Echo practice for STP trainees

The NHS Scientist Training Programme asks a lot of cardiac science trainees: a master’s degree, workplace rotations and a portfolio, with echocardiography as one part of a wide specialism. These free simulators give you extra repetitions of the visual calls that take the longest to learn, scored against the true answer.

Start with LV function See all the simulators

Free. Your first 3 cases need no account; after that, a quick sign-in with a one-time code by email. Educational simulation to use under the supervision of a clinical tutor — not for clinical use.

Why visual assessment is worth practising early

Experienced echocardiographers estimate ejection fraction and spot wall motion abnormalities at a glance; trainees build that eye slowly, one supervised study at a time.
On a busy list there is rarely time to pause on a case and check your impression against a known answer. In a simulator every case comes with the exact EF and the grade of every segment.
Getting the visual call right first makes the measurements that follow (Simpson’s biplane, TAPSE, valve gradients) a check on your impression rather than your only source of it.

What to practise

LV function Estimate EF by eye in 5% ranges with the BSE categories, and grade wall motion on the 17-segment model, including coronary territories, Takotsubo and LBBB.
RV function Decide whether the RV is dilated or hypertrophied, judge its function, and read septal flattening for pressure and volume overload.
Mitral valve Work through mitral regurgitation and stenosis, repairs, TEER clips and prosthetic valves with colour and CW Doppler.
Stress echo Read dobutamine stress echo stage by stage once you start seeing stress lists: wall motion, ischaemia territory and viability.

How to fit it around the programme

Ten minutes before a list: a handful of LV cases to calibrate your eye for the day.
After a study you found difficult: practise the same question (an RV, a regional wall motion abnormality) on simulated cases with known answers.
Before a supervisor review: use Learn mode to see each pathology, then Practice to test yourself without hints.
Keep using your logbook and supervised scanning as the core of your training; the simulators add repetitions, they do not replace real patients.

Guides

Questions

Is this part of the STP curriculum?

No. Echo Wizard is an independent, free practice tool and is not endorsed by the National School of Healthcare Science. Use it alongside the training your programme sets.

Which simulator should an STP trainee start with?

LV function. Visual EF and wall motion come up in almost every study; once those feel steady, add the RV, the mitral valve and, when you start stress lists, stress echo.

Can my supervisor see my results?

Your results are saved to your own account when you sign in. You can show them, or the certificates from the exam mode, to your supervisor if you wish.

Start with LV function Mitral valve Stress echo RV function

For training only. Educational simulation to use under the supervision of a clinical tutor — not for clinical use. Echo Wizard is independent and is not endorsed by the NHS, the National School of Healthcare Science, the British Society of Echocardiography or any course.