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Echocardiography training for FoCUS, POCUS, STP and ETP trainees
Reading echo by eye is learned by seeing many studies against a known answer. Echo Wizard's free echocardiography simulators give you unlimited realistic cases, each scored against the exact values of a simulated 3D heart, so you can practise between scanning lists and supervised sessions.
Start practising →Pathology guidesWho it is for
- FoCUS and POCUS learners in emergency medicine, intensive care, acute medicine and anaesthesia, including those working towards FUSIC Heart (Intensive Care Society) or another focused echo accreditation: the by-eye questions about the ventricles. Is the left ventricle significantly dilated or impaired? Is the right ventricle significantly dilated or impaired? Are there features of low venous return, such as a small, hyperdynamic left ventricle?
- NHS Scientist Training Programme (STP) trainees in cardiac sciences, and trainees on an Echocardiography Training Programme (ETP) working towards echocardiography accreditation, such as BSE adult transthoracic accreditation: visual EF, 17-segment wall motion, the right heart, stress echo and mitral valve disease.
- Cardiology registrars, cardiac physiologists and sonographers who want to calibrate their eye against an exact answer.
What each simulator trains
| Skill | Simulator |
|---|---|
| Visual LV ejection fraction in 5% ranges, with BSE categories | LV function |
| Regional wall motion on the 17-segment model, coronary territories, cardiomyopathies and dyssynchrony | LV function |
| RV size and wall thickness, pressure and volume overload (the D-shaped septum), RV systolic function with TAPSE and FAC measured, and McConnell’s sign | RV function |
| Dobutamine stress echo: wall motion at rest, low dose, peak and recovery, ischaemia, viability and the report | Stress echo |
| Mitral regurgitation and stenosis: mechanism (Carpentier), severity, prolapse and Barlow’s, TEER clips, repairs and prostheses, with colour and CW Doppler | Mitral valve |
What it does not replace
Simulated cases train interpretation, not image acquisition. They do not replace supervised scanning, logbooks or the requirements of your training programme or accreditation body. Focused protocols also look for pericardial and pleural effusions and at the IVC, which the simulators do not show yet.
How to use it in a training programme
- Learn: watch every pathology with teaching notes and the findings marked on the loops.
- Practice: start at beginner level, then move to intermediate and advanced cases as your errors fall.
- Exam: ten cases scored at the end; when you are signed in, 90% or more earns a certificate (LV function, stress echo and mitral) to show your supervisor.
- Progress: find your weak spots (EF bias, segments, pathologies) and go back to them.
Frequently asked questions
Is Echo Wizard free?
Yes. You can try 3 cases straight away; signing in with just your email (free) unlocks unlimited cases, saved progress, certificates and the leaderboards.
Is it suitable for FoCUS and POCUS?
For the questions about the ventricles, yes: is the left ventricle significantly dilated or impaired, is the right ventricle significantly dilated or impaired, and, for low venous return, is the left ventricle small and hyperdynamic. Pericardial and pleural effusions and the IVC are not simulated yet.
Does it count towards STP or ETP requirements?
It is a self-directed practice tool. Whether it counts towards your portfolio is for your training programme and supervisor to decide; the certificates and the Progress summary record what you have done.
Does it replace supervised scanning?
No. Simulated cases train interpretation, not image acquisition. Use them alongside supervised scanning and the logbook your programme or accreditation body requires.
Which guidelines does it follow?
The teaching notes cite British Society of Echocardiography (BSE) guidance first, then EACVI and ESC, then ASE, and every cited phrase shows its source.
Does it work on a phone?
It runs in any modern browser with nothing to install, and is best on a computer or tablet.
Practise visual EF and wall motion →RV functionStress echoMitral valve