I think we have plenty of experience in the Netherlands at Erasmus MC and VUMC that is easier to access from AMC

I participated in this workshop in 2014 as a postdoc and thought it was excellent for my needs. I had observed numerous surgical procedures and performed human and animal echo before attending, but I wanted to perform PV loops and TAC surgeries.  (You don't need prior experience, but you might get the info faster if you have some.)

The best part for me was having a dedicated week to practice surgical technique. We were provided several mice per day. (You will still need to go home and practice before starting an experiment.) They provided nearly 1 staff for every 2 participants and all were very generous with their time. The organizer and most of the staff have experience so they can help you troubleshoot if you ask them questions.  They also have reps/techs from ADInstruments, Transonics, and Visualsonics.

Their website lists all of the surgical techniques, and if you or your trainee were starting from scratch, it can be a good way to get started. I spent most of my time on 1 or 2 procedures, but with their teaching and handouts, I could probably do all of the techniques (for example I never attempted an MI but I understand the steps). I think about half of my cohort focused on a specific technique, while half tried everything at least once. You don't need buy tools ahead of time, so your costs are travel and course fees. Their materials also provide a comprehensive list of tools for each technique and step-by-step protocols.

Is it worth traveling? For me it was worth the short drive to have the dedicated time/training. On the other hand, if there was someone at my institution (or close by) that I could have collaborated with to save my funds, I might not have gone -and I doubt I would have traveled overseas. While I had a good experience, I recommend staying in Holland because of costs unless 1) can't find someone to teach you, 2) you need the dedicated learning time, or 3) you are certain you will perform at least one technique regularly in your lab. Here in the US, there are plenty of experienced core-labs and/or collaborators who could better perform these experiments for investigators for individual studies. I think you can find similar in Holland/near by in Europe.

If you want echo training and have access to a Visualsonics system, I'd recommend asking a collaborator or Visualsonics for onsite training. (I recommend this even if you do attend the workshop; there was very limited time to work with the ultrasound system.)