This site is for med students and junior doctors. My goal is to convince you of two things:
- Bedside ultrasound makes better doctors and safer, happier, healthier patients.
- You don’t have to be a senior registrar or a consultant to start learning this amazing skill. In fact, you shouldn’t wait!
I am a PGY3, currently working in ED. I am not an ultrasound expert, just a keen learner on an ongoing journey. I use ultrasound every day. POCUS has so many benefits:
- Faster, more accurate diagnosis and disposition
- Better informed treatment decisions, less trial and error
- Can avoid the need for CT and massive radiation doses (and costs)
- Builds patient confidence in you as their doctor
- Improves patient satisfaction and health literacy (show the patient what is happening inside their body)
- Massively improves your understanding of anatomy and physiology
- Safer invasive procedures
- It’s fun!
My ultrasonic journey began as a 5th year. I got my first hit seeing ultrasound used in Wellington Hospital ED. I was hooked, but there didn’t seem to be any real way to learn ultrasound in NZ as a student. During the TI elective I spent 4 weeks in the ER at Yale in the USA on an emergency ultrasound rotation. After graduating and finally escaping university after 9 long years, I immediately re-enrolled and completed the Postgraduate Certificate in Clinician-Performed Ultrasound (PGCertCPU) through Otago. In the near future I plan to do more specific courses as my interests develop.
I would love to hear about your own journey, and if I can help you I will. Please don’t hesitate to get in touch!
POCUS Revolution 