Clinical Specialist Sonographer,
Waikato Hospital, Hamilton, New Zealand.
Who is MARTIN NECAS? The Official Scoop
A bit about Martin, professionally speaking...
Martin holds a Master of Medical Sonography and is an Honorary Fellow of ASUM who works as a clinical specialist sonographer in Hamilton, New Zealand. Martin completed training in general and vascular ultrasound in Seattle, USA in 1996 and subsequently attained a Masters Degree in Sonography at the University of South Australia in 2007. Martin has practiced diagnostic ultrasound in USA, New Zealand and Australia in a wide variety of clinical settings ranging from private centers to tertiary teaching hospitals. Martin is an ultrasound enthusiast, clinical instructor, university lecturer and a prolific conference speaker. He is an author of numerous peer-reviewed papers as well as a book titled Artifacts in Diagnostic Medical Ultrasound. Martin is a strong proponent to clinically targeted ultrasound and evidence-based practice underpinned by clinical research. Why EMUGs? Martin has been involved in training sonographers, radiologists, obstetricians & gynaecologists, vascular surgeons, emergency doctors, nurses, physiotherapists and other clinician groups for over 2 decades. He is passionate about good quality ultrasound that is performed with high-level of technical skill and clinical insight and is interpreted correctly. As a sonographer and an academic, he has a wealth of experience in clinical ultrasound and teaching that he loves to pass on, seeing it as both a duty and a privilege to share his expertise in ultrasound and help others. The EMUGs community is lucky to be able to learn from such a passionate clinician and educator.
What drives his POCUS passion? It’s easy to be passionate about ultrasound. How much cooler can you get? A hand-held tool that allows you to look inside the patient in real-time, right here and right now. It’s almost hard to believe! It’s a tool that doctors of the past would have only dreamed of. Favourite travel destination…
Martin grew up in the magical Czech republic and has lived in the Middle East, USA, Australia and New Zealand. He has been lucky to travel widely and loves all countries and all places. He is now a passionate Hamilton-ian, even though most people don’t give Hamilton a second look. In reality, it’s stunning. The only ugly places on Earth have, regrettably, been created by humans. So, answering this question in reverse; the garbage city in Lima, Peru is one destination that he wishes never to visit again. Who is Martin Necas outside of work?
Martin used to be a passionate rock-climber until a recent encounter with a serious illness robbed him of the ability to continue this beautiful and exhilarating sport. "I still look at various rocky outcrops with a tear in my eye and a deep desire to don on a harness and scale them. To compensate, I have embraced a new hobby in quite a different discipline. I have learned to paint watercolor. Here is a painting of the Waikato River just down the road from my house."
What is your vision for EMUGs? At present, the training and governance of clinician-performed ultrasound is a little fragmented with a number of interest groups offering varying levels and quality of training. EMUGS can play a pivotal role in unifying and guiding the future of clinician performed ultrasound. Like a fine gem, POCUS needs a bit of pressure and time to crystallise. What progress have you seen with regard to POCUS? What would you like to see? When Martin started in ultrasound some 25 years ago, ultrasound was purely a domain of radiologists and sonographers. Clinician practitioners did not exist. Nowadays, clinician-performed ultrasound is everywhere. In our centre, ultrasound is routinely performed by a broad range of clinicians including: emergency doctors, O&G, respiratory, rheumatology, intensive care, vascular, gastroenterology, renal and paediatric specialists as well as nurse practitioners, radiation therapists and a physiotherapist. Martin sees tremendous value of quality ultrasound performed by well trained clinicians at the front lines where the diagnosis can inform management decisions and the the role of “radiology ultrasound” as sorting out the complex cases. A message for those new to POCUS: "Get involved. Surround yourself by experts. Learn. Audit your work rigorously. After a 1000 cases, you will be reasonably good. After 10,000 cases, you will be an expert. Enjoy the journey."
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