September is Point of Care Ultrasound month
This month there will be 2 teaching sessions on basic and more advanced POCUS , and an opportunity to start a credentialing process for lifelong Point of care ultrasound skill that will improve the way you care for your patients regardless of your chosen speciality ! ( except psychiatry -though thats debatable )
STEPS :
1 ) read this blog and the pages that follow to understand a little bit about the process
2) understand some basic principles of ultrasound - health and safety (ALARA principles , disinfectant low and high level , probe covers ) . Understand artefact - see this link , you cannot practice POCUS without having some knowledge of this , A lot of POCUS diagnoses come from the interpretation of artefact .
3) Start logging scans immediately ( this just means keeping a record of the scans not necessarily keeping the images ) The images should be reviewed by an SMO or competent POCUS practitioner in real time (while on the floor or first thing in morning after a night shift ) so storing the images isn’t necessary for your log ( see below (link) for how to get a log book )
4) Do the free , open access online modules ( of which there are a multitude of choices ) the ‘Entry level’ modules are the eFAST , AAA ) . More advanced modules include Basic cardiac , hepatobiliary and early pregnancy . Procedures and MSK are often learnt at the beside with instruction .
5) Attend teaching days and courses. Option to spend loads of money going the Gold Coast for a 3000 dollar course or come to our teaching sessions for free
6) Log a supervised formative scan per module
7) log a summative scan , supervised - passed - done ✅
Teaching on 11 September will include
-an mcq based on basic ultrasound knowledge
The MCQ will be at the start of teaching
- A session Peripheral IV line / Hip block
- A session on EFAST
- A session AAA
Your only preparation is to read the EFAST AAA on POCUS 101
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