Ms Sadie Bennett, Chair of Accreditation, shares an update on the booking process.
The practical assessment has been a long-standing addition to our accreditation process that is a valuable way to ensure that all echocardiographers have a similar proficiency level of experience and knowledge upon gaining BSE accreditation.
Over the last few years, we have seen a large increase in the number of members wishing to pursue BSE accreditation. It is fantastic that we will be seeing more echocardiographers delivering care to our patients, at hopefully shorter waiting times, in the future. In the short term however, this increase in members pursuing accreditation does place pressure on how we deliver the practical assessments to ensure that all members can attempt their practical assessment at a time most suited to them.
In the past, we have advertised and opened up all assessment dates at least 12 months in advance to enable members to plan when they would sit their practical assessment. This worked well for a number of years. However, we have become aware of a growing number of members who book onto several practical assessments dates which was adding to the difficulties we faced in finding capacity for the practical assessments. There has also been an increasing trend towards cancellation at short notice due to not being ready.
In an attempt to meet the increasing demand and improve the availability of practical assessments for members, we have already significantly increased the number of candidates we are able to see at a practical assessment day and increased the number of assessment days within each calendar year.
To avoid candidates holding multiple bookings going forward and to reduce the number of short notice cancellations, we are also altering how members can book their practical assessment in future. Booking for practical assessment dates will now open three months prior to that specific practical assessment. For instance, the practical assessment day on Sunday 15 September 2024 for TTE, Level I, ACCE, TOE and CHD will open for registration from Tuesday 4 June until Monday 15 July 2024. Dates will still be notified in advance, so candidates have plenty of time to plan. It is only the booking which will be based on a shorter timeframe.
It is hoped that this new system will ensure that only those members who are ready to sit their practical assessments do so, whilst allowing a fair booking system for all candidates, and respecting the time of our volunteer assessors and BSE team.
Please check our website for further information regarding the practical assessments.
Best of luck to all members undergoing their accreditation journey, we look forward to seeing you at your practical assessment soon!