AN OUTSTANDING LEARNING OPPORTUNITY FOR VETERINARIANS
ULTRASOUND
ACADEMY PORTUGAL
Develop your confidence with small animal abdominal ultrasound in this incredibly supportive tutored course in Europe.
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5 days of 100% ultrasound practice.
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Fully supported with the presence of a dedicated tutor on site throughout the entire course.
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Access to different ultrasound machines so you can obtain different images and interpret results from different equipment.
BRINGING CONFIDENCE TO ABDOMINAL ULTRASOUND
Abdominal ultrasound is an incredible diagnostic tool that can be difficult to master.
Why We Struggle
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Lack of Exposure Time using the Ultrasound
To become good at abdominal ultrasound, you need to practise how to obtain the right images and then interpret them, which involves you actually performing ultrasounds instead of just learning from books.
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Lack of Support and Feedback
Even if you do get cases, you may not have anyone more experienced to confirm with you that you are on the right track for the correct interpretation and diagnosis. This makes you feel like you’ve done the ultrasound but you can’t trust your findings, so you are in the same place where you were before you did the ultrasound.
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Not Enough Opportunities
When you are working, full abdominal ultrasounds are not that common and the learning opportunities in clinical practice are not many, since your most experienced colleagues will usually perform the ultrasound and you don’t get a chance to get your hands on as you’ll be busy doing something else.
The “No Experience Cycle”
In a busy practice, there is usually someone more familiar and comfortable with ultrasound, or even someone specifically dedicated to it. This means you are usually busy doing something else and you may not even have the cases or opportunity to be present during ultrasounds. This perpetuates the cycle where the less experienced vets don't have the chance of practising ultrasound and improve their skills.
Lack of practice leads to
lack of confidence in you and your diagnosis.
Ultrasound is such an important diagnostic tool that missing the skills to perform a basic abdominal ultrasound makes you lose confidence in your competence as a veterinarian. It leads to you being unsure about the diagnosis you are making, missing important changes or even providing wrong diagnoses. Being able to perform a basic abdominal ultrasound increases the standard of care you are able to provide for your patients and can save their lives.
A TRAINING COURSE FOR PROFICIENCY
Our Ultrasound Academy offers you five stepping stones to become completely comfortable with abdominal ultrasound:
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FOCUS
5-day Academy
We provide an intense focus on developing your skills for 5 days. Our Academy runs from Monday to Friday, morning and evening.
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PRACTICE
It's all hands-on
You are the one performing ultrasound. You will also be able to watch how to perform it and interpret images obtained by others.
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SUPPORT
An experienced tutor for you
You will be followed by an experienced tutor that will provide you with feedback on your technique, images and help you improve during the entire course.
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ENVIRONMENT
Dedicated to learning and teaching
Our dedicated learning environment allows you to move away from the expectations of clients and also use your time to visit Portugal.
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ALL-IN-ONE
Hassle-free stay
Accommodation and meals are all sorted by us and we help you plan your journey to Portugal.
YOUR EXPERIENCE
Preparation
We partner with Camilla Edwards from First Opinion Veterinary Ultrasound to provide you with a 6-week course reviewing the theory of abdominal ultrasound. We will focus on all abdominal organs, including pancreas, adrenals, lymph nodes and vasculature, so your time in Portugal is fully used for practising.
Equipment
You will perform ultrasound on healthy dogs using three different ultrasound machines. This way, you can assess different quality images and interpret them. You can also repeat ultrasound on the same dog so you can see what the images look like with different machines. We strive to give you the opportunity of assessing dogs with suspect or known pathologies.
Learn and Pause
Doing ultrasound for many hours in a row is exhausting! To allow you some rest, we will group you and allow you to change between performing a complete abdominal ultrasound and assisting with restraint and interpretation for your colleagues. We will also have breaks and show you demonstration videos.
Your result
By the end of this Academy, you should be able to perform an abdominal ultrasound from beginning to end, to obtain the required views for all major abdominal organs and, whenever possible, the pancreas, adrenals, lymph nodes and vasculature.
LIMITED VACANCIES
Dates for the next Courses
We accept veterinary graduates as well as final year veterinary students in our courses.
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February 2023 - 20th to 24th (Monday to Friday)
Online course starts 02/01/2023.
Suggested arrival on the 19th and departure on the 25th. FULL.
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April 2023 - 3rd to 7th (Monday to Friday)
Online course starts 27/02/2023.
Suggested arrival on the 2nd and departure on the 8th. FULL.
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June 2023 - 5th to 9th (Monday to Friday)
Online course starts 24/04/2023.
Suggested arrival on the 3rd and departure on the 10th. FULL.
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October 2023 - 9th to 13th (Monday to Friday)
Online course starts 28/08/2023.
Suggested arrival on the 8th and departure on the 14th. PRE-REGISTRATION AVAILABLE.
TRAVEL, STAY AND MEALS
The Ultrasound Academy takes place at the UniVets Global training centre in Vila Franca de Xira. This is a small city that is located 20 minutes away from Lisbon airport and has a well connected train station.
We book your accommodation in Vila Franca de Xira. Whenever there is availability, we book you a room in one of the local thematic bungalows (you may share the bungalow with another delegate). These bungalows are fully equipped (they have TV and wi-fi, as well as a kitchen) and are located in a compound where you also have access to a swimming pool and gym. They are walking distance from the training centre and the town centre and a very short drive to the motorway to Lisbon.
All your meals are included. Breakfast is provided at the training centre. Lunch and dinner take place in varied restaurants in the area, so you can have a taste for the local gastronomy. We will bring you to those locations.
We will finish each day in time for you to have a stroll around the city and enjoy the river views, or relax at the bungalow compound.
Join Us
How to Book a Course
Each Ultrasound Academy edition has a limit of 9 vacancies. We usually only have one or two courses open for registration at one given point.
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Pre-Registration
Fill out the pre-registration form to let us know what Academy you’d like to join.
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Q&A Session
Once we know when you’d like to join, we’ll get in touch with you by email or phone to explain you how the course works and make sure you have no questions.
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Booking confirmation
After speaking to you we can confirm if there is a vacancy and will start your registration if you want to take it by sending you an invitation letter with full terms and conditions.
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Deposit and reservation
We will raise the invoice for your deposit. Once your deposit is paid, your reservation is complete and we’ll start processing your accommodation and help you plan your travel.
JOIN US
Three Good Reasons to Join
Ultrasound Academy offers you a unique and unforgettable experience that goes beyond learning skills.
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40h of CPD
40 hours of certified CPD with a proficiency diploma at the end.
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Practise, practise, practise
Our Academy is the most practical Academy you will find.
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Dedicated to teaching
We pride ourselves in bringing you tutors that are incredible and passionate about teaching you for life.
A fantastic course which I would recommend to anyone in need of improving their sonography.
Nigel Smith
I did not expect that I would leave knowing how to ultrasound the pancreas, adrenals, lymph nodes and blood vessels.
Catarina Silva
I gained more confidence and skills to perform abdominal ultrasound. We spent good time with colleagues and had quiet patients for the ultrasounds.
Ana Maria
Frequently asked question
Here are a few answers to our most common questions
I'm a veterinary student, can I join?
Yes, this course is for veterinary graduates and final year veterinary students who want to develop their skills with abdominal ultrasound and become confident with the procedure. If you are still not in your final year, you will need to wait a bit longer ;)
I don't have experience with ultrasound, can I join?
Yes you can! We don't require any previous experience, also we'll make sure you also get access to our online course before the in-person Academy so you can review all the principles of ultrasound and use all of your time in Portugal scanning :)
Where does it take place?
The course takes place in our new training centre, near a city called Vila Franca de Xira. This location is 20 minutes away from Lisbon airport and can also be reached in 30-40 minutes by public transport.
How many ultrasounds can I do?
More than the number, we care about your confidence with the procedure. You'll have other colleagues and we want you to do at least one full abominal scan in the morning and one in the afternoon, but want you to assist with at least two more for each period.
What sort of help will I have?
There will be one experienced tutor available all the time to help you with image interpretation, little tricks and tips, repositioning the probe and obtaining the right images.
What am I expected to do during the course?
During this course, you will be grouped with one or two more vets and assigned an ultrasound machine for the day. You will then swap between assisting with image interpretation while restraining the patients (they are not sedated, unless really necessary) and performing the ultrasound yourself.
What are the course fees?
The fee for the 5-day course with accommodation and meals included is £2500. This value can be paid in two instalments and converted into other currencies.
What accommodation is available?
We will organise accommodation for you at the local bungalow compound, where you will get your own bedroom. You may share the bungalow with another delegate (but not your bedroom). The cost of the accommodation is already included in the course fees. In some cases when there is no availability, we will make alternative arrangements (we will inform you if this is the case).
Are meals included?
Yes, we will offer you breakfast, lunch and dinner from Monday to Friday. We will also accommodate your preferences and limitations.
What about travel?
We will help you organise your travel and provide you with information to comply with COVID-19 travel restrictions. However, you will have to make travel arrangements to travel to Vila Franca de Xira from the airport, which we'll help you. The training centre is walking distance from your accommodation.
What do I need to bring?
We only ask that you bring scrubs to wear during the course, you can also bring your own stethoscope if you want. And we advise you bring comfy shoes! ;)
What conditions can I expect at the training center?
At the training center we have a dedicated space for the dogs to rest while we're doing scans and a separate area for us to perform the ultrasound. Of course, you will also have a bathroom available, but there is not a specific space to have meals - we'll be going out for that :D
Learn to do a complete Abdominal Ultrasound in Portugal
A unique and supported experience to develop your imaging skills and diagnostic confidence, offering you a remarkable learning environment.
UniVets Global is run by AD-VETERPRISES LTD.
Head Office
272 Bath Street
Glasgow
G2 4JR
+44 07918796877
UniVets Global Training Centre
Rua Jose Falcao, n. 9 - 11
2600 - 172
Vila Franca de Xira, Lisbon
Portugal
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