Point-Of-Care Ultrasound

Point-of-care ultrasound (POCUS) has become increasingly utilized and useful in multiple medical specialties, with emergency medicine in the forefront of its use. This course is designed to introduce POCUS to the preclinical medical student, and provide more in-depth and hands-on familiarity with POCUS for a variety of modalities. These skills will better equip students to use these techniques right at the bedside of any patient in any acute setting with greater facility and confidence. It will enhance patient diagnosis and management, procedural guidance, and patient satisfaction. It may even save a life! Primary emphasis will be on developing competent technical skills to enhance image acquisition and interpretation. The applications as defined by the American College of Emergency Medicine will be the main focus. Applications taught will include eFAST, thoracic, renal, RUQ, aorta, limited ECHO and IVC, first trimester pelvic, DVT, orbital, MSK. During the hands-on session, students will serve as model volunteers to be scanned, as well as scan their peers. Students will also have the optional opportunity to participate in scan shifts in the main emergency department when POCUS EM faculty perform scan rounds. Students will have access and be expected to participate in online and computer based learning that will be provided for them as well.