The goal of the Ultrasound Student Interest Group (USIG) is to provide opportunities for medical students to receive a more expansive education in ultrasound that they can use during their medical training as well as their careers. Ultrasound is a non-invasive, low-cost imaging technique that when used appropriately has a high diagnostic power for many common conditions. As medicine moves to reduce unnecessary imaging studies and use safer and more cost-effective imaging techniques, clinician-performed and generalist ultrasound is becoming increasingly advocated.
In order to expand DGSOM’s ultrasound education in addition to the ultrasound training incorporated into the curriculum, USIG hosts office hours to provide students with additional opportunities to practice ultrasound scanning. Students have the chance to practice live ultrasound scanning and apply the anatomy learned in the curriculum with the guidance of 2nd and 4th-year students, as well as faculty members.
Traditionally, USIG coordinators organize Ultrafest, which is an annual conference at DGSOM where medical students of all years get to learn and practice new ultrasound techniques through simulation workshops at the UCLA Sim Center. These workshops are all led by ultrasound attendings, fellows, and residents from the UCLA Health system.
This year, we created a monthly speaker series to educate medical students about the many clinical applications of point-of-care ultrasound (POCUS). Click on the POCUS tab to learn more about unique and fascinating patient cases across medical settings and organ systems, given by leading UCLA physicians and ultrasound experts.
