PGDip Musculoskeletal Ultrasonography
Course summary
Our fully accredited Post-Graduate Diploma course allows established healthcare clinicians working in the field of musculoskeletal and sports medicine to combine learning in the workplace with a recognised postgraduate qualification. You will complete two PG Certificates, specialising in Diagnostics and Injection Therapy. Upon completion of both, you will be awarded a PGDip in Musculoskeletal Ultrasonography.
Our students include consultants from A&E departments and a range of clinicians from fields such as physiotherapy, sonography and podiatry.
The course is also aimed at healthcare professionals within the fields of orthopaedics, osteopathy, rheumatology, and sports medicine.
In the UK, there is a national shortage of sonographers, hence the need to involve other health professionals in this area of musculoskeletal ultrasound training.
The use of ultrasound is becoming an increasingly popular and cost effective adjunct to MRI scans.
The course is sponsored by BK Medical, who provide the relevant diagnostic equipment.
Fees and Funding
For Fees and funding please contact the programme leader directly.
Return to campus: dual delivery
In a Covid-secure environment, enjoy learning on our state-of-the-art campuses and flex between online delivery
Find out moreRCR Accredited
This one-year course enables established healthcare professionals to extend and formalise their knowledge and skills in diagnostic ultrasonography. It is accredited by the Royal College of Radiologists (RCR) and the Royal College of General Practitioners (RCGP).
Unique
This is the first accredited PG Certificate course of its kind in London for which you do not necessarily have to be a working radiologist. It is already in huge demand.
Partnership
The course involves an innovative partnership between our School of Health, Sport and Bioscience and the Musculoskeletal Medicine Department at Homerton University Hospital in east London.
What we're researching
This brings together a multi-disciplinary team of clinical scientists with backgrounds in physiotherapy, podiatry, neuroscience, biomechanical research, sports science and sociology.
In 2013, Dr David Stephensen established a UK Haemophilia Physiotherapy Advisory Board which has developed a ‘Train the Trainer’ programme based on UEL research to educate UK physiotherapists in the assessment and treatment of people with haemophilia.
Dr Kellie Gibson’s doctoral project involved developing and testing highly personalised orthotics for early rheumatoid arthritis patients. She has since been awarded £200,000 by the Dr Scholl Foundation to compare the effectiveness of prefabricated foot orthotics to bespoke ones.
Dr Graham Copnell, Senior Lecturer for the Podiatric Medicine and Physiotherapy MSc courses, is researching professional practice. It is qualitative, as opposed to quantitative research, ranging from education through to professional roles, negotiations, ethics, boundaries and professional development.
Making a difference
UEL is one of the UK’s leading modern research universities. In the most recent Research Excellence Framework (REF), 17 per cent of our overall research submission was classified as ‘world-leading’ for its quality and impact – almost double our previous REF score. A further 45 per cent of our work was considered ‘internationally excellent’.
Dr Shabaaz Mughal , Head of Medical & Sports Science [Tottenham Hotspur]I found the recent 2 day teaching block to be one of the most beneficial CPD sessions that I have ever done, teaching was excellent, concept was excellent, venue/facilities/equipment all of the highest order. Essentially perfect and a very valuable teaching tool for practitioners.
What you'll study and when
We consistently review and develop our courses and modules to ensure they are up-to-date with sector and industry graduate skills demands. Course structure, modules and options are subject to change.
PG Cert Musculoskeletal Ultrasonography (Diagnostics)
- Musculoskeletal Ultrasonography: The Science, Instrumentation and Application of the upper & lower extremity (Core)
- Musculoskeletal Ultrasonography: Competency in Ultrasonography within Clinical Practice (Core)
- Musculoskeletal Ultrasonography: Guided Injection Therapy in Application to Upper and Lower extremity (Core)
- Musculoskeletal Ultra sonography: Competency in Ultrasonography for guided injection Therapy in Clinical Practice – Work-based Placement (Core)
- PGCert Musculoskeletal Ultrasonography Diagnostics (60 credits)
- PGCert Musculoskeletal Ultrasonography injection therapy (60 credits)
How you'll be assessed
The first module is assessed via a practical OSCE examination. For the second module, you need to organise a suitable clinical placement and complete a work-based portfolio including a minimum of 250 examined scans.
A work-based clinical mentor will observe and review the clinical musculoskeletal images that you produce.
Course specificationHow you'll learn
The first module will involve two blocks of two days’ teaching and practical scanning at the University of East London’s Stratford campus. A comprehensive course book is provided as well to all students as well as access to all lectures through the University’s website.
The second module will give you the opportunity to apply the skills and knowledge acquired from the first module within an appropriately supervised clinical setting.
This clinical placement needs to be arranged before the start of the module and is the responsibility of the student to arrange.
In addition, a block of two days is included to further advance your scanning skills. This block includes a day at Queen Mary and Westfield Anatomy Department, where you will have the opportunity to scan and practise injection techniques on cadaveric specimens.
You will undertake a practical examination at the end of the first module. For module two, you will compile a portfolio of scans in line with the RCR accreditation, supervised by an approved mentor.
What you'll learn
This course has a particular emphasis on accurate and detailed anatomy to enable you to become adept in the safe and correct attainment of ultrasound images.
These images will enhance your examination of sporting and musculoskeletal pathologies.
The PG Certificate comprises two 30-credit core modules. There are no optional modules.
This first module involves the background scientific principles and instrumentation of ultrasound. You will also look at the practical application of this knowledge within the context of the normal anatomy of the upper and lower limbs of healthy adults.
You will study musculoskeletal anatomy and pathology, and develop your skill in interpreting common pathologies within a musculoskeletal context. The first module can be taken as a stand-alone module.
The second module is practice-based and can be started once the first module has been completed successfully.
This second module also includes a two-day block of lectures and practical scanning which includes the use of cadaveric specimens to enhance anatomical knowledge.
Your future career
The Royal College of Radiologists has formally recognised that there is a national shortage of sonographers and acknowledged the need to involve other professional groups in this area of musculoskeletal ultrasound training.
The advanced skills you acquire will help you complement patient management choices in your own clinical practice and to integrate academic learning with the development of higher levels of professional practice.
The course also offers you professional development through an enhanced ability to deliver more holistic assessment and treatment options to patients under your care.
Your diagnostic skills will help determine cause and pathology. They will also be highly useful in facilitating injection-guided therapy, where a detailed understanding of anatomy, complemented by the ability to obtain and correctly interpret ultrasound images of the musculoskeletal frame, will offer precise information in terms of where and how to inject.
The provision of equipment by BK Medical will familiarise you with the latest methods of working with up-to-the-minute technology. We will also give you the chance to work with live models, and offer support with anatomy models on the course.
Explore the different career options you can pursue with this degree and see the median salaries of the sector on our Career Coach portal
