title: Learner Improvement From a Simulation-Enhanced Ultrasonography Curriculum for First-Year Medical Students.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  We describe a simulation-enhanced ultrasonography (US) curriculum for first-year medical students as part of a comprehensive curricular integration of US skills. Our goal was to assess student knowledge and performance of US and determine their satisfaction with the integrated curriculum.
  
  
  METHODS
  A committee of basic science, clinical, and interinstitutional faculty developed 7 educational US modules integrated into existing anatomy and physiology courses. First-year students in years 2012 through 2014 were administered a demographic survey and a knowledge-based pretest at the outset of the US program and assessed with a posttest, satisfaction survey, and their image acquisition abilities in an objective structured clinical examination with standardized patients on completion of the program.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Data from 390 students showed a significant increase in knowledge from the pretest to the posttest [t(389)= 58.027; P < .0001]. Students with higher spatial abilities or some previous US experience performed better on the posttest. The objective structured clinical examination results showed that about 83% of the students were able to capture acceptable or marginally acceptable images. Ninety-five percent of students indicated that the US educational experience enhanced their medical education.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Initial results show that we were able to successfully develop, implement, and evaluate performance of first-year medical students on their fundamental knowledge and performance of basic US using a model that emphasized hands-on simulation-enhanced training. Furthermore, most students found the experience to be a beneficial component of their education and indicated a desire for more US training in the medical curricula.
authors.affiliation: Eastern Virginia Medical School, Norfolk, Virginia, USA.
authors.forename: Geoffrey T
authors.initials: GT
authors.lastname: Miller
authors.affiliation: Old Dominion University, Norfolk, Virginia, USA.
authors.forename: Mark W
authors.initials: MW
authors.lastname: Scerbo
authors.affiliation: Old Dominion University, Norfolk, Virginia, USA.
authors.forename: Samantha
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Zybak
authors.affiliation: Eastern Virginia Medical School, Norfolk, Virginia, USA.
authors.forename: Donald V
authors.initials: DV
authors.lastname: Byars
authors.affiliation: Eastern Virginia Medical School, Norfolk, Virginia, USA.
authors.forename: Craig W
authors.initials: CW
authors.lastname: Goodmurphy
authors.affiliation: Eastern Virginia Medical School, Norfolk, Virginia, USA.
authors.forename: Frank A
authors.initials: FA
authors.lastname: Lattanzio
authors.affiliation: Eastern Virginia Medical School, Norfolk, Virginia, USA.
authors.forename: Barry J
authors.initials: BJ
authors.lastname: Knapp
authors.affiliation: Eastern Virginia Medical School, Norfolk, Virginia, USA.
authors.forename: Felicia
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Toreno
authors.affiliation: Eastern Virginia Medical School, Norfolk, Virginia, USA.
authors.forename: Alex
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Levitov
authors.affiliation: Eastern Virginia Medical School, Norfolk, Virginia, USA.
authors.forename: Sarah
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Shaves
authors.affiliation: Eastern Virginia Medical School, Norfolk, Virginia, USA.
authors.forename: Alfred
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Abuhamad
mesh_terms: D002983:Clinical Competence; D003479:Curriculum; D004504:Education, Medical, Undergraduate / Q000379:methods; D004521:Educational Measurement / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D006801:Humans; D016544:Patient Simulation; D018794:Problem-Based Learning / Q000379:methods*; D013337:Students, Medical; D014465:Ultrasonics / Q000193:education*
keywords: curriculum; education; medical student; ultrasonography; ultrasound education; undergraduate medical