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SITizens Learning Credits

Overview

Ultrasound plays a crucial role in the evaluation and management of patients with hepatobiliary and kidney diseases. The module is introduced in response to the industry demand and government healthcare policy in expanding capacity in skills upgrading of the current healthcare workforce.

The module is designed for ultrasound practitioners such as radiographers or sonographers who wish to pursue a formal postgraduate qualification in Ultrasound. Hybrid instruction mode will be employed which combines online lecture, case-based/problem-based tutorial, forum discussion sessions and practical hands-on demonstration. The module is offered concurrently with supervised clinical practice to develop competency in Abdominal ultrasound.

The module will focus on core principles and applications in abdominal ultrasound. FAST scan in trauma setting and various advanced imaging techniques such as transplant ultrasound, elastography, contrast-enhanced ultrasound will also be covered. Intensive hands-on practical session on healthy volunteers and simulators will be conducted to complete the knowledge and skillset acquisition in abdominal ultrasound. At the end of this module, participants will be able to recognize the normal and abnormal ultrasound findings and will be guided in the competent production, interpretation and assessment of abdominal ultrasound images. Topics will include gross anatomy and physiology, embryology, clinical indications, equipment and patient preparation, techniques and sonographic protocol in the evaluation of liver, gallbladder and biliary system; spleen, kidneys, pancreas and great abdominal vessels; as well as their normal sonographic anatomy and abnormal imaging findings.

Teaching Team

What You’ll Learn

Upon completion of the course, the participant should be able to:

Critically evaluate the role of ultrasound in the diagnosis of abdominal pathology.
Acquire hands-on ultrasound scanning skills of the abdomen include Focused Assessment with Sonography for Trauma (FAST) examinations and perform ultrasound examination proficiently and competently.
Discuss the normal and abnormal imaging characteristics of the liver, gallbladder and biliary system, kidneys, adrenals, spleen, pancreas, and peritoneal cavity.
Explain the significance of clinical presentation and laboratory tests as well as complimentary imaging modalities relevant to hepato-biliary and kidney systems for refinement of differential diagnosis.
Critically discuss the limitation of ultrasound in regards to abdominal ultrasound imaging and recognise when modifications to routine scanning approaches are required.

Who Should Attend

Radiographers practising ultrasound
Healthcare professionals (such as sonographers, A&E clinician, radiologist residents etc) involved in ultrasound work

SITizens Learning Credits (SLC) - Eligible Course

This course is SITizens Learning Credits (SLC) eligible. Please refer to the user guide how to register for courses utilising your SLC.

Find out more about SITizens Learning Credits (SLC).

Prerequisites

Participants must have relevant ultrasound related experience (preferably at least 1 year of working experience as an independent sonographer).

Candidates must have the required access to a medical ultrasound facility to develop competency in the respective clinical applications. They must be actively engaged in supervised ultrasound clinical practice in the workplace for at least three days (or equivalent) per week. It is the candidate's responsibility to secure a supervised clinical arrangement in the workplace. At the end of the trimester, candidates must satisfy the clinical requirements (ie. compulsory logging the required number of ultrasound examinations in clinical portfolio and pass the clinical skills assessment).

Documents and information you would need to complete this application:
Please upload documents under Online Applications - Supporting Documents section.

1. Employment support letter (Includes applicant's area of work)*
2. Registration of practice, AHPC
3. Transcript of highest relevant qualification *
4. Professional certification
5. English proficiency test, IELTS 7.0 or equivalent ^
6. Answers to the following questions:

Your reasons for pursuing the module (100 - 150 words)
Why did you select SIT over other academic institutions? (100 - 150 words)
What do you hope to achieve at the completion of the module? (100 - 150 words)

* Mandatory Documents
^ If applicant's basic professional qualification was not obtained from Singapore, Australia, Canada (except Quebec), New Zealand, Republic of Ireland, South Africa, United Kingdom, and the United States of America)

Duration

Part-time Postgraduate Certificate in Sonography: 1 - 3 years
Part-time Postgraduate Diploma in Sonography: 1 - 5 years
Each module is around 12-14 weeks in duration
Candidates are expected to set aside time for self-directed learning for the entire duration of the module

Certificate and Assessment

A Certificate of Participation will be issued to participants who:

Attend 75% of the course
Undertake non-credit assessment (during course)

A Certificate of Attainment will be issued to participants who:

Attend 75% of the module, and
Participants who pass the Assessment criteria of the respective module will earn 6 credits, which are stackable for Postgraduate Certificate and Postgraduate Diploma qualifications.
Candidates who pass 4 modules (totalling 24 credits) with a CGPA of 2.5 or more will be awarded the Postgraduate Certificate in Sonography by Singapore Institute of Technology.
Candidates who pass 8 modules (totalling 48 credits) with a CGPA of 2.5 or more will be awarded the Postgraduate Diploma in Sonography by Singapore Institute of Technology.

Schedule

Week	Date Commencing	Topics
1	10 - 14 Jan 2022	Online Lecture : 11 Jan 2022, 7:00pm - 9:00pm Topic 1: Introduction to Abdominal Ultrasound
2	17 - 21 Jan 2022	Online Lecture : 18 Jan 2022, 7:00pm - 9:00pm Topic 2: The liver
3	24 - 28 Jan 2022	Online Lecture : 25 Jan 2022, 7:00pm - 9:00pm Topic 3: Gallbladder and the biliary system
4	31 Jan 2022	Online Recording Topic 4: The renal tracts (kidneys, ureters, bladders) and adrenals
5	7 - 11 Feb 2022	Online Recording Topic 5: The pancreas Tutorial 1: 8 Feb 2022, 7:00pm - 9:00pm
6	14 - 18 Feb 2022	Online Lecture : 15 Feb 2022, 7:00pm - 8:00pm Topic 6: The spleen
7	21 - 25 Feb 2022	Online Lecture : 22 Feb 2022, 6:30pm - 7:30pm Topic 7: Renal transplant ultrasound - What the surgeon wants to know? Topic 8: FAST Case assignment (20%): 27 Feb 2022 (Friday) 2359hrs
8	28 Feb -4 Mar 2022	Online Lecture : 1 Mar 2022, 7:00pm - 9:00pm Topic 9: The great abdominal vessels
9	8 - 12 Mar 2022	Online Lecture : 8 Mar 2022, 7:00pm - 9:00pm Topic 10: Liver transplant
10	14 - 18 Mar 2022	Lecture Recording Topic 11: The peritoneum and retroperitoneumt Tutorial 2. 15 Mar 2022, Tuesday, 7:00pm - 9:00pm
11	21 - 25 Mar 2022	Lecture Recording Topic 12: Advanced imaging technique 1. Contrast-enhanced Ultrasound (CEUS) of the liver and kidneys Hands-on practical at SIT Lab: 26 Mar 2022, Saturday 9:00 – 5:00 pm
12	28 Mar -1 Apr 2022	Online Lecture : 29 Mar 2022, 7:00pm - 9:00pm Topic 12: Advanced imaging technique 2
13	4 - 8 Apr 2022	OSCE (30%) : 8 Apr 2022, 1:00pm - 6:00pm
14	11 - 15 Apr 2022	Quiz: 12 Apr 2022 (Tuesday) 7.30pm -8.30 pm
15	18 - 21 Apr 2022	Assessment week
16	25 - 29 Apr 2022	Processing of Results/Announcement

Fees

Category	Full Fee	After SF Funding
Singapore Citizen (Below 40) / Singapore PR	~~$4,173.00~~	$1,251.90
Singapore Citizen (40 & above)	~~$4,173.00~~	$471.90
Non-Singaporeans	$4,173.00	Not Eligible

Note:

All figures include GST. GST applies to individuals and Singapore-registered companies.
You can opt for either SkillsFuture Funding or Mid-Career Enhanced Subsidy. Both cannot be combined.

» Learn more about funding types available

Terms & Conditions:

SkillsFuture Funding

To be eligible for the 70% training grant awarded, applicants (and/or their sponsoring organisations where applicable) must:

Be a Singaporean Citizen or Singapore Permanent Resident
Not receive any other funding from government sources in respect of the actual grant disbursed for the programme

SkillsFuture Mid-Career Enhanced Subsidy

To be eligible for the 90% enhanced subsidy awarded, applicants (and/or their sponsoring organisations where applicable) must:

Be a Singaporean Citizen
Be at least 40 years old
Not receive any other funding from government sources in respect of the actual grant disbursed for the programme

SIT reserves the right to collect the balance of the programme fees (i.e. the potential grant amount) directly from the applicants (and/or their sponsoring organisations where applicable) should the above requirements not be fulfilled.

SIT reserves the right to make changes to published course information, including dates, times, venues, fees and instructors without prior notice.

What Past Participants Say

"This course was very helpful in reinforcing my knowledge of abdominal ultrasound concepts - A&P structure/function/normal vs abnormal sonographic appearance and pathologies. The hands-on practical sessions were useful in improving my scanning techniques. " - Chen Zheng Xiang, Radiographer, Raffles Hospital

"This course is not only for the beginners but it is good chance for the experimental sonographers to refresh their knowledge. Very capsular modules, just adequate! Organisers did a great job." - Betty Mathew, Principal Radiographer, SATA CommHealth

"A well-organised and efficient run workshop with insightful lectures from the speakers. Useful for residents and junior doctors interested in abdominal ultrasound. " - Venkataganesan S/O Ponnalagu, Resident, Tan Tock Seng Hospital

"This course enabled me to learn basics in sonography scanning techniques for the abdomen. Anatomy and physiology were also refreshed pre-scan so as to better correlate the image and actual anatomy. " - Vanessa Lam, Radiographer, Gleneagles Hospital

Course Series

Find out more about the Modular Certification Courses - Sonography.

Postgraduate Certificate in Sonography
These modules are stackable towards a Postgraduate Certificate in Sonography or can be taken individually as a single module as follows:

DRG6101 Ultrasound Physics, Instrumentation and Quality Assurance
DRG6102 Abdominal Ultrasound
DRG6103 Pelvic Sonography
DRG6104 Obstetric Sonography
DRG6105 Small Parts Ultrasound
DRG6106 Vascular Sonography
DRG6107 Musculoskeletal Sonography
DRG6108 Neonatal and Paediatric Sonography
HSC6002 Evidence Based Practice and Ethics

Each module carries 6 credits which are stackable for Postgraduate Certificate in Sonography. Candidates who pass any of the 4 modules (inclusive of 2 compulsory modules in bold), totalling 24 credits, with a CGPA of ≥ 2.5 to be completed within a 3 year period will be awarded the Postgraduate Certificate in Sonography by SIT.

Postgraduate Diploma in Sonography
These modules are stackable towards a Postgraduate Diploma in Sonography or can be taken individually as a single module as follows:

DRG6101 Ultrasound Physics, Instrumentation and Quality Assurance
DRG6102 Abdominal Ultrasound
DRG6103 Pelvic Sonography
DRG6104 Obstetric Sonography
DRG6105 Small Parts Ultrasound
DRG6106 Vascular Sonography
DRG6107 Musculoskeletal Sonography
DRG6108 Neonatal and Paediatric Sonography
HSC6002 Evidence Based Practice and Ethics

Each module carries 6 credits which are stackable for Postgraduate Diploma in Sonography. Candidates who pass any of the 8 modules (inclusive of 3 compulsory modules in bold), totalling 48 credits, with a CGPA of ≥ 2.5 to be completed within a 5 year period will be awarded the Postgraduate Diploma in Sonography by SIT.