Practical Veterinary Ultrasound Training For Final Year Students

Radincon are proud to have loaned the machines and probes to facilitate this.

The workshop was led by Dr Manhei Ma, founder and director of Sonovet, a mobile veterinary ultrasound consultancy. Dr Ma is a member of the ANZCVS (Small Animal Radiology), teaches at Adelaide University, and leads continual education practical courses for veterinary colleagues wanting to improve their ultrasonographic skills.

As Dr Ma explained, veterinary ultrasound has come a long way since the 1990s. Most vet practices now have access to equipment, but often lack the training or expertise to educate clinicians on how to set up and use an ultrasound machine. At university, the discipline is not a key part of the veterinary course and students have little to no opportunity for hands-on practice. Many have limited knowledge or confidence in simple things like how to set a machine up, or what the various buttons and controls do.

So Radincon teamed up with Sonovet for a 2 day workshop at the start of January. We provided 6 ultrasound machines with probes, plus a donation of $1000 towards dinner for these enthusiastic young soon-to-be vets. Manhei generously contributed her time and expertise. 

The workshop was run in accordance with all ethical and animal welfare requirements of the University of Adelaide. The dogs who participated were much-loved pets of locals or students. While most passed their health checks with flying colours, one was diagnosed with an organ abnormality and has now received treatment – the first positive outcome from the workshop.

It’s wonderful to support practical veterinary ultrasound training through workshops like this one. Boosting vets’ skills early in their career is a great way to improve outcomes in many practices.

‘We can only do this because Radincon lent us the machines and probes,’ said Dr Ma. ‘The students loved the opportunity to learn more about ultrasound, to have a go and to ask questions. They really benefit from the practical real-life experience.’

From the Radincon perspective, we love working with specialists like Manhei who are willing to give their time and expertise so that more animals get better treatment.