Point-of-Care Ultrasound (POCUS)

Our Internal Medicine Residency Program offers a progressive, longitudinal curriculum in point-ofcare ultrasound (POCUS) designed to develop residents’ knowledge and skills in ultrasound fundamentals, image acquisition, and interpretation.

Residents participate in regularly scheduled small-group sessions that combine focused didactics, hands-on scanning, image interpretation, and case-based learning. In addition to this longitudinal training, residents who wish to further develop their POCUS skills may pursue one of two advanced pathways.

The POCUS Champion Pathway provides structured training with defined benchmarks for skill development. POCUS Champions complete specific image-acquisition requirements, educational modules, image review and feedback, and both knowledge and hands-on skills assessments. Champions also serve as peer educators and mentors, helping newer learners develop their scanning skills.

Residents seeking a higher level of training may complete the POCUS Proficiency Pathway, which builds upon the Champion requirements with more extensive image-acquisition requirements, interpretation training, and competency assessment. Residents can develop an extensive portfolio documenting their POCUS training and experience. The pathway is designed to prepare graduates seeking POCUS privileges after residency and to align with the types of training and documentation commonly required by hospitals for credentialing.

Throughout the curriculum, residents maintain individual ultrasound archives. Submitted images are reviewed by the POCUS Director, with individualized feedback provided to support continued improvement. The goal of the curriculum is to provide all residents with a strong foundation in point-of-care ultrasound while offering those with additional interest a structured pathway to develop advanced skills and prepare for the use of POCUS in their future clinical practice.

Additional Resources