Purchasing a new ultrasound machine is very exciting—but in addition to buying the equipment, it’s important to invest time and resources into training vets to use the machine. 

This is crucial to ensure accurate ultrasound studies, and to maximize the return on investment by ensuring the machine gets used to its full potential. Here are some ways to do that…

Determine Your Goals

Some veterinarians want to become ultrasound experts—proficient in full abdominal studies and echocardiograms. 

Others may simply want to examine certain organs (such as the urinary bladder) or perform FAST exams. And many vets fall somewhere in the middle.

There’s no right or wrong answer. Each veterinarian and their practice must determine what is the best use of their new ultrasound machine. Knowing these details—such as the species and size of patients you will be performing studies on, and the types of studies you will be doing—can help a veterinary practice choose the best type of ultrasound machine to purchase.

This information can also help veterinarians determine which type of training program, course, or resource is best for learning to use the ultrasound.

Practice, Practice, Practice

There’s no denying that repeated, consistent practice is probably the best way to become very proficient at ultrasound studies.

This means scanning as many pets as possible. This could be done by scanning healthy patients (for example, before routine spays/neuters is often a convenient way to do this), taking a quick peek at other abdominal structures when doing a cystocentesis, offering lower-cost ultrasound examinations on client-owned pets while you are learning, or practicing on the pets of colleagues and friends.

Practice is the best way to gain an intuitive knowledge of all the variations of normal—so a vet can confidently diagnose any abnormalities.

Regular practice is also crucial for developing hand-eye coordination. This means being able to adjust the probe while keeping their eyes on the screen. Like any other new skill, it can take time to get comfortable with this.

While practice is central to learning, in many cases, formal instruction is also immensely helpful.

Why Seek Ultrasound Training?

Training programs can help a veterinarian get a jump start on learning. While practice is crucial, a course could accelerate the learning process by helping a vet know what they are looking at.

It’s also helpful to learn the technical stuff like “knobology.” This means knowing how to work the different knobs and functions on the ultrasound machine—such as gain, time-gain compensation, depth, focal zone, and transducer frequency. 

These functions are necessary to help a vet obtain good quality, clear images. But they’re usually not intuitive without guidance.

Ultrasound Training Programs, Opportunities, and Resources

Fortunately, there are several high-quality ultrasound training programs available to veterinarians. These can be an extension of major conferences/educational organizations like the NAVC Institute or veterinary universities. 

Also, courses are offered by vendors such as Sound who sell ultrasounds and want to help veterinarians maximize the return on their investment.

Training doesn’t have to be a completely formal course, though. It’s possible a veterinarian may find a mentorship opportunity at their practice or with a nearby colleague.

Remote opportunities also exist for learning. This includes online or virtual courses and consultations. Sometimes, manufacturers or vendors offer consultations with radiologists as a benefit of an ultrasound purchase. 

Collaborative communities such as VIN also offer opportunities for consulting with specialists.

It’s important to have a good reference source for images and video clips. Ask colleagues who perform ultrasounds which textbooks or other resources they prefer. 

Texts and reference images are especially helpful for comparison to standardized measurements, such as expected intestinal wall thickness in different species.

Keep Going!

Ultrasound techniques and interpretation can be challenging to learn. However, for a vet who is committed to learning, it’s worth the time because it means such a great diagnostic tool for patient care (plus a new income source for the practice).

Since ultrasound can take time to learn (and to practice!), it’s not possible to rush the process. Also, remember it doesn’t have to be all-or-nothing…

In other words, a vet doesn’t have to be an expert at all types of studies before starting to offer the benefits of this valuable service to clients. 

For example, maybe a vet has difficulty finding the adrenal glands. But they can do a quick and accurate study of the urinary bladder—a very valuable service to offer to pet owners! 

Then, in the near future, the vet can seek additional training to boost their skills even more and offer additional/more comprehensive ultrasound studies.

Keep at it, and ultrasound will likely be a very rewarding tool that helps a practice offer excellent care to its patients.

Written by: Dr. Tammy Powell, DVM