Simulation

UT Health San Antonio and the Audie L. Murphy VA Hospital Simulation Centers provide education and training for our residents. Our program teaches ultrasound-guided techniques on high- and low-fidelity manikins and on patient actors to provide residents a risk-free environment to practice procedures and clinical scenarios. Our VA Simulation Center is one of only a few simulation centers with Intermediate Certification.

Resident Education Enhancement

Simulation has become a key component of the learning experience at UT Health San Antonio. During your internship year, several boot camps are held to cover important scenarios that arise during Night Float, Medicine Wards, Medicine ICU, and Cardiology rotations. Integrated with these boot camps are simulation exercises to prepare our interns and residents for the challenges that arise on service. Simulations range from practicing ACLS with state of the art manikins to performing ultrasound guided techniques to practicing physican-nurse interactions. Our simulation lab provides manikins to assist with learning proper ultrasound techniques for thoracentesis, paracentesis, and lumbar puncture.

Our residents use ultrasound throughout their residency. We specialize in ultrasound-guided procedures. All of our Ward and ICU services have access to several ultrasound machines. We also recently procured several pocket-sized ultrasound machines for bedside point-of-care ultrasound (POCUS).

We offer a separate track where residents can obtain ultrasound training beyond our residency’s standard curriculum. Categorical residents who apply via NRMP through the Point of Care Ultrasound (POCUS) Track will have additional training, will keep a portfolio over the course of their residency, and will graduate with additional certification in ultrasound techniques.

Point of Care Ultrasound Elective

The majority of our residents take our Point of Care Ultrasound (POCUS) elective during either their PGY-2 or PGY-3 years. During this intense 4-week experience, residents learn proper ultrasound techniques for evaluation of acute clinical scenarios. We focus on evaluation of cardiac, lung, abdominal, and musculoskeletal pathology by ultrasound. Time is spent in our musculoskeletal clinics and Medicine ICU, evaluating active patients with significant pathology. During the month, a portfolio is created and images are reviewed by our esteemed ultrasound faculty, Dr. Robert Nathanson and Dr. Nilam Soni.

Procedures, Patient Safety, and POCUS Team (PS3)

All of our categorical interns spend a month on our PS3 rotation. They receive hands-on ultrasound training in our simulation lab before performing procedures on our admitted patients. Procedures include arthrocentesis, central line insertion, lumbar puncture, paracentesis, and thoracentesis.

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