The British Society of Echocardiography is delighted to announce the launch of a new accreditation for congenital heart disease (CHD). Appeals must be made in writing within two months of the original decision. If you feel that you might be eligible for appeal, please refer to the guidelines and FAQs below.

You will be able to choose one date from those available to attend. Assessment places are allocated on a first come, first served basis. When sessions have reached maximum capacity we will establish a waiting list. The user-friendly portal will replace the time-consuming process of printing and manually anonymising reports. All candidates can now take advantage of the online logbook portal to upload their 250 reports and anonymise these online. Through initiatives like the Echocardiography Quality Framework(EQF), the ECHO journal, and the various professional development eventswe hold throughout the year, we work hard to ensure our members feel supported in delivering the most advanced and patient-centric care possible. The accreditation process comprises a logbook component of 75 cases collected over a period of 12 months and demonstrating a range of acute pathology, followed by an assessment process which aims to assess technical ability, experience and image interpretation. Assessments are carried out at designated exam days held twice a year, with three stations to assess the logbook, scanning and reporting components.

With the exception of Level 1 accreditation, BSE practical assessments are only available to candidates who have successfully completed the written exam. The syllabus reflects the knowledge that is required in assessing patients with congenital heart disease of all ages. It recognises the prior knowledge that BSE members have attained by already having BSE level 2 accreditation. Areas that have previously been examined, such as the physics components, have therefore been removed. In addition there is a reduction in the size of the logbook requirement. Station 2 (live scanning): Candidates will be asked to acquire a number of views on a normal volunteer/ simulator. The assessor will be present in the room and may help adjust the echo machine buttons as directed by the candidate if the machine is unfamiliar. This will be done in a specified timescale. Station 3 (five viva cases): 5 video cases will be assessed at this station as per the accreditation guidelines. The accreditation process has transformed over the last 6 years. There was a time when candidates had to sign up to attend an exam venue in limited locations of UK and republic of Ireland. After passing the written exam, candidates would submit logbooks (in lever arch files) and videos by the post. The processing time was 4-6 months.

The BSE Education Committee recently produced guidelines on performing a comprehensive TOE examination. It is recognised that it may not be possible to acquire all the recommended views in all patients. In particular, there are certain probe positions that may be poorly tolerated in awake patients. Cases must be submitted as digital loops and stills within a Powerpoint presentation or uploaded onto www.bsecho.org when this facilty becomes available. Reports should include quantitative measurements, observations, summary and conclusion. Our guidelines are rooted in best practice, and focus on areas where there is clinical ambiguity and the greatest opportunity for impact. Clinical guidelines help to support evidence-based practice in echocardiography, and all guidelines can be found in the ECHO journal. Similarly, our protocols help establish step-by-step procedures for performing roles within the echocardiography field, offering an advanced resource that can be beneficial across the board. Our protocols present minimum datasets for newly presenting patients, views and measurements needed for comprehensive studies in a variety of pathologies. They have been formatted to include text, images and video clips, making them much more engaging and efficient to absorb. An example of the marking schedule for the digital studies is included in the accreditation document.Station 1- (logbook): All logbooks will be assessed prior to this assessment, and must be submitted via the portal in advance. Logbook submission deadline- *Wednesday 26 January by 5pm. The constantly evolving nature of echocardiography means ongoing education in the field is crucial, and something we treat as a number one priority. The BSE is committed to keeping you updated on the latest news, consistently improving patient care, and empowering innovation at every turn. In 2017 we joined forces with Pearson Vue to deliver our exams at localised Pearson Vue across the UK, republic of Ireland and some overseas areas. From 2020 we went a step further due to the pandemic and introduced online proctored exams, allowing candidates to sit the exam from home. Cancellations with less than one week's notice (7 calendar days or less) will be classed as a no-show and automatically fail.