Non-DVM Echo Prereqs

Prerequisites for the Non-DVM Certification in echocardiography

CVT (Certified Veterinary Technician)/RVT (Registered Veterinary Technician)/LVT (Licensed Veterinary Technician) or other distinction based on the state, with license in good standing throughout the certification program
Non-United States equivalent to CVT (Certified Veterinary Technician)/RVT (Registered Veterinary Technician)/LVT (Licensed Veterinary Technician) with license in good standing throughout the certification program; each candidate’s qualifications will be reviewed by IVUSS for admission to the program.
Non-veterinarians that have a RDMS, RCDS, or equivalent with license in good standing throughout the program
Member in good standing of IVUSS for the duration of the program
At least 2 years of documentable experience in veterinary echocardiography with a minimum average caseload of 10-20 or more per month
Ultrasound system for echocardiography

Phased Array Probes of various sizes with Color flow Doppler, Pulse Wave Doppler, and Continuous Wave Doppler capabilities
B- and M-mode

At least two didactic and laboratory courses (which should occur simultaneously) in veterinary echocardiography must be completed. These courses are not provided by IVUSS but must be completed independently. Preapproval with the mentor or the certification committee can be helpful.

A normal dog and normal cat echocardiogram, using the IVUSS Standard Echocardiogram Protocol, are required to be accepted into the program. The format for cases must show how you perform an echocardiogram exam, and each candidate may use their own standard image acquisition protocol. The order of your standard image acquisition is not as important as obtaining all the required images.
Important: Cases that do not have a complete set of all images will be rejected. Consult with your mentor prior to case submission to make certain this requirement is fulfilled.

Required Didactic and Laboratory Content:
Echocardiography

Instructor: ACVIM diplomate (Internal Medicine or Cardiology) or other expert as evidenced by both publication record and acknowledged teaching and technical expertise (can be preapproved by the Mentor/Certification Committee)
Alternative methods of covering the didactic material will be considered, including on-line course, which will need preapproval by the mentor or the Certification Committee.
Didactic Content must include: