MD Program
In 2006, we became the first university in the country to integrate ultrasound instruction throughout a four-year medical school curriculum. We believe ultrasound should be a core competency since there are practical applications in almost all medical disciplines.
M1 students have ultrasound labs in the Foundational Anatomy and Physiology courses. The hands-on scanning during the labs provides a means to reinforce material and facilitate understanding in an active learning fashion. An ultrasound lab within the Introduction to Clinical Medicine course is used to augment the teaching of physical examination skills.
M2 students have ultrasound labs within several of the system-based blocks throughout the academic year. These build on the ultrasound skills learned in their first year to prepare them for scanning patients in the clerkship phase of medical school.
M3 students get further ultrasound instruction and experience within the Internal Medicine, Family Medicine, Pediatrics, Surgery, & Obstetrics/ Gynecology Clerkships. Students perform scans on patients using the skills they acquired in the pre-clerkship phase of their curriculum. Some electives such as Emergency Medicine and Critical Care Medicine offer scanning opportunities as well.
M4 students can take electives dedicated to ultrasound education including an Ultrasound Independent Study and Emergency Medicine Ultrasound. Scanning opportunities are also available in some of the required acting internships and critical care rotations.
Please use this link to see more details about the MD program point of care ultrasound curriculum.
PA Program
The USC Physician Assistant program incorporates ultrasound education within several courses in the didactic phase of the curriculum. Hands-on ultrasound labs are included in the Human Anatomy for Health Sciences course, the Physical Diagnosis course, and the Diagnostic Testing course. Students also have the opportunity to scan patients on various rotations during the clinical phase of the curriculum.
CRNA Program
The Ultrasound Institute provides ultrasound equipment and resources for hands-on ultrasound training for the USC Doctor of Nurse Anesthesia program. The training includes acquiring skills for point-of-care diagnostic scans relevant to the field as well as procedural skills such as ultrasound-guided peripheral nerve blocks.
Residency/Fellowship Programs
The Ultrasound Institute is involved with providing ultrasound training for various local residency programs in the area including those at Prisma Health and Lexington Medical Center. Over the years we have trained numerous faculty members from residency programs in the state as well as those from other parts of the country.
A Point of Care Ultrasound Fellowship is run through Prisma Health. It is designed specifically for Internal Medicine and Family Medicine physicians to develop POCUS skills in both inpatient and outpatient settings. Keith Barron, MD is the director of this fellowship. For additional details, follow this link.