Learning a Hands-on Skill in a Hands-off World: Ultrasound in the Age of COVID
The arrival of the COVID- 19 pandemic has resulted in many changes to the resident education experience. As cases in the United States started to sore, so did the personal protective equipment (PPE) shortages, and fear of provider infections resulting in another potential source of “resource shortages”. Ultimately, this changed the way residents would spend the next couple months learning the art of medicine. Residents were pulled from “non-essential” rotations. For me, this meant that learning ultrasound during a pandemic would have to be done from home, and from my computer. This blog is meant to review some of the resources that helped me with this “hands-off” learning experience. There is no substitute for hands-on practice with ultrasound, but these sites were still an invaluable resource to my pandemic home ultrasound rotation.
5-MINUTE SONO
Modern, short, user-friendly videos which are about 5 minutes each — great for those of us with short attention spans. Great for a quick refresher: clear and concise. Videos are broken down by systems and then further by core ultrasound applications within the system. For example, under the lung section there is a video on technique and then additional videos focusing each on different pulmonary topics such as pneumothorax, B-lines, pleural effusion, pulmonary contusions, pneumonia, PE, and PNA.
SAEM NARRATED LECTURES
Longer, more in depth videos of each system. Good for beginners to learn all of the basics and get your bearings on core ultrasound applications and usefulness of ultrasound for each system. Presented by a variety of different lecturer so variation in style and quality of the lectures.
INTRODUCTION TO BEDSIDE ULTRASOUND
Although this is a textbook it is easily digestible and is a great review to get the details and go through each system. The images could be better, but is helpful to get the hang of the core ultrasound applications, pearls, pitfalls, and clinical findings. It is a great supplement to the previously mentioned videos, which have no text and sometimes fly through important points. Volumes 1 and 2 written by M. Dawson and M. Mallin.
Written by: M. Dawson and M. Mallin Volume 1 & 2
SONO DOC
This is an online interactive game that goes through cases and has you make clinical decisions. It’s great if you need something more interactive with little quizzes scattered throughout.
ULTRASOUND PODCAST
Not great for learning the basics, but good for keeping up to date and a fun casual way of learning new topics, techniques and the latest in US. Episodes are uploaded about two times a month, even mixes in some pediatrics!
SONO SPOT
This is a mix of blog posts and tutorials that include both text and videos! It is a little more comprehensive than the other resources and combines multiple mediums, which is great. The only downside is that the platform was slightly less user friendly.
HANDHELD ULTRASOUND TECHNOLOGY
Lastly, the only way you may be able to get some hands-on experience outside of the hospital is by using a handheld ultrasound device, in my case, the Butterfly. Many other manufacturers also offer handheld ultrasound technology. Handheld ultrasound machines are portable, small ultrasound machines that connect to a personal device such as a smartphone or tablet. This can allow some hands-on practice at home on yourself or anyone in your household. The butterfly also comes with a subscription and offers some butterfly focused tutorials by system and indication.
SUMMARY
Although technique is still something I imagine I will struggle with when I return to the hospital, these resources helped me a lot in understanding the basics, indications, orientation, and importance of ultrasound. I hope that you also find them useful in brushing up on your ultrasound skills or learning them for the first time.
Faculty Reviewer: Kristin Dwyer