A training, assessment and feedback package for the trainee shoulder sonographer

Diagnostic ultrasound of the shoulder is recognised as being one of the most technically challenging aspects of musculoskeletal ultrasound to master. It has a steep learning curve and makes gaining competency a time-intensive training process for both the trainee and their trainer. This article describes a training, assessment and feedback package developed within the framework of a Consortium for the Accreditation of Sonographic Education approved post-graduate ultrasound course. The package comprises: (i) a shoulder diagnostic ultrasound scan protocol with definition of findings, differential diagnosis and pro forma for recording scan findings, (ii) an assessment form for performance of shoulder diagnostic ultrasound scans with assessment criteria and (iii) a combined performance assessment and scan findings form, for each tissue being imaged. The package has been developed using medical education principles and provides a mechanism for trainees to follow an internationally recognised protocol. Supplementary information includes the differential diagnostic process used by an expert practitioner, which can otherwise be difficult to elicit. The package supports the trainee with recording their findings quickly and consistently and helps the trainee and trainer to explicitly recognise the challenges of scanning different patients or pathologies. It provides a mechanism for trainers to quantify and trainees to evidence their emerging competency. The package detailed in this article is therefore proposed for use in shoulder ultrasound training and its principles could be adapted for other musculoskeletal regions or other ultrasound disciplines.