Process

Core skills competency is achieved by the following process:

• Theoretical learning via the EMUS e-learning sessions
• Practical teaching from a course, or modular workplace learning, followed by logged scans
• Satisfactory triggered assessment

Grandfather clause

An alternative route is via the Grandfather clause which has been agreed as follows:

• EPs who have used ultrasound in level 1 practice for some time, but have never been through an assessment process, may be deemed to be core skills competent for the purposes of appraisal if they have a letter from a consultant radiologist or a consultant in emergency medicine with extensive ultrasound experience, confirming their competence
• This letter should be held within their appraisal folder and the regional ultrasound co ordinator should be made aware. This Grandfather clause will be withdrawn in the future when robust training capacity exists

After theoretical and practical learning has been completed, the trainee should then log all ultrasound examinations undertaken. There should be at least 30 logged ultrasound scans, of which half will be directly supervised by a level 1 practitioner, and consisting of:

• 10 FAST
• 10 AAA assessments
• 5 vascular access scans
• 5 Echo in in life support assessments

Learning bite

A trainee achieves core skills competence by demonstrating competence rather than logging an absolute numbers of scans.