Virtual multispecialty point‐of‐care ultrasound rotation for fourth‐year medical students during COVID‐19: Innovative teaching techniques improve ultrasound knowledge and image interpretation

Abstract

Objectives Point‐of‐Care Ultrasound (PoCUS) has been integrated into undergraduate medical education. The COVID‐19 pandemic forced medical schools to evolve clinical rotations to minimize interruption through implementation of novel remote learning courses. To address the students’ need for remote clinical education, we created a virtual PoCUS course for our fourth year class. We present details of the course’s development, implementation, quality improvement processes, achievements, and limitations. Methods A virtual PoCUS course was created for 141 fourth‐year medical students. The learning objectives included ultrasound physics, performing and interpreting ultrasound applications, and incorporating PoCUS into clinical decisions and procedural guidance. Students completed a 30‐question pre and post‐test focused on ultrasound and knowledge of clinical concepts. PoCUS educators from 10 different specialties delivered the course over 10 days using video‐conferencing software. Students watched live scanning demonstrations and practiced ultrasound probe maneuvers using a cellular telephone to simulate ultrasound probe. Students completed daily course evaluations which were used as a continuous needs assessment to make improvements. Results 141 students participated in the course, all received a passing grade. The mean pre and post‐test scores improved from 58% to 88% (p <0.001) through the course duration. Daily evaluations revealed the percentage of students who rated the course’s live scanning sessions and didactic components as “very well” increased from 32.7% on day 1 to 69.7% on day 10. The end‐of‐course evaluation revealed 91% of students agreed they received effective teaching. Conclusions In response to the COVID‐19 pandemic, our multi‐specialty faculty expeditiously developed a virtual PoCUS curriculum for the entire fourth year class. This innovative course improved students’ ultrasound knowledge, image interpretation and clinical application while utilizing novel techniques to teach a hands‐on skill virtually. As the demand for PoCUS instruction continues to increase, the accessibility of virtual training and blended learning will be beneficial.

Adaptation of an anatomy graduate course in ultrasound imaging from in‐person to live, remote instruction during the Covid‐19 pandemic

“…In a final example of novel approaches to meet the needs of students for remote clinical experiences during the Covid‐19 pandemic, a virtual POCUS course was created for fourth year medical students to replace an existing POCUS elective (Zavitz et al, 2021 ). Each class meeting used videoconferencing and began with a review of recorded lectures, reading assignments, and case studies, followed by a live demonstration of scanning technique by the instructor using an ultrasound instrument.…”

“…Traditional, face‐to‐face lectures were readily converted from in‐person to an online format, particularly at those institutions that had key electronic resources already blended into their curricula before the pandemic (Binks et al, 2021 ). However, online systems are not thought to be an effective substitute for an in‐person, hands‐on mode of instruction (Bowra et al, 2015 ; Alhasan & Al‐Horani, 2021 ; Zavitz et al, 2021 ).…”

“…However, online systems are not thought to be an effective substitute for an in-person, hands-on mode of instruction (Bowra et al, 2015;Alhasan & Al-Horani, 2021;Zavitz et al, 2021).…”

“A Head Start or a Pain in the Neck?”—Establishment and Evaluation of a Video-Based “Hands-On” Head and Neck Ultrasound Course

“…Direct interaction with synchronous assistance from the instructor was not provided. Zavitz et al created a virtual point-of-care ultrasound (POCUS) course [26]. Video conferencing software was used for online lectures and demonstration of scanning techniques with the transmission of an ultrasound signal and demonstration of corresponding transducer handling.…”

Can Medical Students Learn and Perform POCUS in the Pediatric Emergency Department? Implementation of a Short Curriculum

“…POCUS is now being incorporated into medical student patient assessment curricula [2,3]. Several studies have demonstrated the feasibility of medical students using POCUS and have included teaching multiple POCUS applications to medical students simultaneously [2,4,5]. However, there are few studies demonstrating medical students' ability to accurately perform POCUS on pediatric patients and these studies have typically included one POCUS application taught at a time [6][7][8][9].…”