Training Course in Clinical Abdominal Ultrasound - TrainR4U
General Objectives of the Course
Main objective of Clinical Abdominal Ultrasound Training is to capacitate current and future health professionals to acquire/improve skills on that imaging technique.Admission Requirements
The learning program is specially targeted to all those that use ultrasound diagnosis on a daily basis, that need the skill, experience and additional training time. Medical students and students from the field of imaging can also apply. The learners will need to have a background medical education that is relevant to the content of the program and as such in terms of requisites they will have to provide accredited documentation of their academic/professional experience as well as a letter of commitment towards the course. All candidates should have the following required course prerequisites: Anatomy and Physiology; Medical Terminology; Intro to Physics.
Candidates should check the admission requirements available on this site, in addition to the information provided here.
Mode of Study
B-learningTeaching / Evaluation language(s)
EnglishExamination Regulations, Assessment and Grading
0-20 final score - non-degree course scale.Learning Objectives and Intended Skills
Acquire depth knowledge and understanding in diagnostic Ultrasound (US) in the setting of professional practice; Develop skills for safe and competent practice in US; Apply clinical competencies to inform professional practice in US; Develop new skills for safe and competent diagnostic US practice; Improve diagnostic accuracy, facilitate faster diagnosis and decrease complication rates when using US imaging guidance; Promote the use of US imaging in the clinical work, to increase accuracy of diagnoses or aid procedures, and reduce time spent and decrease overall costs; Reduce the use of more invasive and expensive diagnostic modalities; Develop a philosophy consistent with continual learning and professional development throughout professional life; Integrate technology and innovation as a core competence for the healthcare workforce; Increase digital literacy through technology training (creating skills to generate, manage, analyse, interpret and communicate medical data); Adapt to patient health condition needs and resource-limited settings while delivering value-based and patient-centred healthcare.Course Coordinator(s)
Luís Miguel Catarino Curvo Semedo
lmcsemedo@fmed.uc.pt
Qualification Requirements and Regulations
Rules of creation and operation of non-degree courses at the University of Coimbra.Graduation Requirements
TrainR4U is a 40-hour b-learning course, focusing on abdominal ultrasound imaging, that includes both theoretical (on-line) and practical (hands-on) training.
Concerning the theoretical training (on-line component), the course has a sequential structure organized in 5 thematic modules. Each module has its own timetable, suggesting that the student dedicates 2 hours of daily work to the course. The methodology is based on learners’ active learning, with teacher’s monitoring. The theoretical concepts about US will be presented through texts and video lectures, and case-based learning will be used for application and contextualization of concepts.
Learning approaches:
• Teacher video lectures – for theoretical explanations and key concepts.
• Clinical cases – learners will be guided through US-based clinical cases that will be particularly useful to improve the clinical reasoning about the matters.
The teaching process is based on the systematic monitoring of learners' work, namely in the study of the contents, clarification of doubts and in the accomplishment of learning activities.There will be individual activities, like tests, that will have automatic feedback, and group activities, like forums, that will be monitored by the teacher.
For hands-on training, there will be training hubs, which will be composed of an offsite master side (mentor) and onsite master-slave (learner) stations, which will enable remote US training with the assistance of a skilled mentor. These stations will be connected and enhanced by an innovative robot-assisted co-manipulation system. The offsite mentor and onsite robotic system will work together in a shared control manner to conduct the training. Students will be guided to perform tasks related to the ultrasound exploration of the abdomen of the participating pairs, serving the students as models of each other – to recognize a certain anatomical structure or to make a simple measurement of an organ or part of it. The robotic system implemented in the training station will allow the external mentor to monitor and control the ultrasound equipment with high precision, allowing the student to receive tactile feedback and positional correction performed by the specialist who is at a distance. Participants' confidentiality will be guaranteed by signing a confidentiality agreement upon registration.
Study Programme
2023-2024
Course Type
Non Degree Course
Qualification Awarded: Diploma/Certificate
Duration: 40 HORAS
ECTS Credits: 1.5