Ultrasound Imaging: What Is Inside? (FutureLearn)

Whether you’re simply curious about how the process works, considering sonographer training, or hoping to improve your existing clinical knowledge, this is the course for you.

Learn about the uses of ultrasound

How does ultrasound imaging work? And what is an ultrasound scan? You’ll explore these questions and more as you progress through the course syllabus.

You’ll also examine the current developments in technology, and the new possibilities in ultrasound imaging are arising that may improve diagnostics.

Understand ultrasound imaging from three perspectives

Ultrasound can only be correctly performed and improved when users have a profound knowledge of the underlying technology. With that in mind, this free online course is based on three major perspectives:

1. Medical perspective: In Week 1 we will examine the versatile use of ultrasound imaging for medical purposes.

2. Technical perspective: In Weeks 2 to 4 we will explain the underlying technology of ultrasound imaging.

3. Technical medical perspective: In Weeks 5 and 6 we will apply your newly acquired technical background knowledge of ultrasound to make better images.

Develop your clinical knowledge and patient care

Whether you’re wondering how to learn ultrasound or how to become a sonographer, this course can provide some of the foundations you’ll need. Once completed, you’ll have a good understanding of the technology of ultrasound imaging, and you can apply this knowledge in examples of ultrasound use in the clinic.

Syllabus

Week 1: Ultrasound in medical practice

Week 2: The technology behind ultrasound - Part one

Week 3: The technology behind ultrasound - Part two

Week 4: The technology behind ultrasound - Part three

Week 5: Technical medicine of ultrasound - The first cases

Week 6: Technical medicine of ultrasound - The final cases

What will you achieve?

By the end of the course, you'll be able to...

- Identify and comprehend the versatile use of clinical ultrasound imaging.

- Explain how medical images are created with ultrasound.

- Apply technical background knowledge of ultrasound to improve patient care.

Who is the course for?

This course is aimed at everyone interested in ultrasound imaging, its technological background, and its application in clinical practice. Medical students and professionals working with ultrasound might find this course useful as well. Participants are expected to have a pre-university level in mathematics and physics.

Participants with the expected starting level will need about 3 hours per week for the course. If you have already more knowledge or experience about the technical aspects or medical use of ultrasound imaging, you may need less time to complete the course.

In this course, you will investigate ultrasound imaging in-depth and explore the different possibilities from an ultrasound device. However, it is not necessary to have an ultrasound device available.