Education

Since 2012, our annual point-of-care ultrasound (POCUS) continuing medical education (CME) course has attracted hundreds of clinicians from across the United States and abroad.  Our nationally-recognized local and guest faculty specializing primarily in internal medicine/hospital medicine, critical care, emergency medicine, and anesthesiology gather to present our annual POCUS CME course.  The course combines focused didactics with hands-on scanning sessions to give learners an immersive two-day educational experience on the highest-yield POCUS applications.  Both faculty and learners have enjoyed the exchange of ideas in a friendly, relaxed atmosphere. The POCUS CME course has become highly popular and sells out quickly once registration opens.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, our innovative and talented faculty delivered the annual POCUS CME course virtually using novel tele-ultrasound software.  The unique hands-on training experience allowed faculty to guide learners remotely by viewing their ultrasound screen and hand position.  The initial course was highly successful and led to follow-up courses with learners participating from Alaska, Singapore, and beyond.  Brief videos of hands-on scanning sessions using tele-ultrasound can be viewed here (video 1, video 2).

To learn more about our POCUS CME courses, please visit our website: www.pocussa.org

Most graduate medical education programs on the UT Health San Antonio campus now provide some point-of-care ultrasound training. Some of the frontline specialties with well-known training curricula include critical care, emergency medicine, internal medicine, anesthesiology, and surgery.

Our faculty lead the point-of-care ultrasound training for the internal medicine residency. The internal medicine residents experience hands-on training in a broad range of clinical settings during the following rotations:

• ·      Procedure team
• ·      Medical intensive care unit
• ·      Emergency department
• ·      Inpatient wards
• ·      POCUS elective

The internal medicine residency started a one-of-a-kind POCUS track in 2018. More information about the internal medicine residency can be found by clicking here.

Led by internationally-recognized experts in the field, the Pulmonary & Critical Care fellowship is one of the most highly sought-after training programs at UT Health San Antonio.  The fellowship provides world-class training in diverse clinical settings that prepares fellows for careers in the public, private, or government sector.

The point-of-care ultrasound training curriculum for the pulmonary/critical care fellows includes the following experiences:

• ·      Critical Care Ultrasound Boot Camp
• ·      POCUS Elective
• ·      ICU Ultrasound Rounds
• ·      Core Lecture Series
• ·      Image Portfolio Development
• ·      Ultrasound-guided Procedures
• ·      Skills & Knowledge Assessments

To learn more about the pulmonary/critical care fellowship, click here.

Medical students in the Joe R. & Teresa Lozano Long School of Medicine receive point-of-care ultrasound training during all four years of their undergraduate medical education.  During their pre-clinical years, medical students participate in hands-on point-of-care ultrasound scanning sessions during each module covering a different body system.  As students rotate through their clinical clerkships, they receive various point-of-care ultrasound experiences offered by the different specialties.  In their final year, while choosing their future specialty, medical students have opportunities to experience specialty-specific ultrasound electives offered by internal medicine, emergency medicine, radiology, obstetrics/gynecology, and other specialties.

Since 2015, the Long School of Medicine established the Center for Clinical Ultrasound, a state-of-the-art facility dedicated to ultrasound education.  Healthcare providers from across the UT Health San Antonio campus, as well as visiting clinicians, have benefited from the Center’s educational programs. No other medical school has such a center, and this unique center has been a national model for multidisciplinary integration of ultrasound into healthcare education.  To learn more about the Center for Clinical Ultrasound, click here.