AN OUTSTANDING LEARNING OPPORTUNITY FOR VETERINARIANS

ECHOCARDIO

ACADEMY PORTUGAL

Develop your confidence and competence levels in echocardiography with this practical tutored course.

5 days of 100% practice with live patients.
Fully supported with the presence of a dedicated cardiologist tutor on site throughout the entire course.
Access to different ultrasound machines so you can obtain diagnostic images with different equipment.
Online theoretical content so you are prepared for the practical days and can make the most time of scanning.

IMPROVING COMPETENCE WITH ECHOCARDIOGRAPHY

A full cardiological assessment requires a competent echocardiography, but consistency in your skills can be hard to achieve.

The Challenges

Lack of feedback
A lot of times, we learn echocardiography by taking a course and then having a "let's give it a go" approach, without anyone actually backing us that we are still obtaining the right images.
Lack of cases
It's not every day that you have patients for echocardiography. Many of them are referred to your experienced colleague, so you may not have a chance of practising.
Limited hours of practice
Echocardiography and cardiology courses do usually provide practical experience, but the accumulated hours are not enough for you to feel confident in your skills when you have to do one on your own.

No cases, no echo

Cardiology cases are not the most frequent in practice and tend to be referred to experienced colleagues who have accumulated more hours and training in echocardiography or pursued cardiology training. Because of this, it can be difficult to get started with echocardiography, as the cases may not even be assessed in your workplace. This means that you are unable to build more hours of practice, so you remain doubtful about your images and diagnoses.

Lack of opportunity leads to

inability to perform a correct echocardiography.

Learning echocardiography can be very frustrating as the cases are not extremely common, but combining this with the lack of ongoing practice and feedback means that you are unsure about your professional skills and may miss diagnoses or provide wrong diagnoses. Having the possibility of developing your skills and becoming systematic with your echos means you are able to complete this exam consistently feeling confident with your conclusions.

A TRAINING COURSE FOR PROFICIENCY

The Echocardio Academy is built with five stepping stones in mind that sediment your learning to become proficient with echocardiography:

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FOCUS

5-day Academy

We provide an intense focus on developing your skills for 5 days. Our Academy runs from Monday to Friday, morning and evening.

PRACTICE

It's all hands-on

You are the one performing ultrasound. You will also be able to watch how to perform it and interpret images obtained by others.

SUPPORT

An experienced tutor for you

You will be followed by an experienced tutor that will provide you with feedback on your technique, images and help you improve during the entire course.

ENVIRONMENT

Dedicated to learning and teaching

Our dedicated learning environment allows you to move away from the expectations of clients and also use your time to visit Portugal.

ALL-IN-ONE

Hassle-free stay

Accommodation and meals are all sorted by us and we help you plan your journey to Portugal.

FOCUS

5-day Academy

We provide an intense focus on developing your skills for 5 days. Our Academy runs from Monday to Friday, morning and evening.

SUPPORT

An experienced tutor for you

You will be followed by an experienced tutor that will provide you with feedback on your technique, images and help you improve during the entire course.

ALL-IN-ONE

Hassle-free stay

Accommodation and meals are all sorted by us and we help you plan your journey to Portugal.

Ligne verticale avec cercles espacés

PRACTICE

It's all hands-on

You are the one performing ultrasound. You will also be able to watch how to perform it and interpret images obtained by others.

ENVIRONMENT

Dedicated to learning and teaching

Our dedicated learning environment allows you to move away from the expectations of clients and also use your time to visit Portugal.

YOUR EXPERIENCE

Preparation

Before the practical course, you will have access to our Member Area of the website where you will be able to review all the principles of echocardiography, so you waste no time when you visit the training centre Portugal.

Equipment

We will be using different types of ultrasound machines so you can practice obtaining the images with different equipment. We will also strive to have healthy dogs and cats, as well as patients that require proper investigations.

Learn and Pause

Your arms get tired when doing many echos, so we want you to be able to take breaks. You will be grouped with one or two other vets and swap between performing echocardio and assisting with image interpretation and measurement recording.

The Result

By the end of the Academy, we expect you to be able to perform a complete echocardiography and obtain the minimum images and measurements for diagnosis of the most common cardiac diseases, as well as elaborate a report for other colleagues.

We will also strive to help you actually identify cardiac disease in real patients and propose treatment options.

Preparing the GP for echo

The Echocardio Academy provides 5 days of practice and is suitable for vets who are working in ECC or vets with an interest in cardiology.

LIMITED VACANCIES

Dates for the next Courses

For this Academy we accept only veterinary professionals.

27th to 31st October 2025
Suggested arrival on the 26th and departure on the 30th.
FULL
17th to 21st November 2025
Suggested arrival on the 16th and departure on the 22nd.

TRAVEL, STAY AND MEALS

The Echocardio Academy takes place at our training centre in Vila Franca de Xira. This is a small city that is located 20 minutes away from Lisbon airport and has a well-connected train station.

We arrange for your accommodation in Vila Franca de Xira. We will book you a single room with bathroom at the guesthouse O Maioral, which is located in the heart of the city. The guesthouse is a 5-minute walk from the train station and 5-minute walk from the training centre.

All your meals are included. Breakfast is provided at the training centre. Lunch and dinner take place in varied restaurants in the area, so you can have a taste for the local gastronomy.

We will finish each day in time for you to have a stroll around the city and enjoy the river views, or relax at the guesthouse.

Join Us

How to Book a Course

Each Echocardio Academy edition has a limit of 6 vacancies. This Academy runs 4 to 6 times a year.

Pre-Registration

Fill out the pre-registration form to let us know what Academy you’d like to join.

Q&A Session

Once we know when you’d like to join, we’ll get in touch with you by email or phone to explain to you how the course works and look at suitable dates, making sure you have no questions.

Booking confirmation

After speaking to you we can confirm if there is a vacancy for the date that suits you and will start your registration if you want to join in by sending you an invitation letter with our full terms and conditions.

Deposit and reservation

We will raise the invoice for your deposit. Once your deposit is paid, your reservation is complete and we’ll start enrolling you on the online course, process your accommodation and help you plan your travel.

REGISTRATION FORM

JOIN US

Three Good Reasons to Join

The Echocardio Academy offers you a unique and unforgettable experience that goes beyond learning skills.

40h of CPD

40 hours of certified CPD with a proficiency diploma at the end.

Practise, practise, practise

Our Academy is the most practical Academy you will find.

The mentor and the mentee

We pride ourselves in bringing you tutors that are passionate about teaching, but we also love to see our delegates move from student to teacher!

Request a Q&A Session

Book a Course

Frequently asked question

Here are a few answers to our most common questions

I'm a veterinary student, can I join?

The Echocardio Academy is available only for veterinary professionals who have already graduated and not students. This is because we feel that the theoretical and practical skills are advanced and vet students may struggle to find them relevant or immediately applicable.

I have very basic ultrasound and echo skills, can I join?

Yes you can! Although you will benefit more from the course if you understand the basics of ultrasound and echocardiography, we will provide you with study materials for you to prepare before the in-person Academy. In this case, we recommend you start with level 1.

Where does it take place?

The course takes place in our training centre in Portugal, in a city called Vila Franca de Xira. This city is located 20 minutes away from Lisbon airport and can also be reached in 30-40 minutes by public transport.

How many echos can I do?

More than the number, we care about your confidence with the procedure. You'll have other colleagues with you and we want you to do at least one full echocardiography in the morning and one in the afternoon, but want you to assist with at least two more for each period.

What sort of help will I have?

There will be one tutor with dedicated experience in Cardiology and cardiac imaging available all the time to help you with image interpretation, little tricks and tips, repositioning the probe and obtaining the right images for the measurements.

What am I expected to do during the course?

During this course, you will be grouped with one or two more vets and assigned an ultrasound machine for the day. You will then swap between assisting with image interpretation while restraining the patients (they are not sedated, unless really necessary) and performing the echocardio yourself.

What are the course fees?

The fee for the 5-day course with accommodation and meals included is £3500. This value can be paid in two instalments and converted into other currencies.

What accommodation is available?

We will organise accommodation for you at a local guesthouse called O Maioral, which will provide you with your own bedroom and bathroom. The cost of the accommodation is already included in the course fees.

Are meals included?

Yes, we will offer you breakfast, lunch and dinner from Monday to Friday. We will also accommodate your preferences and limitations.

What about travel?

We will help you organise your travel and provide you with information to comply with COVID-19 travel restrictions. However, you will have to make travel arrangements to travel to Vila Franca de Xira from the airport, which we'll help you with. The training centre is walking distance from your accommodation.

What do I need to bring?

We only ask that you bring scrubs to wear during the course, you can also bring your own stethoscope if you want. And we advise you bring comfy shoes! ;)

What conditions can I expect at the training center?

At the training center we have a dedicated space for the dogs to rest while we're doing scans and a separate area for us to perform the echos. Of course, you will also have a bathroom available, and a small rest area where you can have snacks (and coffee!). We will be going out for meals :)