A Teesside clinical scientist has been awarded a national fellowship in return for his contribution to training future generations of echocardiographers.
53-year-old Steve Hodgson, from Sedgefield, has been lead echocardiographer at the University Hospital of North Tees for almost 15 years now. His role sees him leading a team responsible for diagnosing and monitoring heart conditions.
With a career in cardiology spanning more than three decades, Steve has also been heavily involved in training and accrediting echocardiographers across the UK. Now, he has been recognised with a fellowship by the British Society of Echocardiography (BSE) – an organisation which benchmarks quality patient care in echocardiography.
Steve was nominated for the fellowship by members of the BSE council, including the current chair of accreditation. He is one of 15 echocardiographers across the UK to receive a fellowship this year.
He said: “It was very humbling to be nominated – to be recognised by your peers and the people you hold in high esteem. It was quite emotional.
“It’s certainly something to be proud of.”
Inspiring the next generation
Over the last 15 years, Steve has held several voluntary roles within the BSE. His current position as national lead for practical exams sees him travelling around the UK to assess exam candidates as they develop in their careers as echocardiographers. He also conducts virtual exams to support international candidates in becoming accredited by the BSE.
In early 2023, Steve became the first registered cardiac clinical scientist with the Health and Care Professions Council (HCPC) at the University Hospitals of North Tees and Hartlepool. With a career pre-dating the Masters degree, he completed an equivalence programme with the Academy for Healthcare Science to prove competency.
Steve continued: “I’ve been heavily involved with the BSE for the last 15 years. It was for quite a selfish reason initially, for my own career progression and to assist with training and development of our department at North Tees.
“Now, I’ve been partly responsible for ensuring the quality standards of hundreds, maybe even thousands, of the current echo workforce across the UK. It’s really quite moving when I think about it.
“My manager and our medical leads have always supported my involvement. They recognised how important it is to have someone in the midst of the BSE and keeping current. Quality is everything. Our accredited echo department is recognised nationally for the work we do and that goes a long way.”
