Cardiac and general point-of-care ultrasound fundamentals workshop

Imagine building the confidence to recognise the findings that matter: Is that pulsatile mass a possible AAA warranting urgent referral? Does your patient with RUQ pain have signs of cholecystitis? Could that post-travel leg pain be a DVT? Is your breathless patient’s heart squeezing as it should, or is there a pericardial effusion behind that vague chest discomfort?

This intensive hands-on workshop delivers the foundational PoCUS skills you need for everyday general practice. You’ll develop these skills through supervised scanning practice with expert facilitators.

On the general side, you’ll learn to assess the aorta, gallbladder, kidneys and bladder, and to perform DVT compression studies. On the cardiac side, you’ll learn to obtain the core views (parasternal long and short axis, apical four-chamber and subcostal), assess global left ventricular function, identify pericardial effusion, recognise right ventricular dilatation, and evaluate the IVC.

Perfect for beginners or those needing a refresher, this workshop will equip you with practical scanning techniques you can incorporate into your broader clinical assessment.

Continuing Professional Development (CPD) recognition will be sought from the Royal New Zealand College of General Practitioners. Confirmation of CPD requirements for nurses and nurse practitioners will also be sought from the Nursing Council of New Zealand.

Dates: Saturday 21 November 2026 (cardiac) and Sunday 22 November 2026 (general)

Time: 8.00am–4.30pm each day

Location: TT Building, Te Wānanga Waiora, Division of Health, University of Waikato, Hamilton

Fee: NZ$2,500 per person

The fee covers both days. Participants must attend the full two-day workshop; single-day registration is not available.

Course Director: Jo McCann, Senior Lecturer, University of Waikato

Jo McCann
Division of Health
University of Waikato

jo.mccann@waikato.ac.nz