PGCert MSK US

Name: PGCert MSK US
SKU: 295
Availability: InStock

£3,850.00

Inc VAT

2025/26 entry

UK	International
£3,850 Distance learning	Currently £3,850, Distance learning

Fees quoted are per year and are subject to an annual increase.

Fees for EU applicants: For entry to the 2025/26 academic year, eligible EU applicants will have the same tuition fees as UK students. These fees will be applied for the duration of the course.

Submit Application

Validated by the Health Sciences University (HSU), who will award the PGCert qualification
The course will produce confident, independent and conscientious ultrasound practitioners
Excellent tutor to delegate ratio with plenty of time to practise under close supervision
Opportunity to work with the experts in this field
Typically 1 machine to 3 delegate ratio for practical sessions - a range of cart-based and portable/laptop ultrasound machines are used. These machines represent the variations available in clinical practice.
Access to our online resources including key articles, learning resources, online presentations and quizzes
Exclusive access to our online learning forum

Entry requirements:

The entry requirements for this course include:

A Bachelor's Degree with Honours (or equivalent).
A minimum of 3 years’ musculoskeletal experience.
Registration with the appropriate professional body.
Possession of appropriate indemnity insurance.
Students whose first language is not English should be able to demonstrate fluency in spoken and written English equivalent to an IELTS overall score of 7.0.
You are required to have a clinical placement as a prerequisite for acceptance onto this Postgraduate course. Students are expected to complete a minimum of 14 hours of supervised ultrasound scanning per week, for the entire duration of the course,
You must have an approved Clinical Supervisor as a prerequisite for this course to achieve 250 supervised scans (100 assisted, 150 unassisted).
You must have an approved Independent Assessor as a prerequisite for this course to examine the Final Clinical Summative Assessment.
You must have good MSK anatomical knowledge.
You must be able to attend all course dates.

SMUG and The HSU are committed to a policy of inclusion. Students from diverse ethnic and social backgrounds, HSU-leavers, mature ‘second career’ applicants and students with a range of seen and unseen disabilities are all warmly welcomed. Every application to study on this course is considered on its own merits.

Application process: Once you have submitted your application, one of our Course Leaders (Chris Myers or Robert Laus) will contact you to establish your suitability and verify that you meet all requirements. They will then contact your Clinical Supervisor and Independent Assessor to ensure their suitability along with that of the clinical placement. Once confirmed, you will be invited to join the PGCert MSK US. Payment is required within seven days of being accepted on the course to secure your place, along with submitting the required registration documentation.

Overview
SMUG is the leading provider of musculoskeletal ultrasound in the UK and has over ten years’ experience of providing ultrasound education in both the UK and abroad. SMUG’s mission is to provide the highest quality education for clinicians to learn diagnostic ultrasound to ultimately improve clinical decision making and patient care.

To deliver this comprehensive Postgraduate Certificate, we have teamed up with the Health Sciences University in London (previously the University College of Osteopathy or UCO, to provide a Postgraduate Certificate in Musculoskeletal Diagnostic Ultrasound.

Over the last decade there has been a considerable increase in the demand and use of ultrasound in the management of musculoskeletal complaints in both the public and private healthcare sectors. Technological advances, accessibility and improved diagnostic capabilities, as well as a growing body of literature in this area, have been key factors involved in this increasing demand and we expect this trend to continue in the coming years. Developing a highly skilled pool of clinicians with the appropriate training and necessary competency Is therefore essential to meet this demand.

Whether working within the NHS, private practice or elite sports, this learning pathway has been set up to provide a structured, in-depth and comprehensive training programme for those clinicians looking to add diagnostic ultrasound to their musculoskeletal practice. If you are an Allied Health Professional, doctor, radiologist or sonographer and want to expand your knowledge around musculoskeletal scanning, this Postgraduate certificate will provide an ideal environment for you to learn.

This course is delivered by full-time clinicians and lecturers who work in a variety of locations including the NHS, elite sports and the private sector in musculoskeletal clinics, radiology and sonography departments. You will also benefit from visiting lecturers who have extensive knowledge and expertise in a wide range of areas. This faculty includes Sports Medicine Consultants, physiotherapists and sonographers.

Booking Options

Location

Health Sciences University (HSU),
275 Borough High St, London SE1 1JE

Available dates

Start date - Sept 2025 - £3,850

See Dates tab below for a full list of dates for each cohort

Course Content

This programme consists of 2 units (30 credits per unit) which have a focus on clinical integration of this imaging modality within your practice. On successful completion of both units you will graduate with a Postgraduate Certificate in Musculoskeletal Ultrasound (60 credits).

Before enrolling on this course you will need to have an approved Clinical Supervisor, clinical placement and Independent Assessor. This clinical placement should be for the entire duration of the course and provide 14 hours supervised scanning per week.

This course is a 1 year distance learning course with block release, beginning in September.

Both Unit 1 and Unit 2 teach MSK sonography skills in person at the HSU campus. These in-person teaching days are designed to maximise the interaction and engagement with the SMUG course team and your peers.

Our Virtual Learning Environment (VLE) is an online platform which provides interactive lectures and recorded presentations . These are for you to access at a time suitable for you and are designed to complement the in-person teaching. This is also where you will upload all documentation and assessment forms.

Unit 1
Compulsory
Fundamentals of Musculoskeletal Ultrasound: Principles of Science, instrumentation and upper limb and lower limb application

Unit 1 is delivered in-person at HSU and consists of a block of three consecutive teaching days followed by a second block of two consecutive teaching days.

This unit aims to develop the practical skills required to carry out a musculoskeletal ultrasound scan with an introduction to scanning normal anatomy around the knee, ankle, foot, shoulder, elbow, wrist, hand and hip. It also covers core topics such as the physical properties of ultrasound, including knobology, machine parameters, image optimisation and artefacts. The professional guidelines and issues within ultrasound clinical practice will be covered and applied throughout.

At the start of this unit, you will be expected to begin your supervised scanning at your clinical placement for a minimum of 14 hours per week with your Clinical Supervisor.

Assessment of Unit 1 is a practical skills assessment (OSCE), short answer questions (SAQs - Online Exam) , professional practice in MSK ultrasound and a multiple choice question (MCQ) exam on diagnostic ultrasound physics and instrumentation.

Unit 2
Compulsory
Integrating Musculoskeletal Ultrasound into Practice.

Unit 2 is delivered in-person at HSU over a 2-day teaching block. It also includes an online assessment day and your clinical placement.

This unit aims to develop advanced ultrasound skills and teaches you to recognise pathology on imaging. We will explore report writing and consider normal age related changes on imaging and how this can help you to determine the relevance of your findings. A significant emphasis of this unit is on your clinical placement where you will be working towards a final aim of 250 supervised scans (100 assisted and 150 unassisted). Our in-person teaching days will aim to refine your skills, challenge your clinical reasoning and help you reflect on your scanning technique.

Group-based practical workshops, interactive lectures and a Virtual Learning Environment (VLE) will provide you with extensive resources to help supplement your learning.

Assessment of Unit 2 is an oral case study presentation (online), logbook, a final clinical summative assessment and a clinical placement reflective essay (3000 words).

Careers & employability

Upon successful completion of the Postgraduate certificate in Musculoskeletal Ultrasound, you will obtain 60 HE credits at level 7.

Graduates will be able to show a competency-based award in musculoskeletal ultrasound to employers which will allow you to work as an autonomous musculoskeletal sonographer in a range of clinical settings.

As an Allied Health Professional or doctor, you will be able to incorporate this new modality into your routine clinical assessments. This allows for definitive diagnosis which can reduce the number of clinic visits for patients, reduce inappropriate hospital visits and accelerate the most effective treatment programme.

As a sonographer or radiologist, you may incorporate musculoskeletal ultrasound examinations into your clinical skill set. This will increase your scope of practice and range of expertise.

Our Postgraduate certification programme will ensure you are a confident, independent and conscientious practitioner who can incorporate these new skills seamlessly into your clinical practice, enhancing individual patient care and improving patient outcomes. Completing this course will help to open up new career pathways including further education in ultrasound guided injections.

Submit Application

If you have any questions about our Post Graduate Certificate in MSK Ultrasound please email info@ultrasoundtraining.co.uk