Ultrasound Elective

This four-week elective is designed to introduce 4th year medical students to the use of point-of-care (POC) ultrasound in the emergency department. Students will receive hands-on training as well as a variety of didactics to learn the basics of emergency ultrasound. Students will be given required readings and attend lectures to help develop background knowledge of each of the main areas of emergency ultrasound, which include Physics/Instrumentation, Biliary, Renal, Aorta, EFAST (Extended Focused Assessment with Sonography for Trauma), Cardiac, Transabdominal Pelvic, Deep Venous Thrombosis, Skin/Soft Tissue/Musculoskeletal, Procedural. Further, they will be given the opportunity to practice and develop their skills by scanning patients in the emergency department with the ultrasound faculty and independently on designated scanning shifts. Images and videos will be saved electronically for review at the weekly image review sessions.

This elective is designed to give students with an interest in emergency medicine the opportunity to develop their ultrasound skills prior to residency and gain additional exposure to patient care in the emergency department. During this elective, students will be provided the time and mentorship to develop advanced skills in bedside emergency ultrasound. All students will participate in designated 3-hour hands-on instructional sessions with an ultrasound faculty member. They will also have assigned 4-hour scanning shifts where they will scan patients in the emergency department. The student will be expected to complete a minimum of 150 scans during their rotation, which will be reviewed for quality and accuracy by ultrasound faculty.

Curriculum

  • Orientation session
  • Individual 3-hour hands-on scanning sessions with the ultrasound faculty
  • Ten 4-hour scheduled scanning shifts
  • Attendance at weekly emergency medicine conferences Wednesday from 8a-12p
  • Completion of reading material and computer-based ultrasound tutorials and videos
  • Participation in weekly image review sessions of departmental EUS scans
  • Review their minimum of 150 documented ultrasound scans for the rotation with ultrasound faculty and respond to feedback
  • Final case based EUS presentation to be given at the final weekly image review session of the student’s rotation
  • Post-rotation ultrasound review test

Application

The Emergency Ultrasound elective is overseen by Dr. Lindsay Davis. There is availability for two students per block, and students may register for the elective on a first come, first serve basis. Boston University Chobanian & Avedisian School of Medicine medical students may sign up for the elective by completing an Add/Drop Form and bringing it to the Clerkship Coordinator. Any questions regarding block availability should be directed toward the Clerkship Coordinator. Please also include your email address, phone number, and beeper number on the form so that we may send you confirmation and information regarding the rotation. Sorry, but faxed or emailed forms are not accepted.

For students from other medical schools to sign up for the elective, this must be done via VSAS. There is no paperwork accepted directly to the department for students from outside schools. Once your VSAS form is approved you may contact the Clerkship Coordinator for available dates.

Additional information can be found on the Fourth Year Course Catalog.

For any questions about the elective, please contact:

 

 

 

 

 

 

Lindsay Davis, MD
Assistant Professor of Emergency Medicine, Boston University Chobanian & Avedisian School of Medicine
Lindsay.Davis@bmc.org