YOUR COMPLETE ULTRASOUND TRAINING

AND DEPLOYMENT SOLUTION

The Old WayEMS ultrasound, as a concept, has been around for nearly two decades. And yet, it has still not reached critical mass in EMS adoption. A simple explanation for this is the shortcomings inherent to traditional ultrasound training. Typically, a department would be provided a short training session upon purchase of an ultrasound system. This training often consist of four hours of instruction on only the FAST exam by a professional sonographer. While sonographers are undeniably THE experts in image acquisition, they typically have little other clinical background. This leads to the issue of providers being able to acquire an image, but not being able to appropriately integrate findings into their clinical workflow, leading to frustration for both the provider as well as the service, as their valuable investment falls to the wayside within months.

Through our extensive analysis of EMS service ultrasound adoption cases, both successes and failures, we have developed an effective EMS-specific ultrasound training program with a focus on what truly matters--patient safety and outcomes.

We have achieved this through our focus on ultrasound fundamentals as well as clinical relevance. Instead of teaching single isolated exams, we give your providers a solid foundation which will allow them to conduct the exams they learn during the course, as well as the ability to quickly adapt and learn new exams as they are developed. Providers will quickly learn that everything we teach has a clinical purpose. The clinical meat does not get lost in “academic” or “party trick”-style exams and knowledge. And perhaps just as importantly as knowing what exam is appropriate when, we strive to impart upon our students when ultrasound is NOT indicated. We are not ultrasound zealots and understand that while ultrasound is a powerful tool, it is not the be-all end-all of medicine and is simply an extremely valuable augmentation to the physical exam. At the end of the day, we are all here for the same reason: to benefit clinical outcomes and make your practice safer for your patient population.

18 YEARS OF EMS ULTRASOUND… WASTED BY SUB PAR TRAINING

Our Way

After a month of studying our online content, it is not uncommon for students to feel overwhelmed when they arrive for the first day of their hands-on education. The words “I hope you don’t actually expect me to know any of this....” are frequently heard. This is to be expected, given that most students start the course with zero prior knowledge of sonography. Through a series of hands-on games and small session reviews, providers soon realize that they have already developed an extensive baseline knowledge and rapidly begin to connect the proverbial dots as neurocognitive connections are developed and strengthened. These small “wins” continue to build, creating the foundations for a confident and competent provider.

The remainder of the hands-on sessions are specifically designed from the ground up to target the specific needs of the EMS provider. If your department has unique needs or use cases, contact us and we will work with you to ensure your providers get the most relevant training and simulation experience possible. Here’s what you can expect from the course:

Course Overview

Comprehensive Ultrasound Training CourseOur flagship product, The Comprehensive Ultrasound Training Course, is a 16+ hour course to create Superuser subject matter experts within your department. These Superusers will be your local experts, both in their individual practice, as well as their ability to aid in training others. We recommend an absolute minimum of three Superusers per department, with more for larger services. The Comprehensive Course consists of a month of expertly-curated and peer reviewed online content, followed by 16 hours of hands-on sessions, either at your facility or at an open course elsewhere. The Comprehensive Ultrasound Training Course grants participants 16 hours of CAPCE accredited CEUs.

Unlike almost any other medical course out there, day one starts with probes in hands, not with a PowerPoint-driven lecture. In fact, students will not see a single slideshow for the entirety of the course. Students start with a series of challenges and games which build a foundational understanding of ultrasound physics. While physics may sound like an exercise in academia, this teaches your providers how to break down an image and truly analyze it instead of just trying to match an image obtained on a patient to one they saw in class. Would it make sense to teach an EKG course by showing providers 10 different 12-leads and expect them to try to match every 12-lead they acquire to one of those 10 examples? Of course not. Ultrasound is no different. This initial session uses an intuitive approach to help providers identify fluid, air, bone, foreign bodies and anything else they may come across in their career. They will also learn and practice ultrasound-guided peripheral IV insertion, leading to a reduced rate of IO insertion in patients who truly don’t need that level of invasive access as well as improved patient satisfaction.

After lunch, we break into small groups to finally lay hands on actual humans and learn the basics of diagnostic scanning. By using humans models instead of manufactured simulators, we are able to emphasize the provider-patient relationship. We utilize the Socratic method during this session, challenging students to use critical thinking and group discussion in order to answer any questions that arise. We also emphasize a team approach in allowing providers to teach and aide each other, developing their ability to teach ultrasound while they are still learning it themselves.

Given the unique challenges of EMS compared to traditional medicine such as confined space and limited patient access, all of this is done in the back of an ambulance (or your aircraft, when applicable and available), allowing providers to experiment and find the optimal workflow for their own environment.

Basic Scanning - 4hr

Ultrasound Physics - 4hr

High Fidelity Simulation - 8hrDay two is the real star of our course. The entire day consists of high fidelity patient care scenarios. We don’t just present a case and ask what exam would be appropriate. Students are presented with scenarios starting at their arrival on scene and run all the way to patient turnover. This allows providers to develop a rhythm and understand where in the assessment process that performing an ultrasound exam is appropriate (or perhaps ultrasound isn’t necessary at all in a particular scenario...), truly integrating ultrasound into the patient care process instead of simply adding it as an extra, isolated skillset. Every one of these challenging yet realistic scenarios is based on real-life cases; there are no “once in a career” or “school bus full of hemophiliac orphans” calls here. By utilizing human actors and the latest in simulation technology, we offer a level of realism rarely seen in EMS simulation.

Our support and commitment to your department doesn’t end as soon as the final scenario is completed. We strive to remain available to answer any simple questions that may arise as your providers start regularly utilizing ultrasound. Participants will also continue to have access to the online curriculum for a month after the course ends. This allows for further review from a new perspective now that they’ve had a formal education in prehospital sonography.

We also offer a range of other services to your department as it continues to develop and deploy its ultrasound program. Whether you’re looking for monthly QA/QI sessions with physician experts in point-of-care ultrasound or continuing education to maintain your providers’ edge, we’re here to ensure your department’s success in adopting this important new diagnostic modality.

After the Course

Fundamentals of Ultrasound Course*Do budget and/or time constraints preclude you from putting your entire staff through the Comprehensive Course? We still have you covered. After the successful minting of your Superusers, we will discuss a timeline in which to come back out and train the remainder of your staff through our Fundamentals of Ultrasound Course. This course, while not as in-depth, maintains the same high quality as the Comprehensive Course and hones the instructional skills of your Superusers while bringing your other providers up to speed. Participants in the Fundamentals course will go through the same month-long content as the Superusers, followed by one day of hands-on sessions. These sessions will be lead by our instructors while your Superusers assist, giving them an opportunity to gain confidence in their teaching skills, while simultaneously allowing us to reinforce key concepts. The Fundamentals Course grants participants 8 hours of CAPCE accredited CEUs.

Given our own experience in EMS, we understand the unique staffing challenges of the industry and are flexible to work with your department in developing a training plan to make sure all of your shifts receive the training, such as offering the course for three consecutive days. We can also leave your department with IV access simulators in order for your providers to continue practicing this valuable skill.

*Requires successful completion of The Comprehensive Ultrasound Training Course by a minimum of three Superusers.

Our Services

Training Courses

Additional Services- 12 Month Online QA/QI Program - 12 Month Online CE Webinars - The Point of Care Ultrasound Handbook: Field

Edition—durable and fluid-proof for use in patient care areas

Complete Ultrasound Training Course - Creates local Superuser subject matter experts at your

department - Minimum of 3 students STRONGLY recommended - 16 hours of CAPCE accredited CEUs - Includes Basic Protocol Development Assistance - Large group discounts available

Fundamentals of Ultrasound Course - Requires minimum of 3 Superusers within your department - 8 hours of CAPCE accredited CEUs

All Courses Include:

- One copy of The Point of Care Ultrasound Handbook per student

- ID badge reference cards

OUR MOST IMPORTANT ASSET IS OUR TEAM. WE LOVE WHAT WE

DO. WE ARE HERE FOR YOU, YOUR TEAM, AND FOR THE PEOPLE YOU

CARE FOR

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