Critical Care Ultrasonography Certificate of Completion
Since 2010, this program has offered comprehensive, hands-on experience. Take individual courses or earn the Certificate of Completion (COC) for critical care ultrasonography.
Target audience
All health care providers interested in incorporating point-of-care ultrasonography into their daily practice would benefit from this program. The program specifically focuses on subjects relevant to clinicians caring for acutely ill hospitalized patients.
This program has also been instrumental for clinicians seeking credentialing at their local institution.
If you have questions regarding the CHEST Critical Care Ultrasonography Certificate of Completion Program, please reach out to COC@chestnet.org.
Program requirements
These requirements must be completed within 3 years of starting the program and are listed in recommended order of completion. We highly recommend attending CHEST’s Ultrasonography: Essentials in Critical Care simulation course prior to Ultrasound: Integration into Clinical Practice to attain the basic skills to acquire high-quality images for your portfolio. Portfolio images must be generated and collected personally after attending one of the two live courses.
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1. Complete Bedside Ultrasound in Critical Care CAE Online e-learning modules
Supplement, strengthen, and refine your ultrasound coursework. Designed by frontline intensivist experts in critical care ultrasonography, these interactive, multimedia e-learning tutorials review essential components of critical care ultrasound.
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There are three learning paths that need to be completed before you receive a final certificate for the modules:
- Assessment of Central and Peripheral Vessels
- Assessment of Pleural Space and Lung
- Focused Cardiac Transthoracic Echo
You will receive an access link to the modules 2-3 business days after you receive a purchase confirmation from CAE Healthcare. While you will purchase the modules through the CHEST website, you will access the modules on CAE’s website. For questions about module access, please contact imaging@cae.com or +1 (888) 866-ICCU (4228) in North America, or +1 (514) 341-2000 ext. 6521 for International.
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2. Attend Ultrasonography: Essentials in Critical Care
In this in-person course, you’ll review key elements of critical care ultrasonography and practice image acquisition on human models. Master your skills acquiring and interpreting ultrasound images of lung, pleural, vascular, abdominal, and basic echocardiography. Faculty will teach you how to integrate your interpretation skills into immediate patient management, so you can improve how you manage acutely ill hospitalized patients.
VIEW ULTRASONOGRAPHY ESSENTIALS COURSE DATES »
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3. Attend Critical Care Ultrasonography: Integration into Clinical Practice
Study whole-body ultrasonography for diagnosis and management of the critically ill patient in a hands-on learning environment using human models and state-of-the art simulators. Expert faculty will teach ultrasound protocols, techniques for integrating beside ECHO with general critical care ultrasound, and strategies to manage patients with shock and respiratory failure. Plus, you’ll learn case-based image interpretation and how to perform ultrasounds for vascular access, pleural drainage, and peritoneal drainage procedures.
VIEW CRITICAL CARE ULTRASONOGRAPHY COURSE DATES »
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4. Complete the online portfolio
After completion of one of the live, in-person ultrasound courses, you are eligible to enroll in the portfolio. The online portfolio requires submission of ultrasound video clips for review by faculty. Access to the portfolio will only be granted after completing a live course.
Portfolio participants are encouraged to submit only high-quality image sets with meticulous attention to gain, axis, and central target position. Duplicate images will be rejected.
While images of normals are acceptable, the faculty encourages submission of images with pathology. The purpose of the portfolio component is to have you demonstrate your skill, but also to encourage ongoing scanning activity, as true competence in critical care ultrasonography requires an autodidactic approach to learning.
Compatible file formats include .mp4, .avi, .bmp, and .mov video files.
Patient identification data must be excluded or removed from images.
A total of 102 approved images are required to complete this component of the COC Program.
Image categories:
- Cardiac
- Parasternal Long-Axis View (10 images)
- Parasternal Short-Axis View (10 images)
- Apical Four-Chamber View (10 images)
- Subcostal Four-Chamber View (10 images)
- Inferior Vena Cava Longitudinal View (10 images)
- Lung & Pleural
- Pleural Effusion (any size) (4 images)
- Sliding Lung (4 images)
- Consolidation (4 images)
- Abdominal
- Left Kidney Longitudinal View with Splenorenal Space (4 images)
- Right Kidney Longitudinal View with Hepatorenal Space (4 images)
- Abdominal Aorta Longitudinal View (4 images)
- Bladder Transverse View (4 images)
- Vascular Diagnostic DVT Study
- Right Common Femoral Vein with Compression (3 images)
- Left Common Femoral Vein with Compression (3 images)
- Right Femoral Vein (Superficial) – Deep Femoral Vein (3 images)
- Left Femoral Vein (Superficial) – Deep Femoral Vein (3 images)
- Right Common Femoral Vein - Greater Saphenous Vein Junction (3 images)
- Left Common Femoral Vein - Greater Saphenous Vein Junction (3 images)
- Left Popliteal Vein (3 images)
- Right Popliteal Vein (3 images)
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5. Pass a comprehensive final assessment
All previous requirements must be met before taking this exam. Opportunities to complete the final assessment are offered throughout the year, during the Ultrasonography: Essentials in Critical Care simulation course, during the Critical Care Ultrasound: Integration into Clinical Practice simulation course, and on Sunday morning at the CHEST Annual Meeting. CME credit is now offered for the portfolio and the final assessment.
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