Point of care ultrasound training for medical students: Is it beneficial?

Abstract

Point of care ultrasound (POCUS) has oftentimes been touted as the stethoscope of the future. Improvements in technology have now lowered costs, making it more accessible to all physicians. Currently, there is no structured training program for POCUS and most POCUS users acquire knowledge during their respective specialist training by learning from peers or by attending ad-hoc courses. As POCUS gains traction, there is increasing interest in introducing training during medical school. We conducted an introductory course to POCUS for a batch of 9 medical students during their Internal Medicine rotation. The session was focused on orienting students to the ultrasound machine, knobology and imaging acquisition of the venous system. The instructors also shared with the students the scenarios whereby POCUS may aid diagnosis and clinical management. A survey was conducted after the course to assess the students’ understanding and interest in further sessions. Prior to this session, the medical students were only introduced to ultrasound during their obstetrics rotation. After the session, 89% of the students have a better understanding of how POCUS can be integrated into daily clinical practice. 89% of the students were also more confident in handling the ultrasound machine. All the students felt that POCUS can enhance their learning, and should be included in the Internal Medicine curriculum. As POCUS becomes more widely practised, consideration should be made to include it as a component of medical school training. While there are concerns that it will divert attention and resources in a packed curriculum, the interactive nature of ultrasound training, its direct correlation with anatomy, integration with clinical scenarios, makes it a powerful tool to potentially enhance clinical teaching.