SESSION TITLE: Wednesday Abstract Posters SESSION TYPE: Original Investigation Posters PRESENTED ON: 10/23/2019 09:45 AM - 10:45 AM PURPOSE: Point of care ultrasonography (POCUS) training is in high demand among internal medicine (IM) residency programs in the United States. However, no formalized ACGME-approved curricula have been established. Our study assesses the efficacy of a 2-week ultrasound (US) elective for IM residents in terms of knowledge acquisition and retention, and confidence in performing thoracic US. METHODS: This is a secondary analysis of an IRB-approved prospective study investigating the efficacy of a longitudinal US curriculum incorporated into an existing clinical simulation program. The longitudinal US curriculum consists of case-based simulations every 6-weeks and an hour-long workshop with lectures, hands-on tasks, image interpretations, and a pre and post-workshop quiz assessing thoracic US knowledge. In addition, the quizzes ask residents to identify items they are confident in interpreting, which is tallied into a confidence score (CS) with a maximum of 8 points. In this cohort, a subgroup had participated in a 2-week US elective that consists of lectures, required online readings, and faculty-supervised hands-on training with both ultrasound simulators and patients. Outcomes of interest are differences in quiz scores and CS between elective participants (EP) compared to non-participants. Secondary outcomes include quiz score and CS trends over 6 weeks after the initial workshop. ANOVA and t-tests were used to compare continuous variables. Multivariate regression analyses were used for adjusted analysis, as well as to model trends. RESULTS: A total of 102 residents were enrolled in the study. Among these, 24 had participated in the US elective within 6 months prior to the start of the prospective study. Unadjusted mean pre-course quiz scores (expressed as percent correct) were 49.7% vs. 74.7% (p<0.001) in EP. Post-course scores were 77.8% vs. 85.4% (p<0.001) in EP. At a 6-week follow-up quiz, the scores were 54.6% vs. 67.8% (p<0.001) in EP. In terms of mean CS, pre-course scores were 2.8 vs 6.3 for EP (p<0.001) and post-course scores were 6.9 vs 7.8 for EP (p<0.001). At 6-weeks the CS were 4.9 vs 6.2 for EP (p<0.001). Multivariate regression showed that EP overall had 19% higher test scores (p<0.001) and 2.74 higher CS (p<0.001) over the 6 week period. In addition, for the EP group, while the quiz scores decreased from 74.7% to 67.8% over 6 weeks, this difference was not statistically significant based on multivariate regression (mean score difference over 6 weeks: -2.7%, p=0.332). A similar finding was seen for CS (mean score difference over 6 weeks: -0.04, p=0.87). CONCLUSIONS: A 2-week interactive US elective shows efficacy in ultrasound knowledge acquisition and retention with minimal knowledge decay. CLINICAL IMPLICATIONS: Given the increased demand for POCUS training in IM residencies and more frequent use in inpatient settings, formalized training options should be made available to residents. DISCLOSURES: No relevant relationships by Joseph Mathew, source=Web Response No relevant relationships by Di Pan, source=Web Response No relevant relationships by James Salonia, source=Web Response No relevant relationships by Fernando Vazquez de Lara, source=Web Response