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DVM Information
DVM Certification Program
The goal of this program to provide a structured training environment that allows a small animal veterinarian to reach a defined level of ultrasonography expertise. Veterinarians who are utilizing ultrasound as an integral part of diagnostic work ups on a daily basis and desire credentials to reflect their expertise are especially suited. The credentialing and examination process necessary for IVUSS certification is both highly challenging and rewarding. Three didactic and laboratory courses must be completed as part of the program: Basic Abdomen, Echocardiography, Advanced Abdominal/Soft Tissue/Small Parts. The program combines traditional short courses with two additional training tools. The first is the requirement for presentation of casebooks in each of the three areas. Participants will be required to submit a casebook of 15 cases. A standardized format of case description, imaging protocol, follow-up verification, case discussion with extensive use of references will be followed. After completion of all short course training and acceptance of casebook, the participant will take an on-line final exam, involving practical case material, and a practical exam to be taken at the annual meeting.
| Timeframe | Prerequisites | Coursework |
| Casebooks | Case Format | Casebook Criteria |
| Final Examination | Certification | Cost |
| Privacy/Reporting Policy | Recredentialing | Additional Information/ Questions |
- Duration:
- 3 years from time of enrollment to successful completion of the on-line examination.
- If the timeframe is exceeded, a new enrollment is required.
- D.V.M. or V.M.D. degree with at least 3 years of documentable ultrasound experience in veterinary practice with a minimum average caseload of > 20 cases/month.
- Active state/national licensure to practice veterinary medicine
- Ultrasound system in the practice
- 5.0 to 7.5 MHz small footprint transducer minimum
- B- and M-mode
- Color Flow and Spectral (CW and PW) Doppler
- Basic Abdomen
- Instructor
- ACVR diplomat
- other expert as evidenced by both:
- publication record
- acknowledged teaching and technical expertise
- Didactic Content
- Principles of Ultrasound
- Beam formation
- Resolution
- Interaction with tissues
- Transducer types
- Artifacts
- Types
- Principles of formation
- Means of avoidance
- Clinical diagnostic value
- Scanning nomenclature
- Nomenclature of transducer movements
- Scan planes
- Patient scanning methodology
- Organ Systems
- Liver & Gall Bladder
- Spleen
- Kidneys & Urinary Bladder
- Genital Tract
- Female tract: ovaries, uterus
- Male tract: prostate, testicles
- Topics for each organ system
- Location
- How to image
- Normal appearance
- Appearance of disease
- Case discussion
- Biopsy
- Basic principles
- Indications & contraindications
- Principles of Ultrasound
- Laboratory Content (times provided are minimum per person)
- General scanning technique (15 minutes)
- Nomenclature of transducer movements
- Scan planes
- Organ Systems
- Liver & Gall Bladder (30 minutes)
- How to image
- Normal appearance
- Kidneys & Urinary Bladder (30 minutes)
- How to image
- Normal appearance
- Liver & Gall Bladder (30 minutes)
- Instructor
- Advanced Abdomen
- Instructor
- ACVR diplomat
- other expert as evidenced by both:
- publication record
- acknowledged teaching and technical expertise
- Didactic Content
- Advanced Principles of Ultrasound
- Digital versus Analog beam formers
- Doppler
- Advanced beam steering
- Contrast
- Organ Systems
- Abdominal Vasculature
- Abdominal Lymph Nodes
- Pancreas
- Adrenals
- Gastrointestinal Tract
- Stomach, duodenum, ileocolic junction
- Sublumbar region
- Lymph nodes, colon, vertebra
- Neck
- Thyroid, parathyroid & salivary glands
- Musculoskeletal
- Thorax
- Topics for each organ system
- Location
- How to image
- Normal appearance
- Appearance of disease
- Case discussion
- Advanced Biopsy
- Advanced Principles of Ultrasound
- Laboratory Content (times provided are minimum per person)
- General scanning technique (15 minutes)
- Nomenclature of transducer movements
- Scan planes
- Organ Systems
- How to image
- Normal appearance
- Pancreas (20 minutes)
- Adrenals (15 minutes)
- Gastrointestinal tract (20 minutes)
- Sublumbar region (5 minutes)
- Instructor
- Echocardiography
- Instructor
- ACVIM diplomate (Internal Medicine or Cardiology)
- other expert as evidenced by both:
- publication record
- acknowledged teaching and technical expertise
- Didactic Content
- Scanning Nomenclature
- Scan planes
- Patient scanning methodology
- M-mode quantification
- Cardiac nomenclature
- Cursor placement
- Leading edge methodology
- Doppler
- Velocity Measurement
- Pressure Gradients
- Interpretation of abnormalities
- Determination of Diastolic Dysfunction
- Congenital diseases
- Pressure overload
- Volume overload
- Acquired diseases
- Primary myocardial
- Primary valvular
- Secondary myocardial
- Cor pulmonale
- Neoplasia
- Pericardial Disease
- Case studies
- Laboratory Content
- Content (times provided are minimum per person)
- General scanning technique (30 minutes)
- Nomenclature of transducer movements
- Scan planes
- Left apical
- Left parasternal long axis and modified long axis
- Structure identification
- Measurement techniques (45 minutes)
- RV/LV view
- Mitral valve view
- LA/Ao view
- Instructor
- Alternative methods of covering the didactic material will be considered, including:
- On-line
- All laboratory topics must be hands-on with designated instructor
- Each case should be presented as a scientific paper suitable for publication in any veterinary journal, with all images of your exam to reflect your thoroughness, your interpretation to reflect your knowledge and ability to communicate your findings and thought processes, and all supported with appropriate references. If the case presentation looks more like the patient’s record than a scientific article, it will not be accepted.
- Evaluation of casebooks are scrupulously based on criteria represented here. If that criteria is not followed, the casebooks will not be accepted. That said, if an image of a certain small part (lymph node, adrenal, pancreas, vessel, duct, ureter, etc) is not obtained, the region should be scanned carefully with a captured image representing that region, with an explanation of the process/search.”
- Casebook of 15 clinical cases will be prepared by each participant.
- 5 cases each from topics covered in basic abdomen, advanced abdomen and echocardiography short course requirements. One "normal" case will be accepted for basic abdomen and echocardiography.
- Click here for an Abdominal Casebook Example
- Click here for an Echocardiography Casebook Example
- Cases can be submitted individually or in pairs to program organizers on-line. The feedback received for each case will help you streamline and improve the process of case submission, as well as become a better sonographer and clinician.
- No outside consultation or advice is acceptable
- Any evidence of outside consultation or advice will result in irreversible discontinuation from the program.
- Cases will be evaluated individually
- Cases will be evaluated on all image and clinical aspects (see casebook criteria)
- Participants may re-submit the same case with additional materials, as appropriate
- After submission of 10 unacceptable cases, the participant will be discontinued from the program with no financial reimbursement
- Discontinued participants will need to complete all coursework again prior to re-enrollment
The format of each case will be as follows:
- Each case should be presented as a scientific paper suitable for publication in any veterinary journal, with all images of your exam to reflect your thoroughness, your interpretation to reflect your ability and knowledge, and all supported with appropriate references.
- Case identifier with name of presenter, date of case presentation, name of patient
- Signalment
- History
- Physical examination findings
- Results of preliminary work-up (blood work, urinalysis, radiographs, ECG, etc. as appropriate)
- Complete set of ultrasound images (format varies with each topic)
- Description and interpretation of ultrasound images
- Differentials
- Results of additional testing, therapy, and/or confirmatory testing (surgery, cytology, histopathology, necropsy, etc. as appropriate)
- Definitive diagnosis
- Discussion of case
- References
- Word or pdf document similar to the case report examples provided with ultrasound images embedded in this document in jpeg format.
- If the file is too large for standard email then the document may be sent for free at www.yousendit.com
- Case studies not submitted in this format will not be accepted.
- Example case book submissions will be available upon enrollment.
- Basic Abdomen:
- One normal exam accepted.
- Each case needs to include complete set of quality labeled images to include at least one image of each abdominal organ including iliac lymph nodes. Pathological organs should be represented more thoroughly.
- Choose cases with pathology in one of the following organs: liver, gall bladder, spleen, kidneys, urinary bladder. Variety within the casebook is ideal, i.e. do not submit 4 different liver cases.
- Examples include masses, urolithiasis, inflammatory changes, etc.
- Choose cases that will have objective proof of your findings: surgical confirmation, histopathology or cytology, or necropsy reported.
- Advanced abdomen/soft tissue:
- Each case needs to include complete set of quality labeled images to include at least one image of each abdominal organ including iliac lymph nodes. Pathological organs should be represented more thoroughly.
- Appropriate cases will have pathology in any of the following organs: adrenal glands, reproductive organs, common bile duct, pancreas, gastrointestinal tract, vascular, lymphatic, other small parts, non-cardiac intrathoracic pathology.
- Choose cases that will have objective proof of your findings: surgical confirmation, histopathology or cytology, or necropsy reported. For the rare case in which confirmation was not possible, the differentials for the pathology imaged should be minimal such as an invasive adrenal tumor. Exhaustive differentials without definitive cytology or histopathology will be discouraged.
- Demonstration of your knowledge and use of power and color Doppler, complex documentations such as portal hypertension, biopsy needle placement, shunt examinations will be highly regarded.
- Cardiac:
- One normal accepted.
- Include at least one feline and one canine echo.
- Complete image set will include B mode images: right parasternal long axis four chamber, right parasternal long axis “five chamber” (LVOT), right parasternal short axis high base, LA/Ao, Mitral, and LV views, at least one, ideally 4-5 views from the apical and/or left parasternal view. M-Mode images will show measurements to include LA, Ao, LA/Ao, and standard LV measurements of wall thickness and chamber size, and calculated fractional shortening. Optional, yet where appropriate, demonstrate knowledge and use of EPSS, and left and right auricular views.
- Spectral Doppler in canine should include the LVOT/aortic, RVOT/pulmonic, mitral and tricuspid flows, as well as an example of at least one color flow examination with explanations for each case submitted. If aliasing is present on PW then CW should be employed to quantify the lesion. Optional, yet where appropriate, demonstrate knowledge and use of insufficiencies, pressure gradients, transmitral flow, IVRT, pulmonary venous flow, etc.
- The format for cases should reflect how you perform an exam. Date of exam, name of patient and facility should be on all images.
- Sonographic description section should provide a radiology based description of the sonographic presentation without differentials. Use of references is appropriate here as well as in the differentials section.
- The discussion section of the case presentation should be the most extensive portion. It should reflect thorough research and use of references to support the sonographic findings, differentials, and case conclusion and discussion. All references should be cited in the text and no more than 50% of the references should be from textbooks. The remainder should be derived from published articles. A minimum of 5 references for each case should be utilized, but more are encouraged. The relevance of each cited reference in regards to the case presentation should be explained clearly in the case study text.
- The case study description should justify each procedure performed and if a procedure was not performed that would have been indicated, the candidate should explain why the procedure was omitted
- The case study should be written based largely on published data and minimally based on personal bias or experience.
- After completion of all coursework and acceptance of the casebook of 15 cases, the candidate may take the final examination. Each candidate must obtain a 70% satisfactory rating in each of the 4 sections of the examination. Exam content will match the listed course content and will be image-based. The examination will be divided into the following sections:
- ultrasound equipment and physics
- echocardiography
- basic abdomen
- advanced abdomen
- Participants may re-take the examination 30 days after the last unsuccessful attempt
- After three unacceptable examination efforts, the participant will be discontinued from the program with no financial reimbursement
- No outside consultation or advice is acceptable
- Any evidence of outside consultation or advice will result in permanent discontinuation from the program.
- Discontinued participants, due to failure of three attempts at completion of the examination, will need to complete all coursework and casebook submissions again prior to re-enrollment
- Successful participants will be “Certified in Small Animal Diagnostic Ultrasound by the International Veterinary Ultrasound Society” and will receive a certificate reflecting that accomplishment
- This will be awarded at the next IVUSS meeting during the banquet
- If unavailable for the IVUSS meeting, the Certificate will be mailed to the participant
- Successful participants will be asked to assist with the management of the Certificate Program
- $750 per participant
- Includes 3-year IVUSS membership
- Annual meeting registration fees are not included.
- IVUSS will provide corporate sponsors with pass rates. Each sponsor will receive the pass rate for individuals sponsored by that company as well as the overall pass rate for all individuals enrolled in the Certificate Program. For example, "Company Z" has 10 sponsored participants and there are 100 participants from all sources. "Company Z" would have access to their participant pass rate (90%, 9 of 10) and the overall pass rate (80%, 80 of 100). No company will receive any personal information in the reporting of pass rates.
- Corporate Sponsors will not receive information on ultrasound machines being used by participants.
- Under construction
Additional Information or Questions:
- Please contact Dr. Robert O'Brien or Dr. Ken Waller
News
Meeting:
See you in Jackson Hole, WY for the 2012 Annual Meeting.
Meeting information and early registration are available now!
Certificate:
Drs. Bossung, Lindquist and Miller have successfully completed the IVUSS Ultrasound Certificate Program, which includes didactic training, case submission, practical exam and a written final examination.
Congratulations Amy, Eric and Chris!
IVUSS Election Results:
President: Eric Lindquist
President Elect: Doug Casey
Past President: Gretchen Rowe
Member-at-large: Fern Delaney
Members:
The members section is continuing to be developed with articles, resources, classifieds and more. A username and password is required for access. If your membership fees are current and you would like access, please send an e-mail for the required information.
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