A Near-peer Point-of-care Ultrasound Elective for Medical Students: Impact on Anatomy Knowledge, Perceptions About Ultrasound, and Self-reported Skill Level

Publication date: Available online 31 January 2017
Source:Academic Radiology
Author(s): Jacqueline T. DesJardin, Santo K. Ricceri, Stephen D. Brown, Emily M. Webb, David M. Naeger, Nathan A. Teismann
Rationale and ObjectivesWe aimed to assess the impact of our institution's recently created point-of-care ultrasound (POCUS) course for preclinical medical students by examining its effect on first–year-level medical knowledge, self-reported skill level, and beliefs regarding the importance of ultrasound in future clinical practice.Materials and MethodsA total of 18 first-year medical students completed a 5-month near–peer-led training program in POCUS consisting of 3-hour teaching sessions (7), 4-hour clinical sessions (10–12), and an independent study. Students completed pre- and postprogram assessments examining (1) student perceptions about ultrasound and its importance to future careers, (2) students' self-reported skill level with ultrasound, and (3) performance on an anatomy and physiology knowledge quiz. Scores and responses were compared to 20 controls.ResultsThe majority of students believed that ultrasound was useful for learning anatomy and would be important in their future clinical practice. Students who completed our training program tended to perform better than controls on a test of medical knowledge. Despite reporting far fewer hours of formal ultrasound training, control students rated their skill level comparably to POCUS-trained students.ConclusionsThis study provides evidence that ultrasound is well received by medical students and may be useful for teaching basic anatomy concepts.



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