Undergraduate teaching in ultrasound to medical students

Purpose: Assessing and training ultrasound to undergraduate students of 3 rd year medical assigned to Valme Hospital, University of Sevilla.

Materials and methods: Descriptive study developed in February, March and April of 2012 by 48 medical students from 3 rd year who studied the subject of Medical Pathology. They were divided into groups of 8, and each group was taught a Theoretical and practical 4-hour workshop, the contents was the protocol Focused Assessment With Sonography in Trauma (FAST) for detecting abdominal free-flowing liquid. The workshop was led by two emergency physicians with extensive training and experience in clinical ultrasound. After the theoretical explanation of each block, students practiced the basic plans using their peers as models for over 3 hours. Upon completion, students had to complete a questionnaire and they were asked, using a Linkert 5-point scale (very good = 5, … very bad = 1), to evaluate the agreement or disagreement about their experience with the workshop. Their knowledge did not evaluate ultrasound.

Results: 100% of students (50) evaluated the workshop as very good and teachers, and 98% (49) assessed equally the teaching methodology. The students were excited about the practical part of the workshop, 98% of them (49) agreed that the usefulness and clinical applicability of ultrasound and its inclusion in medical training programs at undergraduate level would be essential. 100% of students suggested implementing more workshops as performed and in turn, that the workshop had been conducted had more hours and more educational content.

Conclusions: The vast majority of students were very satisfied with the workshop and, according to them, it should include training in clinical ultrasound in the formal curriculum of the Faculty of Medicine of Seville, since they believe will help them in their future practice as doctors, regardless of the specialty they will choose in the future.