In collaboration with the Society of Point of Care Ultrasound (SPOCUS) and Practical POCUS, we are striving to help those who are wanting to improve their training programs.  We bring faculty that have experience of introducing ultrasound to the classroom.  These pearls are beneficial to all levels of education and not just for PA programs.

Our two guests are Janelle Bludorn and Laura Blesse-Hampton.  Both teach at PA programs and have seen the value of ultrasound.  They have worked tirelessly to ensure there students and the next generation of clinicians are ready to implement this vital technology.  As they point out, this is not a fad and this is increasingly becoming a standard of practice.

To make the information more easily digestible, we have broken these topics into smaller pieces and encourage you to listen to them in detail for more information.  Below are outline some of the key points that were brought up in this section:

• Brace yourselves, ultrasound is coming…
  
  
  
  • Whether you want to teach it or not, point of care ultrasound (POCUS) is being used more frequently.
  
  
  • More medical schools, PA programs, residencies, and specialties are either requiring or highly encouraging this technology to be added into training.
  
  
  
  


• Do not be part of the past…
  
  
  
  • Ultrasound is like the stethoscope.
  
  
  • When the stethoscope was first implemented, some people did not embrace the new technology and they fell behind.
  
  
  • We do not want the same to happen to future, or currently practicing, clinicians.
  
  
  
  


• Ultrasound is another way to teach portions of current classes.
  
  
  
  • Some programs use POCUS in demonstrating anatomy and physiology.
  
  
  • Other ways to implement ultrasound in a program include teaching procedures and practicing physical exams.
  
  
  
  

Let us know what you think by giving us feedback here in the comments section or contacting us on Twitter or Facebook.  Remember to look us up on Libsyn and on iTunes.  If you have any questions you can also comment below, email at thetotalem@gmail.com, or send a message from the page.  We hope to talk to everyone again soon.  Until then, continue to provide total care everywhere.