Point-of-Care Ultrasonography Integration in Undergraduate Medical Education: A Student-Driven Approach

Background: The importance of medical ultrasonography (US) is well established, but given an already dense curriculum, integration of US into preclinical training can be difficult. Although there is no clear consensus on the best practice for integrating US into medical school curricula, growing student interest in US training demands investigation of potential solutions. Objective: To investigate whether US integration through peer-assisted learning (PAL) and extracurricular activities during preclinical training is perceived to be valuable by student participants. Methods: First-and second-year students at the West Virginia School of Osteopathic Medicine (WVSOM) were invited via email to attend 4 monthly PAL extracurricular US sessions on the following point-of-care US topics: (1) basic lung examination to assess pleural sliding, (2) extended focused assessment with sonography for trauma, (3) right upper quadrant biliary examination, and (4) US-guided central venous catheter placement. A brief survey using Likert-style questions inquired about participants' level of agreement with whether the given session was appropriately complex, increased comfort with US, was informative and interactive, and improved confidence in identifying anatomic structures (sessions 2 and 3 only). A final question asked participants whether they would attend more extracurricular US sessions. Results: Fifty-eight students (36 unique students) attended the peer-led sessions. Of the 58 students, 50 responded to the survey for a response rate of 86.2%. Responses were overwhelmingly positive. All respondents strongly agreed or agreed that these sessions improved their confidence in identifying anatomic structures using US, and 49 (98%) strongly agreed or agreed that they would attend more US sessions. Conclusion: Respondents strongly endorsed the peer-led US sessions, which has facilitated the formal integration of an elective US course at WVSOM. The peer-led sessions introduced at WVSOM could provide the framework and motivation for similar courses at osteopathic medical schools across the country.