Welcome to the Ultrasound Section!

Point-of-care ultrasound (POCUS) has become the standard of care for the clinical evaluation of emergency department patients over the past few decades. Ultrasound provides real-time diagnostic capabilities that have been shown to increase cost effectiveness, diagnostic accuracy, time efficiency, procedure safety, and patient satisfaction. (1,2) As the indications for POCUS continue to expand, it is essential for providers to stay up to date on the latest ultrasound standards to provide the highest quality of care.

Why we love ultrasound and why it matters to us!

Ultrasound education is a vital aspect of medical education. The American College of Emergency Physicians (ACEP) outlines a longitudinal curriculum for ultrasound training, starting with the introduction of skills during medical school. (3) For Emergency Medicine residents, ultrasound is a core competency and an Accredited Council of Graduate Medical Education (ACGME) requirement. Regardless of the level of the learner, ultrasound proficiency requires layered learning, where applications are learned, core concepts are reinforced, and the practitioner’s skills are refined as new applications and ideas are introduced over their career. (3) Free open-access medical (FOAM) education materials, such as blogs and websites, have a central role in reiterating POCUS concepts. FOAM education can especially provide learners with a wide variety of materials for image interpretation that they can review at home, allowing for more hands-on probe time while on shift in the emergency department to hone image acquisition skills.

Get your gel bottles ready as we set on this adventure!

This is where the Browncoat Nation Blog Ultrasound Section comes into play. The purpose of this blog is to highlight real-world cases curated by our own residents and medical students and to provide easy access to ultrasound tips and pearls. Regular posts will be uploaded to the site, including Ultrasound of the Week cases and interesting topic reviews. The goal is to reinforce ultrasound applications, showcase interesting cases, and provide tutorials on the latest POCUS concepts. We hope that this site will increase your ultrasound knowledge and encourage you to integrate ultrasound into your clinical practice on your next shift.