Every day in practice, you make decisions from images.

The Veterinary Radiology and Ultrasonography Mentorship is a 9-month program — five modules across four European cities, a personal Diplomate mentor throughout, and a final assessed certification.

• October 17-18, 2026 - Prague
• December 5-6, 2026 - Warsaw
• February 6-7, 2027 - Bucharest
• April 10-11, 2027 - Bucharest
• June 12-13, 2027 - Cluj

Complete Abdominal Scanning, FNA/Biopsy Technique, and Beyond the Abdomen

Abdominal scanning established, this module extends into the skills many practitioners have never been formally taught: ultrasound-guided FNA and biopsy, ocular ultrasound, and neck and thyroid scanning. Hands-on throughout.

Course description

Diagnostic imaging is part of daily small-animal practice. Whether you interpret radiographs regularly, perform abdominal ultrasound, or want to build those skills from the ground up — the question is the same: how do you move from doing it to doing it well, consistently, in any case that walks through your door? This program is designed to answer that question.

The program is intentionally structured as a longitudinal mentorship rather than a short isolated workshop. Its aim is to move participants from a basic or inconsistent imaging approach toward a more systematic, reproducible, and clinically relevant method for evaluating imaging cases in daily practice. It runs from October 2026 through June 2027 across five European teaching weekends in Prague, Warsaw, Bucharest, and Cluj-Napoca.

What makes this program distinctive is the integration of radiology and ultrasonography into a single, coherent diagnostic imaging pathway. In clinical practice, imaging modalities are rarely interpreted in isolation — thoracic radiographs, abdominal radiographs, musculoskeletal studies, abdominal ultrasound, neck and ocular ultrasound, and ultrasound-guided sampling are frequently combined to answer the same clinical question. The program teaches participants not only how to recognize imaging abnormalities, but how to place those findings within a rational diagnostic and clinical decision-making framework.

The radiology component begins with structured thoracic and abdominal interpretation, progresses through musculoskeletal radiology, and is reinforced through repeated case sessions. The ultrasound component covers physics, artifacts, machine optimization, and systematic abdominal scanning — then extends to guided procedures, ocular, neck, thyroid, and tendon ultrasound. Each module builds on the one before it, and between-module mentorship ensures that learning is applied to real clinical work — not held in reserve until the next weekend.

The program is designed for veterinarians who want to build real diagnostic confidence, not only theoretical familiarity. Structured reporting, clinical reasoning, recognition of examination limitations, and knowing when to refer are embedded throughout the curriculum.

Teaching philosophy

Diagnostic imaging is a skill set that requires pattern recognition, technical acquisition, anatomical knowledge, clinical reasoning, and disciplined reporting. Short courses can provide useful exposure, but they rarely provide the repetition, supervision, and feedback needed to change day-to-day clinical practice. This mentorship was designed to do exactly that.

The program uses a spiral learning model. Core principles are introduced early, revisited repeatedly, and applied with increasing complexity. Thoracic radiology establishes an interpretive discipline in Module 1. That same discipline is applied to musculoskeletal cases in Module 2 and to ultrasonography from Module 3 onward. By the final module, participants are expected to integrate radiology and ultrasound findings in case discussions and examinations — using a single, consistent clinical reasoning framework across both modalities.

A central pillar of the program is deliberate practice. Ultrasonography is highly operator-dependent. Competence develops through repeated supervised scanning opportunities — acquiring the same structures, optimizing the same image planes, receiving immediate correction, and refining technique across multiple sessions with different patients. The course provides a high volume of hands-on ultrasound training in small groups with a high instructor-to-participant ratio, because the aim is not to demonstrate a technique once, but to allow participants to perform it, make mistakes safely, correct those mistakes, and build a more reliable scanning pattern.

Radiology teaching is similarly designed around active interpretation. Participants are not shown examples of disease — they are asked to apply a systematic method, describe findings in appropriate terminology, identify the primary lesion pattern, build prioritized differentials, and consider what additional imaging or clinical information is required. This trains the kind of reasoning that produces useful clinical reports, not isolated pattern recognition.

The program's core commitment is clinical relevance. Participants leave each module with skills that can be applied in practice the following week — not only in the structured environment of a course.

Learning objectives

By the end of Module 4, participants will be able to:

• Improve confidence in identifying and scanning the left and right adrenal glands.
• Perform a more complete and consistent abdominal ultrasound examination.
• Understand the indications, contraindications, safety requirements, and documentation needs for ultrasound-guided fine needle aspirates and biopsies.
• Recognize basic ocular ultrasound anatomy and understand common indications for ocular ultrasound.
• Identify thyroid and parathyroid region anatomy and understand how ultrasound contributes to clinical decision-making in neck disease.
• Perform a basic ultrasound assessment of the neck, including salivary glands, laryngeal/tracheal region, and regional lymph nodes.
• Integrate ultrasound findings into clinical recommendations while recognizing when additional imaging or specialist review is appropriate.

Educational objectives

By the end of the full mentorship, participants will be able to:

• Interpret thoracic radiographs using a structured, clinically relevant approach including image quality assessment, anatomical review, lesion localization, pattern recognition, and clinical prioritization
• Recognize and differentiate key thoracic abnormalities: lung patterns, pleural disease, mediastinal abnormalities, chest wall and diaphragmatic lesions, thoracic masses, and cardiac radiographic changes
• Perform systematic interpretation of abdominal radiographs, including evaluation of serosal detail, organ size, organ position, gastrointestinal gas patterns, urinary and reproductive tract changes, and abdominal masses
• Identify common musculoskeletal radiographic abnormalities including developmental disease, mature-patient disease, trauma, and aggressive versus non-aggressive bone lesions
• Apply a logical, imaging-based diagnostic approach to complex cases, integrating signalment, clinical history, examination findings, radiology, and ultrasonography
• Understand ultrasound physics, artifacts, machine controls, probe selection, patient positioning, and image optimization principles
• Perform a systematic abdominal ultrasound examination in dogs and cats, including the liver, gallbladder, spleen, gastrointestinal tract, pancreas, kidneys, urinary bladder, reproductive tract, adrenal glands, lymph nodes, peritoneum, and retroperitoneum
• Perform selected non-abdominal ultrasound examinations including ocular, thyroid and parathyroid, neck (larynx, trachea, salivary glands), regional lymph node, and tendon ultrasound
• Understand indications, limitations, safety considerations, and practical technique for ultrasound-guided fine needle aspirates and biopsies
• Integrate radiographic and ultrasonographic findings into structured diagnostic imaging reports that are clinically useful for general practice and referral communication
• Recognize when image quality, case complexity, or patient safety requires referral, repeat imaging, advanced imaging, or specialist review
• Apply ethical principles, patient safety considerations, and evidence-based reasoning when performing diagnostic imaging and ultrasound-guided procedures

Between-module mentorship

Learning in diagnostic imaging does not stop when the weekend ends. Each participant in this program is mentored continuously between modules — because practical improvement occurs when skills are applied repeatedly to real clinical material in the weeks that follow a module, not only during it.

Between modules, participants are encouraged to submit radiographic cases, ultrasound images, short video clips, draft reports, and interpretation exercises. Submitted material may include thoracic, abdominal, or musculoskeletal radiographs, abdominal ultrasound stills or cine loops, or structured written reports. Faculty feedback focuses on image quality, completeness of examination, lesion description, prioritization of findings, differential diagnosis, and clinical recommendations.

The mentorship is designed to help participants recognize strengths and weaknesses in their own approach, improve future image acquisition, and develop a more disciplined method of interpretation. When clinically significant uncertainty is present, participants are guided toward referral or specialist review.

Participants may also take part in structured group discussions or one-to-one mentoring conversations to clarify concepts, work through difficult cases, prepare for the next module, and receive guidance on personal learning goals. This structure supports continuity, accountability, and the kind of progressive improvement that is difficult to achieve through a series of disconnected workshops.

Evaluation and certification

Assessment is designed to evaluate both theoretical understanding and practical competence. Diagnostic imaging cannot be assessed through knowledge testing alone — participants must also demonstrate the ability to acquire images, recognize anatomy, describe abnormalities, interpret cases, and communicate findings in a clinically useful way.

Formative assessment occurs throughout the program through case discussions, practical scanning feedback, between-module homework, report review, quizzes, and instructor observation during scanning sessions. This ongoing feedback allows faculty to identify recurring difficulties early and provide targeted correction.

The final assessment is summative and takes place during Module 5 in Cluj-Napoca. It consists of a final theoretical examination (60% of the overall assessment) and a final practical examination (40%), during which participants rotate through assessment stations.

Participants who successfully complete all requirements and pass the final assessments are awarded the SkillVet Certificate in Veterinary Radiology and Ultrasonography. The certificate reflects successful completion of a structured postgraduate continuing education mentorship; it does not imply specialist status or board certification.

Instructional methods

The program combines multiple instructional methods, because diagnostic imaging competence requires knowledge, interpretation, practical acquisition, and clinical judgment — and no single format develops all four.

Theoretical lectures provide structured frameworks rather than isolated facts. In radiology, participants learn how to approach images in a repeatable order and identify the primary lesion pattern. In ultrasonography, lectures introduce anatomy, expected normal appearance, artifacts, and common abnormalities before participants scan — so they know what they are looking for and how artifacts may mislead them.

Case discussions train clinical reasoning. Participants are asked to describe findings before assigning a diagnosis, to separate observation from interpretation, and to build a prioritized differential list. This develops the kind of report that is useful to clinicians and clients rather than vague or overly speculative.

Practical ultrasound sessions are designed around ergonomics, probe handling, image optimization, patient positioning, and systematic organ coverage. Instructors provide immediate correction — because small changes in probe angle, pressure, rotation, depth, or gain alter the image significantly, and participants need to understand why, not only what to do differently.

Between-module mentorship activities include case submissions, interpretation exercises, quizzes, reflective assignments, and optional one-to-one support for participants with specific learning goals.

SkillVet is independent and vendor-neutral. This program does not depend on any specific ultrasound machine, radiographic system, software platform, or commercial product. When equipment features are discussed, they are explained through general imaging principles that apply across different clinical settings. No manufacturer sponsorship determines the curriculum.

Expected outcomes

Upon completing the Veterinary Radiology and Ultrasonography Mentorship Program, graduates will be able to:

• Use a structured method to interpret thoracic, abdominal, and musculoskeletal radiographs
• Recognize common thoracic, abdominal, and musculoskeletal imaging patterns and describe them accurately
• Perform a more complete and systematic abdominal ultrasound examination in dogs and cats
• Recognize normal ultrasound anatomy and common abnormalities of the major abdominal organs
• Perform selected ocular, neck, thyroid/parathyroid, lymph node, and tendon ultrasound examinations at an introductory-to-intermediate level appropriate to this program's scope
• Understand how to perform ultrasound-guided sampling safely and recognize when such procedures are or are not appropriate
• Produce clear, structured diagnostic imaging reports that distinguish findings, interpretation, differentials, limitations, and recommendations
• Integrate radiology and ultrasonography findings into rational clinical decision-making
• Recognize when image quality, case complexity, or patient safety requires repeat imaging, referral, advanced imaging, or specialist interpretation
• Apply imaging knowledge in daily small-animal practice with greater confidence, consistency, and professional responsibility

Faculty