The Endoscopic Ultrasound (EUS) certification pathway is now live.
Please note that - even after achieving certification - JAG recommends that all endoscopists should continue to seek further training on dedicated training lists as part of their ongoing personal development.
Criteria for certification
The certification criteria are shown in the table below*. The previous six months of procedural data entered on JETS will be used to calculate the trainee's performance against the criteria. For more information on how this is calculated, please click here.
*To see the full criteria, please see page 15 of the JETS certification guidance document.
JETS will automatically generate a reflection following every 50 procedures logged on the trainee's portfolio. When generated, the reflection will appear as an action to complete on the user's dashboard. For further information about reflections, please click here.
Once a trainee has met the criteria above, they will need to complete four summative DOPS forms. Once the first DOPS is completed, the trainee must ensure that all subsequent DOPS are completed within one month. For successful completion, the applicant must score ‘competent for independent practice’ in all 4 summative DOPS.
Once a trainee has completed all four summative DOPS, the portfolio will need to be reviewed and signed off by the trainee’s training lead. After being approved locally, it will need to be approved by the JETS national assessors.
The summative assessment process is supported by the JETS e-Portfolio. The ‘Certification’ tab on the trainee’s dashboard will open a summary screen that displays the trainee’s status.
Submit 4 summative DOPS
The arrangements for a summative assessment are:
- Minimum of two different assessors - one of whom does not work in the trainee's current endoscopic unit
- Minimum of two cases
- Minimum of four DOPS (observations and judgments)
- No assessor is the primary endoscopic trainer
- All subsequent DOPS must be completed within a month of the first DOPS
So this could result in the four DOPS being completed either as -
- 2 x 2 process simultaneously = 2 assessors over 2 cases
- 2 x 2 process sequentially = 2 assessors over 4 cases
- 2 x 1 x 1 process = 3 assessors over 4 cases
- 1 x 1 x 1 x 1 process = 4 assessors over 4 cases
- OR a variation on the above.
Sign off by local training lead
The Trust’s Training Lead will review the trainee’s e-Portfolio. If approved, it will be sent via JETS to the JAG office.
Pay certification fee to JAG
The current certification fee is £70 per modality.
Your e-portfolio will be updated to show you when your payment has been received. We estimate that it will take two weeks from receipt of payment to a certificate being issued. A PDF version of the certificate
will be emailed to you so please ensure your email is kept up-to-date.
Portfolio is assessed by assessor
The JAG office will send your portfolio to the appropriate regional lead to judge whether or not the
criteria have been fulfilled. If they approve your application, a certificate will be issued. If they reject your application, you will be informed. The assessor will provide a reason as to why the portfolio has not been approved.
If the assessor requests further information, you will receive an email asking you to provide this information. This will most likely be an additional procedure or DOPS via JETS. Please contact us if you would like to submit further evidence.
Lifetime procedure count
The lifetime procedure count is not to be used as a barrier in applying for JAG certification. The minimum lifetime procedure count outlined above is to be used as a guide for trainees, trainers and the JAG office. It is an approximation of both the minimum number of procedures that most trainees will have undertaken by the time they apply for JAG certification, and of the stage at which trainees should have gained sufficient experience to independently make appropriate decisions about patient care and follow-up after an endoscopic procedure. It is recognised that individual trainees, through many different factors, learn practical skills at different rates. It is therefore the eligibility criteria as stated above - not the total lifetime procedure count - that determines when a trainee is ready to apply for certification. If a trainee has met all other criteria except the lifetime procedure count, they may choose to appeal this requirement by contacting the JAG office, provided they have the support of their trainer.
For more information, please see pages 15-17 of the JETS certification pathway guidance document.