For over 20 years, the EDE – ED Echo Course has been teaching Point-of-Care ultrasound to emergency physicians and other specialists. With the advent of extremely portable systems with great image quality, it is time for this modality to enter family medicine, especially in rural areas where access to diagnostic imaging can be challenging.
RhPAP has partnered with the EDE Course to sponsor courses in rural communities including Claresholm, Hinton, High River, Stettler, Cold Lake, Camrose, Sundre, and Wetaskiwin.
What is Involved
The complete course involves online modules, taken in advance of two weekend workshops or a four-day “boot camp” taught in your community. During the first two days, participants are taught the ultrasound techniques and then provided with an opportunity to practise what they have learned. The final two days of practice allow participants to complete the 50 ultrasound scans and be tested to become independent practitioners through the Canadian Point of Care Ultrasound Society (CPoCUS).
Before the in-person workshops, participants work through a series of online texts and videos that are strictly focused on what they need to know. This means that in-person course time is dedicated to hands-on learning.
Communities are encouraged to partner regionally to allow a maximum number of health professionals to attend the course. Registration discounts are available for non-physician participants.
Eligibility
To be eligible, the following conditions must be met:
- The hosting community must have a population of fewer than 15,000 people and not fall within the defined Census Metropolitan Area boundaries of Calgary or Edmonton (see rhpap.ca/about for more details)
- The community has not received EDE Course funding from RhPAP in the last three years
Course Credits
Participants in the introductory two-day EDE Course receive 30 CFPC CERT+ credits or 12 Royal College Section 3 credits.
EDE Participants in the four-day (two weekend boot-camp), receive Canadian Point of Care Ultrasound Society (CPoCUS) certification and 80 CFPC CERT+ credits or 37 Royal College Section 3 credits.