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Point-of-care ultrasound (POCUS) has exploded within US healthcare over the last decade – and medical schools are racing to catch up. Roughly 57% of schools now have an approved POCUS curriculum for undergraduate medical education (UME),1 with many more likely to follow suit in the coming years.
But what is actually driving this growth – and what are the benefits for students and medical schools?
This article explores these questions and reveals the benefits that await organizations that prioritize POCUS training.
The primary driver behind POCUS adoption is the urgent need for more medical professionals who can competently use the technology. However, early access to POCUS training delivers benefits far beyond simply eliminating future hurdles.
Research highlights at least three concrete ways medical students gain lasting advantages from undergraduate POCUS training:
POCUS is a vital tool to help students develop and reinforce their overarching skills and knowledge, with 90% of students saying it has enhanced their overall medical education.2 Research suggests the three areas in which POCUS has the greatest benefit are students’ knowledge of anatomy and physiology and the development of practical skills.3
Notably, these benefits serve to reinforce each other. For example, by immediately applying anatomy knowledge with ultrasound, students can better comprehend spatial relationships and physiology, with 86% of students saying that POCUS was valuable in learning human anatomy.4 Additionally, nearly 90% of students also report that such concurrent anatomy ultrasound training increases their confidence in physical exam skills.5
The clinical value of POCUS is well-established across a range of research. In emergency and critical care settings, POCUS can minimize delays between patient presentation and definitive treatment, thereby reducing morbidity and mortality.6 For example, studies show that POCUS can reduce the time to diagnosis for suspected small bowel obstruction by 211 minutes compared to CT scans.7
However, this requires skilled clinicians who can quickly obtain and interpret scans. Early POCUS exposure empowers students to do both with greater confidence and accuracy. They will be able to interpret imaging findings and integrate visual diagnostics into their clinical reasoning, which can make them more self-assured junior clinicians.
Experience with POCUS gives students a competitive edge in their future medical careers. For example, when applying to match with their desired residency program, undergraduate POCUS training reduces the learning curve during their residency rotations. Recent studies find that 77% of graduates say their POCUS training in medical school enriches their current residency.8
These benefits are summed up well by Dr Robert Arnce, director of clinical integration at KCU:
“If POCUS is a skill you already have, it’s one less thing you need to learn, and it’s one thing that you do better than your peers, and so it puts individuals in the driver’s seat in terms of future success.”
Most medical schools will see such clear benefits as reason enough to adopt or expand their usage of POCUS. However, there are also tangible benefits that impact the school’s own interests as a business or contributor to their community’s health, especially as competition in institutions grows.
Offering basic POCUS training is increasingly common for medical schools – and those that have yet to introduce a full POCUS curriculum will undoubtedly benefit. Equally, while many medical schools already offer some degree of POCUS training, almost all can benefit from expanding their programs.
These benefits accrue via three key areas:
The benefits students gain from POCUS translate into a clear boost in their school’s reputation. As POCUS grows in importance across clinical settings, institutions seen as supporting that growth – and helping to bridge the gap between demand for POCUS and availability of trained medics – can only benefit.
The University of California’s Irvine School of Medicine is a perfect example. It was one of the early adopters of POCUS, introducing a four-year longitudinal POCUS curriculum to its class of 2011. This has not only proven to have significant benefits for students but also supported the school’s reputation as a leading light – much of which has been bolstered by further public workshops, conferences, and even the launch of the school’s own ultrasound-based clinical initiative.10
The most common challenge for adopting ultrasound into medical curricula is the lack of trained faculty.11 But handheld POCUS devices can actually reduce the staffing burden associated with ultrasound education: the flexibility and portability of the device remove the classroom constraints of traditional cart-based systems and allow for more flexible teaching methods that make the same staffing resources go further.
For example, the right combination of POCUS device and software enables asynchronous ultrasound practice. Students can develop basic ultrasound skills without direct, in-person supervision – leaning into peer-to-peer or group learning methods that reduce resource pressures. This then frees instructors to focus more time on image acquisition skills during in-person teaching, maximizing the impact of their sessions.
While a growing number of medical schools offer some level of POCUS education, there is still room for adoption to become a significant point of competitive advantage. For example, only 8% of schools have a four-year longitudinal curriculum,12 while research suggests that such courses give students a leg up. Approximately 67% of graduates who undertook such training say they were either “more” or “much more” comfortable interpreting POCUS scans than their peers during subsequent specialist training.13
More comprehensive POCUS training can, therefore, serve as a powerful differentiator for marketing. One study found that 98% of students are “very interested” in receiving ultrasound training as part of their education14 - and many of the most sought-after students increasingly understand that POCUS training can boost their future careers. This presents a powerful opportunity for leaders who are struggling to attract new enrollees in an increasingly crowded educational market.
Introducing or expanding a POCUS curriculum can feel impossible, with many handheld ultrasound device companies requiring steep subscription costs on top of the up-front device costs. But that no longer needs to limit students’ or educators’ access to POCUS training.
Vave Health is the world's first cordless, handheld, whole-body ultrasound with a single PZT transducer. It enables medical schools to avoid prohibitive POCUS costs and makes adoption seamless with:
Our team works with you to incorporate POCUS into your curriculum, leveraging pre-built learning modules, quizzes, and exams to customize your program while ensuring fast and easy adoption.
Want to give your students the educational value they deserve?
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Point-of-care ultrasound (POCUS) has exploded within US healthcare over the last decade – and medical schools are racing to catch up. Roughly 57% of schools now have an approved POCUS curriculum for undergraduate medical education (UME),1 with many more likely to follow suit in the coming years.
But what is actually driving this growth – and what are the benefits for students and medical schools?
This article explores these questions and reveals the benefits that await organizations that prioritize POCUS training.
The primary driver behind POCUS adoption is the urgent need for more medical professionals who can competently use the technology. However, early access to POCUS training delivers benefits far beyond simply eliminating future hurdles.
Research highlights at least three concrete ways medical students gain lasting advantages from undergraduate POCUS training:
POCUS is a vital tool to help students develop and reinforce their overarching skills and knowledge, with 90% of students saying it has enhanced their overall medical education.2 Research suggests the three areas in which POCUS has the greatest benefit are students’ knowledge of anatomy and physiology and the development of practical skills.3
Notably, these benefits serve to reinforce each other. For example, by immediately applying anatomy knowledge with ultrasound, students can better comprehend spatial relationships and physiology, with 86% of students saying that POCUS was valuable in learning human anatomy.4 Additionally, nearly 90% of students also report that such concurrent anatomy ultrasound training increases their confidence in physical exam skills.5
The clinical value of POCUS is well-established across a range of research. In emergency and critical care settings, POCUS can minimize delays between patient presentation and definitive treatment, thereby reducing morbidity and mortality.6 For example, studies show that POCUS can reduce the time to diagnosis for suspected small bowel obstruction by 211 minutes compared to CT scans.7
However, this requires skilled clinicians who can quickly obtain and interpret scans. Early POCUS exposure empowers students to do both with greater confidence and accuracy. They will be able to interpret imaging findings and integrate visual diagnostics into their clinical reasoning, which can make them more self-assured junior clinicians.
Experience with POCUS gives students a competitive edge in their future medical careers. For example, when applying to match with their desired residency program, undergraduate POCUS training reduces the learning curve during their residency rotations. Recent studies find that 77% of graduates say their POCUS training in medical school enriches their current residency.8
These benefits are summed up well by Dr Robert Arnce, director of clinical integration at KCU:
“If POCUS is a skill you already have, it’s one less thing you need to learn, and it’s one thing that you do better than your peers, and so it puts individuals in the driver’s seat in terms of future success.”
Most medical schools will see such clear benefits as reason enough to adopt or expand their usage of POCUS. However, there are also tangible benefits that impact the school’s own interests as a business or contributor to their community’s health, especially as competition in institutions grows.
Offering basic POCUS training is increasingly common for medical schools – and those that have yet to introduce a full POCUS curriculum will undoubtedly benefit. Equally, while many medical schools already offer some degree of POCUS training, almost all can benefit from expanding their programs.
These benefits accrue via three key areas:
The benefits students gain from POCUS translate into a clear boost in their school’s reputation. As POCUS grows in importance across clinical settings, institutions seen as supporting that growth – and helping to bridge the gap between demand for POCUS and availability of trained medics – can only benefit.
The University of California’s Irvine School of Medicine is a perfect example. It was one of the early adopters of POCUS, introducing a four-year longitudinal POCUS curriculum to its class of 2011. This has not only proven to have significant benefits for students but also supported the school’s reputation as a leading light – much of which has been bolstered by further public workshops, conferences, and even the launch of the school’s own ultrasound-based clinical initiative.10
The most common challenge for adopting ultrasound into medical curricula is the lack of trained faculty.11 But handheld POCUS devices can actually reduce the staffing burden associated with ultrasound education: the flexibility and portability of the device remove the classroom constraints of traditional cart-based systems and allow for more flexible teaching methods that make the same staffing resources go further.
For example, the right combination of POCUS device and software enables asynchronous ultrasound practice. Students can develop basic ultrasound skills without direct, in-person supervision – leaning into peer-to-peer or group learning methods that reduce resource pressures. This then frees instructors to focus more time on image acquisition skills during in-person teaching, maximizing the impact of their sessions.
While a growing number of medical schools offer some level of POCUS education, there is still room for adoption to become a significant point of competitive advantage. For example, only 8% of schools have a four-year longitudinal curriculum,12 while research suggests that such courses give students a leg up. Approximately 67% of graduates who undertook such training say they were either “more” or “much more” comfortable interpreting POCUS scans than their peers during subsequent specialist training.13
More comprehensive POCUS training can, therefore, serve as a powerful differentiator for marketing. One study found that 98% of students are “very interested” in receiving ultrasound training as part of their education14 - and many of the most sought-after students increasingly understand that POCUS training can boost their future careers. This presents a powerful opportunity for leaders who are struggling to attract new enrollees in an increasingly crowded educational market.
Introducing or expanding a POCUS curriculum can feel impossible, with many handheld ultrasound device companies requiring steep subscription costs on top of the up-front device costs. But that no longer needs to limit students’ or educators’ access to POCUS training.
Vave Health is the world's first cordless, handheld, whole-body ultrasound with a single PZT transducer. It enables medical schools to avoid prohibitive POCUS costs and makes adoption seamless with:
Our team works with you to incorporate POCUS into your curriculum, leveraging pre-built learning modules, quizzes, and exams to customize your program while ensuring fast and easy adoption.
Want to give your students the educational value they deserve?
With no hidden fees or other unwelcome surprises, Vave offers high-quality imaging at the best price.
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