emergency Medicine ultrasound subgroup to keep logs of cases and undertake auditing of their practice regularly. Competing interests: None declared. 1 2
Wittenberg M. Will ultrasound scanners replace the stethoscope? BMJ 2014;348:g3463. (29 May.) College of Emergency Medicine ultrasound sub-committee. Emergency medicine ultrasound. 2009. www.collemergencymed.ac.uk/code/document.asp?ID=3444.
Cite this as: BMJ 2014;348:g4097 © BMJ Publishing Group Ltd 2014
[email protected] For personal use only: See rights and reprints http://www.bmj.com/permissions
Subscribe: http://www.bmj.com/subscribe
