Benefits of a dedicated ultrasound education for medical students: A 3 year experience

This article was migrated. The article was not marked as recommended. ObjectiveAn accelerated ultrasound education curriculum was designed specifically for second-year medical students. Our goal was to effectively measure this teaching methodology and to assess the practicality of this concept.Materials and MethodsAfter analyzing the existing ultrasound training for medical students, improvements were made to the existing curriculum for 2nd-year students that addressed the drawbacks in ultrasound education, including instrumentation, anatomy, and ultrasound-guided procedures. Prior to exposure to ultrasound education, all students participated in an anonymous quiz to determine and document their baseline knowledge. The ultrasound immersion week included; hands-on education and lectures. Students were divided into small groups with radiologists supervising ultrasound skills on standardized patients and intervention using phantom models.After the week-long exposure to radiology and ultrasound, students took a post-exposure assessment to evaluate their knowledge. Efficacy of the program was determined by comparing pre and post-exposure test results.ResultsStudents from Cohort A and B had a 19% improvement, and Cohort C had a 39% improvement. Pre and Post immersion quiz analysis were validated with statistical testing with a p-value <0.01. A thorough analysis of all three years showed significant improvement among medical students.ConclusionThe study proved that short, accelerated ultrasound education programs are effective in educating second-year medical students. By the standardized questionnaire, it also demonstrated that there is a significant impact in ultrasound knowledge among students through a week of focused education. Using homemade phantoms promoted active engagement among students and exhibited the practicality of conducting such a course in any institution.