A Comparison of Physicians and Ultrasound Technologists as Instructors for a Point-of-Care Ultrasound (PoCUS) Course: A Pilot Study

McGrath, Kaitlin and Metcalfe, Brian (2019) A Comparison of Physicians and Ultrasound Technologists as Instructors for a Point-of-Care Ultrasound (PoCUS) Course: A Pilot Study. Research Report. Faculty of Medicine, Memorial University of Newfoundland, St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador. (Submitted)

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Abstract

Background - Considerable research exists demonstrating the value of ultrasound education at both the undergraduate and post-graduate level. Several barriers to ultrasound education have been reported, including instructor availability. Notably, a gap in the literature exists on solutions to overcome these barriers. Currently, no literature exists on the use of ultrasound technologists as instructors for ultrasound curriculum. The aim of this study is to determine if ultrasound technologists can assist the delivery of point-of-care ultrasound (PoCUS) curriculum to undergraduate medical students as determined by learner evaluations. Methods - An interactive PoCUS course was offered to first-year undergraduate medical students at Memorial University of Newfoundland. The course was taught by three instructors certified by the Canadian Emergency Ultrasound Society and one experienced ultrasound technologist. Participants (n=12) rated instructors on a Likert-scale according to knowledge of PoCUS, ability to answer questions effectively, ability to provide quality feedback and overall effectiveness of instruction. The participants were also asked to provide qualitative feedback regarding how having an ultrasound technologist as an instructor enhanced their learning. Results - There were no significant between-group differences for instructor ratings on knowledge of PoCUS, ability to answer questions effectively, ability to provide quality feedback or overall effectiveness of instruction. All of the participants agreed that having an ultrasound technologist as an instructor enhanced their learning, especially with respect to techniques for image generation.

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