Table 1 Published accreditations in focused cardiac ultrasound and transthoracic echocardiography
From: Ensuring competency in focused cardiac ultrasound: a systematic review of training programs
Organization(s) | Applicable to | Recommendations/requirements |
|---|---|---|
Accreditations in focused cardiac ultrasound | ||
 American College of Chest Physicians [18], Society of Hospital Medicine [19] | US internal medicine and family medicine physicians | Point-of-care ultrasound certificate of completion—attend a 2-day course, completion of an online learning module, submission of 20 focused exams, final examination |
 American College of Emergency Physicians [20] | US emergency medicine physicians | Completion of a dedicated ultrasound course or a 1–2 week preceptorship, followed by a period of supervision during clinical application; recommend completion of 25–50 exams in each domain |
 Society of Point-of-Care Ultrasound [21] | US physicians, nurses, EMS personnel | Recommend 25–50 supervised exams for each domain (with 5% demonstrating pathology), followed by ongoing quality assurance |
 Society of Critical Care Medicine [22] | US critical care physicians | At least 20 didactic hours, must perform 30 and interpret 50 focused exams |
 British Society of Echocardiography, Intensive Care Society [23] | UK critical care physicians | Attend an approved 1-day course, perform 50 exams (at least 10 fully supervised), submit log of exam reports for review by a certified mentor |
 European Society of Intensive Care Medicine [24] | European critical care physicians | Recommend 10 h of combined didactic and practical training and completion of 30 supervised exams |
Accreditations in transthoracic echocardiography | ||
 American College of Cardiology, American Society of Echocardiography [25] | US cardiology trainees to obtain early level competency | Level I certification—cumulative 3 months of training, minimum 75 TTE exams performed + 150 exams interpreted |
US cardiology trainees interpreting echocardiograms independently | Level II certification—cumulative 6 months of training, minimum 150 TTE exams performed + 300 exams interpreted | |
US cardiologists completing a 3-year fellowship in echocardiography | Level III certification—cumulative 9 months of training, minimum 300 TTE exams performed + 750 exams interpreted | |
 National Board of Echocardiography [26] | US and Canadian critical care physicians | Critical care echocardiography (CCE) certification—completion of a critical care fellowship, 20 + h of continuing medical education in echocardiography, minimum 150 TTE exams performed and interpreted |
 British Society of Echocardiography [27] | UK physicians performing bedside ultrasound | Level 1 accreditation—75 TTE exams performed over a 12-month period collected in a logbook encompassing a certain pathology, examination |
UK clinical echocardiographers | Level 2 accreditation—250 TTE exams performed over an 18-month period collected in a logbook encompassing a specific mix of cases, written assessment in theory and reporting, practical assessment, submission of 5 TTE video studies with report | |
 British Society of Echocardiography, Intensive Care Society [28] | UK critical care physicians | Adult critical care echocardiography accreditation (ACCE)—250 TTE exams, written assessment, practical assessment |
 European Society of Intensive Care Medicine [29] | European critical care physicians | European Diploma in advanced critical care EchoCardiography (EDEC)—at least 3 courses, 100 TTE cases, and 35 TEE cases over a 2-year period, written examination, practical examination |
 European Society of Cardiology [30] | European sonographers and physicians | European Association of Cardiovascular Imaging (EACVI) adult TTE certification—completion of a written examination, minimum 250 TTE exams performed, submission of 6 TTE cases |