145 - Feasibility of a Pilot Hands-On Ultrasound Workshop for U.S. Medical Students

Objectives: Ultrasound (U/S) has revolutionized how physiatrists diagnose musculoskeletal pathologies and has guided them in performing interventional procedures. Despite the widespread adoption of U/S use in physiatry, there remains a gap in standardization of training to U/S in the medical school curricula across the country. In this pilot study, a resident-led U/S workshop was implemented to assess its utility in supplementing musculoskeletal knowledge for students in a medical school developing a preclinical U/S curriculum.

Design: The in-person workshop consisted of a 30-minute lecture taught by PM&R residents, followed by two 30-minute hands-on stations that separately focused on the palmar and dorsal aspect of the wrist. Nine students and four residents attended. Invitations to the workshop were sent virtually, and PM&R residents at the institution volunteered as instructors.

Results: A significant improvement in U/S knowledge was observed, with a pre-workshop mean quiz score of 70.8 increasing to 85.2 post-workshop. Before the workshop, 75% of participants recognized the importance of U/S in their future specialties, while 50% found the U/S scanning process enjoyable, and 62.5% expressed an interest in enhancing their anatomical knowledge through U/S. Notably, 50% of the participants expressed an inclination towards pursuing PM&R, with Internal Medicine as the second most preferred specialty (25%). Post-workshop feedback was overwhelmingly positive, as 100% of participants advocated for integration of similar U/S workshops into the curriculum.

Conclusions: Our pilot study demonstrated the substantial interest and perceived importance of U/S among participants. Despite the limited sample size, these findings highlight both the immediate educational impact of the workshop on U/S knowledge and the broader enthusiasm among participants for U/S education. Looking ahead, we envision expanding our U/S sessions to accommodate a greater number of participants, allowing for a more comprehensive assessment of students' increased proficiency in U/S.