‘Cadaveric musculoskeletal injection course’ – Why choose SMUG?

Why choose SMUG to learn US guided injections?

At SMUG we are dedicated to providing the best education and training in diagnostic ultrasound in musculoskeletal medicine. Our guided injection course is now in its fifth year and takes place in the unique facilities of St George’s Hospital Medical School in the Anatomy Lab.

We are extremely proud of this course and always receive excellent feedback about the standard of teaching and the facilities.

Here are our top ten reasons for choosing SMUG:-

1. On the course we use full bodied soft embalmed cadavers. The soft embalming process means that the cadavers are as close as you can get to the real thing; the tissues are soft, the joints can be moved and the cadavers can be positioned supine, prone, side lying or even sitting! This provides a unique learning opportunity to practice and refine your guided injection techniques in exactly the same manner as you will carry them out in clinic.

2. Over the two days you have full unlimited access to the cadavers. The whole course takes place in the anatomy lab and, therefore, you are not limited by the amount of time you have on the cadavers to practice. Furthermore, every cadaver has a tutor to assist and supervise your practice. Many other courses do not give you unlimited access to the cadavers.

3. The course is taught by a carefully selected group of internationally renowned tutors with a wealth of experience carrying out guided injections.

On the course our delegates are from a variety of disciplines; sports doctors, physiotherapists, radiologists, rheumatologists, orthopaedic surgeons and GPs, sonographers and osteopaths. We have selected a teaching faculty to reflect this variety of backgrounds. We are very proud of the teaching team we have put together, which includes consultant radiologists, consultant sports doctors and extended scope physiotherapists. They all come from a variety of clinical backgrounds, including professional sport, the National Health Service (NHS) and private practice. This provides a wealth of experience for the delegates to benefit from.

4. At SMUG we are very strict about the number of machines and tutors we have relative to our number of delegates. Providing excellent ultrasound education is reliant on ensuring that all of the delegates get enough time to practice on the machines under the close supervision of our expert tutors. Therefore, at SMUG we do not compromise this and will always have one machine to two delegates, one full bodied cadaver to four delegates and one cadaver to one tutor. These ratios allow for a highly practical, closely supervised course where the delegates get ample opportunity to practice taking full advantage of this unique learning opportunity

1. “One machine to two delegates, one full body cadaver to four
   delegates and one cadaver to one tutor”
   (We do not compromise these ratios)

5. On the course all our machines are of a high specification. We use a variety of portable and cart-based machines. We have a longstanding successful partnership with GE. GE provide the machines for the course and so we can ensure that every machine is capable of producing excellent images and is excellent for guiding needles.

6.Each delegate will always receive a comprehensive pre-reading resource to ensure that they can get the most out of the two days. They will also receive a teaching resource outlining all of the injection techniques covered in the course with clear photography and images to ensure that when they return to their clinics they can practice the techniques further. We also provide top tips for ensuring you make the injections as simple as possible and you see the needle tip.

Each delegate will also be able to join our ultrasound forum where clinicians from all over the world can discuss cases and ideas after the course. This is an excellent learning resource for picking up the latest research and improving your diagnosis and injection technique. At SMUG we are dedicated to ensuring that the two-day course is just the start of your learning experience with us.

7.Unlike other courses we also teach and provide learning resources on the more advanced injection techniques carried out in musculoskeletal medicine, such as lavage/barbotage, high volume injections, tenotomies and pulley releases. This are taught by our excellent expert clinicians who have pioneered some of these treatments in the UK.

Shoulder barbotage/lavage for calcific tendinopathy

8. Our course is approved and accredited by the leading associations and faculties in the UK and Europe. Our course is accredited by the faculty of Sports & Exercise Medicine, Royal College of Radiologists, the Society of Radiographers and the ESSR. This is a stamp of quality.

9. We receive 5-star feedback!! We are very proud of this course and always encourage feedback from our delegates at the end of the course to help us modify and improve the course for the future. Here are some examples:

10. First and foremost, the course is fun! We always receive feedback on the informal, but productive, nature of the course. We believe that this is absolutely essential to ensure that people get the most out of the two days.

If you have any questions or if you want to find out if the course is appropriate for you please do not hesitate to contact us at info@ultrasoundtraining.co.uk