An Education in Osteopathic Ultrasonography (AEIOU) Program: One Institution's Approach to Advancing an Ultrasonography Curriculum.

Advances in ultrasonography (US) have allowed this technology to play an increasingly important role in numerous fields of medicine. It is important that medical schools incorporate this broadly applicable tool into their curricula. Touro University College of Osteopathic Medicine-CA has implemented a progressive US curriculum that is intended to complement osteopathic education, keep pace with medical advances, and arm future physicians with the most advanced skills and tools to practice medicine. In this article, the authors highlight the importance of US training in medical education and demonstrate the relative ease, cost-effectiveness, and direct benefit to students of implementing such a curriculum. The authors discuss the specifics of the US curriculum in osteopathic undergraduate medical education and describe how a staged rollout helped the college address the need for funding, faculty, and facilities. Plans for continued expansion, the successful and effective use of peer educators, the outcomes measured from this project, and avenues for further study are also discussed.

Integration of Ultrasound in Undergraduate Medical Education at the California Medical Schools: A Discussion of Common Challenges and Strategies From the UMeCali Experience.

Since the first medical student ultrasound electives became available more than a decade ago, ultrasound in undergraduate medical education has gained increasing popularity. More than a dozen medical schools have fully integrated ultrasound education in their curricula, with several dozen more institutions planning to follow suit. Starting in June 2012, a working group of emergency ultrasound faculty at the California medical schools began to meet to discuss barriers as well as innovative approaches to implementing ultrasound education in undergraduate medical education. It became clear that an ongoing collaborative could be formed to discuss barriers, exchange ideas, and lend support for this initiative. The group, termed Ultrasound in Medical Education, California (UMeCali), was formed with 2 main goals: to exchange ideas and resources in facilitating ultrasound education and to develop a white paper to discuss our experiences. Five common themes integral to successful ultrasound education in undergraduate medical education are discussed in this article: (1) initiating an ultrasound education program; (2) the role of medical student involvement; (3) integration of ultrasound in the preclinical years; (4) developing longitudinal ultrasound education; and (5) addressing competency.