Raising the standards of MSK Ultrasound Education

Chris, Lorenzo and Rob are fantastic tutors and taught me the basics of MSK ultrasound and ultrasound-guided injections. Within a very short period of time I was confident in my diagnoses of a variety of conditions and performing ultrasound guided injections safely and accurately. The old days of landmark-guided injections or fluoroscopically guided soft tissue injections are definitely over!
I flew across from Canada every month for 9 months to attend the SMUG Courses. It has been worth every penny and would never have made such rapid progress with any other learning pathway. We all want value for our money, and they offer just that. Chris, Rob and Lorenzo are very generous with their time and go over and above to ensure that every clinician progresses to achieve their own individual goals. They are exceedingly kind, knowledgeable, patient, and highly engaged with their pupils. I have had the pleasure of learning from them for almost 80 hours on their different courses this year and I have enjoyed every one of those hours.

I commenced a PG Certificate in MSK Ultrasound in London but had found it very difficult to get regular supervision at my hospital. I was looking to develop my US skills whilst at the same time have regular contact with experienced clinicians to sign off my clinical log book to fulfil the requirements of the course. The mentorship programme offered both a structured pathway in US development and regular clinician contact to discuss scans and sign off case studies over several months.

The programme provides a strong emphasis on precision of ultrasound techniques. Ample and dedicated time is given to each body part. The teaching explores diverse ways of presenting relevant information through online discussions, article sharing, power point presentations and real patient presentations. This richly rewarding learning platform has led to both my practical skills and theoretical knowledge to grow throughout the mentorship programme. The course provides the opportunity to network with an array of clinicians both nationally and internationally though topical forums. Exploring clinicians various clinical experience throughout the mentorship group has made me far more reflective regarding the implications of diagnostic findings and overall management.

The mentors experience and passion to improve students skills base is obvious. Having dedicated time at each session on a one to one basis with allocated supervisors/mentors allowed for any clinical concerns/questions to be addressed. Collectively the mentorship students have felt determined to carry forward their newly found skills into clinical practice. I also attended the SMUG 2-day cadaveric course to develop my US guided injections skills. The course developed my skills and improved my needle visualisation. I also developed new, more advanced injection techniques, which I now use regularly in my clinical practice. Overall following the course, I felt a new confidence with my own guided injection skills.

If you are looking to either further develop your ultrasound skills or for more supervision for a PG Certificate I would not hesitate to recommend the mentorship programme or any of the SMUG courses.

I attended the Introduction course initially and then embarked on the Mentorship Programme. Firstly, I wanted to achieve a competency in MSK ultrasound techniques to enhance my skills and develop my career. Secondly, this Mentorship Programme formed part of my preparation for the European Diploma of MSK Radiology. The courses fulfilled these goals and much more!

I have significantly improved my ultrasound probe skills and developed my knowledge of MSK pathology. I am more confident in my own skills and ability and can scan more challenging structures such as the nerves around the elbow, the proximal hamstring, shoulder and distal biceps tendon. I have also developed my knowledge base in relation to imaging tendons and nerves and have had a significant insight into how imaging findings relate to the clinical presentation. I would recommend this course to any of my radiology colleagues if they want to develop their MSK ultrasound skills. The course organisers and atmosphere of the teaching is fantastic and the tutors are very generous with their time.

I have found the courses really interesting and have thoroughly enjoyed the challenge! The tutors have provided me with all the information required to develop my skills and have given me insight into how the imaging findings relate to the patients presentation.

They have explored every avenue of learning including practical skills, reflective discussions, sharing of images and case studies. All of the tutors are extremely knowledgeable and encourage questions and discussions on every topic. The course has provided me with the skills to be competent in MSK scanning. Through discussion with tutors, the other professionals attending the course and on the online mentorship forum I have been able to set up protocols for my clinic and structure thorough and relevant reports for each patient. This would have been extremely difficult without their guidance. The tutors always tailor the information to make it relevant to your profession and level.

The multidisciplinary interaction provided me with a more, well rounded approach to scanning and reporting. I would certainly recommend the course to anyone looking to develop his or her MSK scanning skills. The course is relevant to all health care professionals with an interest in MSK and sports medicine. I plan to attend the advanced course next year and look forward to meeting up with the mentorship group again!

The courses I have attended have been very informative, evidence based and great fun! The courses have been challenging but have significantly progressed my clinical practice and scanning skills. The experience and knowledge of the tutors are awe inspiring to say the least. Having leaders and pioneers in the field teaching and sharing their knowledge is key to any professional’s clinical development. They are a formidable team! Combine this with the skills and experience of the other healthcare professionals on the course from all over the world makes it a very unique, enjoyable learning experience. SMUG offer courses to suit those who want a basic, hands-on approach to musculoskeletal ultrasonography through to clinical supervision for PG Certification in MSK Ultrasonography and guided injections. As a delegate, I would like to thank the SMUG team for your support, from booking onto the course; to certification it has been an absolute pleasure. May the SMUG journey continue...