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Background: The availability of faculty proficient in point of care ultrasound (POCUS) has emerged as a barrier to the ongoing expansion of POCUS across the field of internal medicine. We sought to examine the faculty graduates of our institutional POCUS program to identify characteristics associated with long-term proficiency to inform curricula and guide institutional support. Methods: We emailed a test and survey to the 89 faculty graduates of the annual POCUS course we have run from 2018-2023. Results: Of the 46 participants (52%) who completed the test and survey, the overall median test score was 72%. Graduates were most confident with image acquisition of the lung, and were most likely to use ultrasound to evaluate ascites and dyspnea. All 11 participants reporting completion of an image portfolio were actively teaching POCUS, whereas only 54% of non-completers were teaching. Portfolio completers scored higher on the test compared to non-completers (median 92% and 68%, respectively, p <0.01) and were more confident in image acquisition and interpretation (p<0.001). Conclusions: In this long-term, single-institutional study of faculty graduates of an annual POCUS program, those who reported completing an image portfolio scored significantly higher on a knowledge test, reported higher confidence with image acquisition and interpretation, and reported using and teaching POCUS more frequently compared to graduates who did not complete the portfolio. POCUS education programs should be designed to foster continuous scanning practice and image portfolio completion., Competing Interests: The authors declare no conflict of interest., (Copyright (c) 2024 Michael Janjigian, Anne Dembitzer, Isaac Holmes, Caroline Srisarajivakul-Klein, Khemraj Hardowar, Harald Sauthoff.)

Background: Traditional introductory point-of-care ultrasound (POCUS) courses are resource intensive, typically requiring 2-3 days at a remote site, consisting of lectures and hands-on components. Social distancing requirements resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic led us to create a novel hybrid course curriculum consisting of virtual and in-person components., Methods: Faculty, chief residents, fellows and advanced practice providers (APPs) in the Department of Medicine were invited to participate in the hybrid curriculum. The course structure included 4 modules of recorded lectures, quizzes, online image interpretation sessions, online case discussions, and hands-on sessions at the bedside of course participant's patients. The components of the course were delivered over approximately 8 months. Those participants who completed a minimum of 3 modules over the year were invited for final assessments. Results from the hybrid curriculum cohort were compared to the year-end data from a prior traditional in-person cohort., Results: Participant knowledge scores were not different between traditional (n = 19) and hybrid (n = 24) groups (81% and 84%, respectively, P = 0.9). There was no change in POCUS skills as measured by the hands-on test from both groups at end-of-course (76% and 76%, respectively, P = 0.93). Confidence ratings were similar across groups from 2.73 traditional to 3.0 hybrid (out of possible 4, P = 0.46). Participants rated the course highly, with an average overall rating of 4.6 out 5., Conclusions: A hybrid virtual and in-person POCUS course was highly rated and as successful as a traditional course in improving learner knowledge, hands-on skill and confidence at 8 months after course initiation. These results support expanding virtual elements of POCUS educational curricula., (© 2022. The Author(s).)

Background: Point-of-care ultrasound (POCUS) is becoming widely adopted with increasing accessibility of courses. Little is known about the optimal design of the introductory course or longitudinal training programs targeting hospitalists that are critical to success., Methods: Hospitalists at four academic sites participated in a two-day introductory course and a longitudinal phase comprising clinical POCUS practice, clip uploading with online feedback, hands-on teaching, and monthly ultrasound conferences. Assessments were performed immediately before and after the two-day course and after 1 year., Results: Knowledge increased from baseline to post two-day course (median score 58 and 85%, respectively, p < 0.001) and decreased slightly at 1 year (median score 81%, p = 0.012). After the two-day introductory course, the median score for hands-on image acquisition skills, the principal metric of participant success, was 75%. After 1 year, scores were similar (median score 74%). Confidence increased from baseline to post two-day course (1.5 to 3.1 on a 4 point Likert scale from Not at all confident (1) to Very confident (4), p < 0.001), and remained unchanged after 1 year (2.73). Course elements correlating with a passing score on the final hands-on test included number of clip uploads (r = 0.85, p,0.001), attendance at hands-on sessions (r = 0.7, p = 0.001), and attendance at monthly conferences (r = 0.50, p = 0.03)., Conclusions: The I-ScaN POCUS training program increased hospitalist knowledge, skill and confidence with maintained skill and confidence after 1 year. Uploading clips and attending hands-on teaching sessions were most correlative with participant success.